Subj : Severe Weather Awareness (6) To : All From : Daryl Stout Date : Fri Mar 03 2023 01:49:10 Public Information Statement National Weather Service Little Rock AR 600 AM CST Fri Mar 03 2023 ....Todays Topic for Severe Weather Awareness Week is Watches and Warnings... The National Weather Service, in cooperation with the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management, has proclaimed the week of February 26th through March 4th as Severe Weather Awareness Week in Arkansas. A different topic will be discussed each day, and todays topic is watches and warnings. Surrounding an event featuring severe thunderstorms, watches and warnings are issued to help you prepare for the elements. Severe thunderstorms produce damaging straight-line wind gusts of 58 mph or greater, quarter size hail or larger, and/or tornadoes. When conditions are favorable for severe storms, a watch is issued by the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) in Norman, Oklahoma. SPC is a part of the National Weather Service. Watches often encompass a large area, sometimes several states, and are valid for roughly six hours. When storms develop and are classified as severe, warnings are issued by your local National Weather Service office. Warnings are posted for one or more counties and are valid for an hour or less. There is something to mention, and it is a relatively new practice (beginning in 2021). As expected wind gusts and hail sizes increase, we want to get your attention. There will be little commotion surrounding a standard Severe Thunderstorm Warning (60 mph winds/one inch hail). However, if 70 to 80 mph gusts or golf ball to tennis ball size hail are in the warning, it will be tagged as a "considerable" damage threat. For gusts above 80 mph or baseball size hail or larger, the damage tag will be labeled as "destructive". This tag will result in the activation of a Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) through the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS), and this will go to cell phones within the warning polygon. With a watch in place, severe storms might happen. When warnings are in place, severe storms are happening. ....Watch and Warning Rules to Follow... You should be ready to go to a safe place when a watch is in effect. Monitor conditions for several hours or until the watch expires or is cancelled. You should go to your safe place when a warning is in effect. Stay put until storms pass and/or the warning expires or is cancelled. The safest place to be is a safe room or a basement. If these are not available, go to an interior room on the lowest floor of a house or building. Put as many walls between you and the outdoors as possible. && For a list of all the tornadoes and other significant weather events that occurred in 2022... https://www.weather.gov/media/lzk/StormsOf2022.pdf $$ --- * Synchronet * The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105) .