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SOUTHEASTERN USA READIES FOR SEVERE WEATHER
NOAA Forecast Offices in Southeast Mark “Severe Weather Awareness Day”

NOAA aerial photo of Kams Manufacturing destroyed by F4 tornado in Van Wert County, Ohio, just northwest of the town of Van Wert on November 10, 2002.Oct. 28, 2003 — Most of the southeastern United States has a secondary season of peak severe weather and tornado activity starting in late October and running through early December, reports NOAA. On Tuesday, NOAA National Weather Service forecast offices serving Mississippi, Alabama and middle Tennessee joined forces with state and local officials to conduct Severe Weather Awareness Day activities. (Click NOAA aerial photo for larger view of Kams Manufacturing destroyed by F4 tornado in Van Wert County, Ohio, just northwest of the town of Van Wert on November 10, 2002. Please credit “NOAA.”)

“Historically, November has been the most active of the secondary severe weather season months,” said Alan Gerard, meteorologist-in-charge of the NOAA National Weather Service forecast office in Jackson, Miss. While the states of Tennessee, Arkansas, Louisiana, Alabama and Georgia are also frequent recipients of secondary season storms, Mississippi generally receives a lion’s share of severe storm activity—and most of that in November.

NOAA-16 satellite image of severe weather outbreak responsible for some reported 88 tornadoes across eastern USA taken at 3:16 p.m. on Nov. 10, 2002.“Some recent research at the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Okla., indicates that parts of Mississippi actually see a greater risk of tornadoes in November than any other month of the year,” said Gerard. NOAA Jackson Warning Coordination Meteorologist Jim Butch added, “Since 1992, there have been five really violent tornadoes in the state and all but one of them occurred in November.” (Click NOAA-16 satellite image for larger view of severe weather outbreak responsible for some reported 88 tornadoes across eastern USA taken at 3:16 p.m. on Nov. 10, 2002. NOAA-16 is a polar-orbiting NOAA satellite, which flies at about 520 miles above the Earth in an almost north-south orbit. Please credit “NOAA.”)

In Alabama, Governor Bob Riley proclaimed today “Fall Severe Weather Awareness Day” urging the news media, community leaders and the public to join this effort to make sure Alabama is prepared for whatever natural hazards might befall it citizens. Working in conjunction with the Alabama Emergency Management Agency, the NOAA National Weather Service forecast offices in Huntsville and Birmingham also advanced their NOAA Weather Radio weekly tests to coincide with today’s statewide activities.

In Mississippi, NOAA forecast offices serving that state issued test warnings triggering a statewide tornado drill to check preparedness plans of state and local emergency management agencies, schools, hospitals, businesses and citizens throughout the state.

Mississippi Governor Ronnie Musgrove also signed a proclamation declaring today “Severe Weather Awareness Day” and Mississippi Emergency Management Agency officials were on hand to observe a tornado drill at the Stokes Beard Elementary school in Columbus, Miss. The school was severely damaged when a powerful F3 tornado ripped through downtown Columbus on Nov. 10, 2002. It was part of the widespread Veteran’s Day Weekend tornado outbreak that spawned 76 tornadoes (10 in Mississippi) and killed 36 people in 17 states from Mississippi to Ohio. It was the second largest November tornado outbreak on record.

With the approach of another November, NOAA Huntsville Meteorologist-in-Charge John Gordon says, “This is the perfect time of year to check your preparedness plans. Make sure your NOAA Weather Radio has fresh batteries in it. Make sure you have a means of receiving severe weather information and know what to do when threatening weather approaches.”

When a tornado threatens, you should:

  • Move to an underground tornado shelter or basement.
  • If no underground shelter is available, go to an interior hallway on the lowest floor.
  • Get under sturdy furniture.
  • Get out of mobile homes.

If driving, you should:

  • Never try to outrun the tornado.
  • Get out of the vehicle and seek shelter.
  • Lie flat in a ditch or depression if caught outside.
  • Avoid sheltering beneath an overpass.

Meteorologists at the NOAA National Weather Service constantly monitor weather conditions to provide timely warnings when severe weather threatens. Severe Weather Awareness Days, NOAA Weather Radio tests and tornado drills are all designed to help citizens be prepared when the real thing comes along—possibly next month.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of the nation’s coastal and marine resources. NOAA is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA National Weather Service Assessment Team's findings of the Veteran's Day Weekend Tornado Outbreak of November 9-11, 2002

NOAA Storm Prediction Center — (Click “Storm Reports” to see reports of tornadoes sent to NOAA.)

NOAA Tornadoes Page

NOAA Storm Watch — Get the latest severe weather information across the USA

NOAA Weather Radio

NOAA Weather Radio: the Voice of the National Weather Service

NOAA Weather Radio: For Anytime Severe Weather Strikes

Media Contact:
Ron Trumbla, NOAA National Weather Service southern region, (817) 978-1111 ext. 140