Owatonna Fire Department is joining the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and the National Weather Service in promoting general weather safety this week for Severe Weather Awareness Week. This is the perfect time for residents to practice their preparedness for the variety of severe weather hazards that occur in Minnesota.
Today’s focus is on thunderstorms, lightning, and hail. Here are a few facts about each:
- Thunderstorms
- Warm, humid conditions are favorable for storm development.
- A typical thunderstorm is 15 miles in diameter and lasts for about 30 minutes.
- Ten percent of storms are severe – typically including high winds and large hail.
- Lightning
- All thunderstorms produce lightning.
- Lightning can strike up to 15 miles away from the center of a storm.
- The chance of being struck by lightning once in a lifetime: 1 in 12,000. (NWS data)
- Hail
- Hail is larger than sleet and forms in thunderstorms.
- Updrafts are strong rising currents of air within a storm that carry water droplets to a height where they freeze and become hail.
- Large hail stones fall faster than 100 mph and can injure or even kill people.
To keep safe during a thunderstorm with lightning, here are a few tips:
- General Safety
- If there is thunder, lightning is close enough to strike. Immediately move to a safe shelter: a building or enclosed metal-topped vehicle with windows up.
- Stay in a safe shelter at least 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder.
- Outdoor Safety
- No place outside is safe when thunderstorms are in the area.
- If caught outside during a storm without a nearby shelter: immediately get off elevated areas; never lie flat on the ground; and never shelter under an isolated tree.
- If in a boat when a storm hits, get to shore and off the water as soon as possible and find shelter.
- Indoor Safety
- Stay off corded phones, computers, and other electronic devises
- Avoid plumbing, including sinks, baths, and faucets
- Stay away from windows and doors
- Do not lie on concrete floors or lean against concrete walls
More information is available on the Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM) and National Weather Service (NWS) websites.