2010 florida severe weather guide

8/14/2019 2010 Florida Severe Weather Guide

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1Floridas Severe Weather Awareness Guide

Floridas 2010 Severe WeatherAwareness Guide

Florida Division of Emergency Management

AreYouRead


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2 Florida Division of Emergency Management

Florida Division of Emergency Management

2555 Shumard Oak BoulevardTallahassee, Florida 32399-2100850-413-9969www.FloridaDisaster.org

Governor

Charlie CristInterim Director David Halstead Florida Division of Emergency Management

Project Manager Amy Godsey , Deputy State MeteorologistFlorida Division of Emergency Management

Contributing Authors

Dennis Decker National Weather Service, Melbourne

Bob Goree National Weather Service, TallahasseeMelissa Grif n Florida Climate Center

Amy Godsey Florida Division of Emergency Management

Ryan Sharp National Weather Service, Tampa Bay

Robert Molleda National Weather Service, Miami

Nick Petro National Weather Service, Tampa Bay

Al Sandrik National Weather Service, Jacksonville

Angela Enyedi National Weather Service, Jacksonville

Don Shepherd National Weather Service, Mobile

Derrick Weitlich National Weather Service, Melbourne

Scott Spratt National Weather Service, MelbourneSpecial thanks to

John Cherry, Lauren McKeague andMelody Lovin Florida Division of Emergency Management

Design and layout

Lida Maxwell Florida Division of Emergency Management

This publication is a project of the FloridaDivision of Emergency Management incooperation with the National WeatherService Florida Of ces.A downloadable guide is available atwww.FloridaDisaster.org.

A Message From Governor Charlie Crist

Each day, more than 18 million people call theSunshine State their home. Florida is a greatplace to live, work and play. But with thisbeautiful place comes a personal responsibilityfor each of us to be prepared for the hazardsthat affect our state. In Florida, natural hazardslike thunderstorms and lightning are common.The key to your familys safety is being awareof possible hazardous weather conditions and

knowing how to prepare for them. I urge you to read the 2010Severe Weather Awareness Guide carefully and share this valuableinformation with your family. This Guide will help us all make bet-ter decisions about personal safety year-round.

Message From The Interim Director of theFlorida Division of Emergency ManagementThe Florida Division of Emergency Managementworks with local governments to respond to alltypes of disasters. In the last three years alone,the state of Florida has received 15 federal di-saster declarations, ranging from wild res andhurricanes to tornadoes and ooding. Thisyear, we want to continue promoting a cultureof preparedness across our great state. Everycitizen can do their part by taking the time tolearn about the different hazards Floridians face. Now is the perfecttime to get a plan, restock emergency supplies, purchase an all-haz-ards weather radio, and be ready to act when threatening weatherapproaches your community. Please read and share this informativeguidebook with your family, friends and coworkers. The time spentnow can be a lifesaver later.

Severe Weather Awareness Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

NOAA Alert Radio . . . . . . . . . . . 4Hurricanes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Prepare for All Weather . . . . . . . 8Flooding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Lightning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Rip Currents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Tornadoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

CoCoRahs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Marine Hazards. . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Thunderstorms . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Temperatures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Wild res . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262009-A Year in Review . . . . . . . 27El Nio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28More Information. . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Table of Contents


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Sunday, January 24 through Saturday, January 30, 2010, hasbeen proclaimed Severe Weather Awareness Week in Florida

by Governor Charlie Crist. During this special week, Florid-ians are encouraged to learn and review the proper safety

Severe Weather Awareness Week in Florida January 24 30, 2010

precautions necessary for protecting their lives during severeweather. Each day will focus on a speci c topic. The topics

assigned to each weekday are:

Monday

Lightning

Tuesday

Marine Hazardsand Rip Currents

Wednesday

Tornadoes andThunderstorms

Thursday

Hurricanes andFlooding

Friday

TemperatureExtremes and

Wild res

If a tornado were to strike tomorrow, would you be prepared?Would you know what actions to take? In Florida, tornadoes strikeall too often. Planning and practice are keys to tornado safety.Whether at home, school or business, everyone should have a planin place for severe weather. The tornado drill gives Floridians a

chance to test their plans and determine whether or not they areprepared. This is especially true in schools.

A very important part of Florida Severe Weather AwarenessWeek is the statewide tornado drill on Wednesday, January 27. Onthe morning of the drill, all participants should consider themselvesunder a Tornado Watch. A watch means you should monitorthe weather and be prepared to go to a safe place in the eventof a warning. At approximately 10:10 a.m., the National WeatherService will issue a practice tornado warning. The warning will bebroadcast on NOAA Alert Radio as a weekly test message.

By 10:30 a.m., an all-clear message will be issued. Public and com-mercial broadcasters are encouraged to participate by broadcast-

ing these messages immediately. For the Florida Panhandle countieswithin the Central t ime zone, all drill activities will be repeated onehour earlier (9:10 a.m. Central Standard Time).

In real life, you must listen for the watch and warning messages anddetermine the threat to your area. Then you should decide whichprotective actions to take. Important: When in doubt, take imme-diate protective action! Plans may vary depending on the numberof adults present, how vulnerable your location is, communicationsand a host of other factors. All Floridians should use the tornadodrill to develop and practice their plans. Being prepared saves lives!If actual severe weather threatens Florida on January 27, the drillwill be postponed until Friday, January 29.

Practice makes perfect:Statewide tornado drill Jan. 27

Statewide Tornado Drill TimelineSchool districts, private schools, preschools and daycarecenters are urged to participate in the drill.

Weeks before the drillPrepare

Inform staff, students, parents.Review and re ne a tornado plan.

January 27: The day of the drillAfter 8:00 a.m.Consider a tornado watch to be in effect

Announce watch to staff, students.Designate authority (coordinator).Evacuate tornado vulnerable areas.

10:10 a.m.Tornado warning

Receive message.Coordinator determines threat.

10:20 a.m.Upon determination of immediate threat, give take

shelter or duck and cover command (depending onspace available at location).

10:30 a.m.Termination of Watch and Warning

Give instructions to return to normal activities. (Youwill not receive noti cation. Terminate the drill as yousee t.)

After the Drill Wrap upFollowing the drill, assess and revise plan as needed.

The tornado warning will be broadcast on NOAA Alert Radioand will be encoded as a weekly test for this drill.


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Its 3 a.m., and its raining hard. You liein bed awake, even though the rest of your family is asleep. Lightning lights

up your bedroom, and you hear therumble of distant thunder. It happens tobe late March, the height of Floridas dan-gerous tornado season. You have a newNOAA Aler t Radio by your bed, and youknow it is correctly programmed be-cause you get the weekly test and all thewarnings for your county.

Waaaaaah, waaaaaah waaaaaah, the ra-dio alarms. You turn it on and hear a tor-nado warning for your county, and it listsyour town in the tornado threat area.

You spring into action, waking your fam-ily and ushering them into the downstairsbathroom, the one with no windows.

Since your radio is battery-powered,you grab it and take it with you. In thebathroom, you can hear the rain gettingharder and the thunder getting louder.You hear a severe weather statementover the radio telling you the tornado isfour miles west of your town and movingeast at 35 miles per hour.

A bad situation? Yes, but you are ready.

Your chances of surviving uninjured areexcellent. However, most people face atornado without the lifesaving informa-

tion that can be provided by a NOAAAlert Radio.

The alerts are broadcast from the localNational Weather Service (NWS) of ceserving your area. The NWS meteorolo-gists are watching the weather 24 hoursa day, every day. Sophisticated Dopplerradars and other technology help themeteorologists decide when to issuewatches and warnings. When the deci-sion is made and the message is broad-cast, your weather radio can alert you to

the danger.

NOAA Alert Radio was designated thesole government-operated radio systemto provide warning information directlyto the American people for both naturaland other hazards. Now, there are morethan 900 stations around the nation, in-cluding 31 in Florida.

Its not just a weather radio. Its analert radio. NOAAs National WeatherService works very closely with Emer-gency Management agencies to provideyou with other emergency messages,such as alerts for a wild re or a chemicalspill threatening your area. Emergencymanagement agencies may produce evac-uation messages for broadcast on NOAAAlert Radio.

Weather radios are manufactured by

NOAA Alert Radio can beyour familys best companion

several companies and sold in manystores and on the Web. We recommendyou buy a weather radio with the PublicAlert designation. This means the radiocan be programmed to receive only thealerts that are important to you. This isalso known as SAME (speci c area message encoding) technology. You shouldset the weather radio to ignore warningsfor counties far away from your location.This way, you will get only the alerts thatyou need.

Many weather radios can be attached topersonal computer strobe lights or otherdevices to make sure you are alerted.

Pay attention when your weather radioalerts you. Listen to the watch or warn-ing message. Check out your newspa-pers online news site, local TV or radiostations that serve your area. These con-

stantly updated sources may be able totell you much more about what is hap-pening. Also, get the big picture on NWSWeb sites. They can show you the lat-est warnings, overlaid on Doppler radarloop images.

During other times, when the weatheris quiet, you may listen to the routineNOAA Alert Radio program. It givesyou your current conditions, local fore-casts, marine forecasts, tropical weatheroutlooks and other information.

We cannot warn you before your homeis about to catch re ... thats yoursmoke detectors job. For many otherlife-threatening events, get a NOAAAlert Radio. It just might make the dif-ference. Oh, and dont forget the sparebatteries.

By Dennis Decker,National Weather Service,

Melbourne

Heavy sleeper? Hard of hearing? A disability accessory kit is now avail-able through HomeSafe Incorpo-rated. This accessory kit includes apillow shaker and strobe light whichplugs into your NOAA Weather Ra-dio. There is no programming neces-sary, the accessory kit will automati-cally alert you if a warning is issuedfor your area.


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Hurricanes

In Florida, most of the time between

June 1st and November 30th is

spent dealing with sunny weather,with thunderstorms in the summerand then cool fronts coming through inOctober and November. However, thistime period is also the season in whichtropical low pressure systems, called hur-ricanes, become intense with maximumwinds over 73 mph and can threaten Flo-ridians.

One common misconception is thatthere are parts of our state that do notget hurricanes. In the last 150 years,

all of Floridas coastlines have been im-pacted by at least one hurricane. The

south coast, including the Florida Keys,is the most vulnerable, with a hurricanestriking the every 3 to 5 years on aver-age. The western Panhandle is next mostvulnerable, with a strike every 7 to 8years. Other parts of Florida, includingthe Tampa Bay and Jacksonville areas,do not have as high of a risk, but folks inthese areas should always be ready fora hurricane strike. This fact is especiallytrue now since the Atlantic Basin as awhole has been in a very active period

since 1995. Even though a hurricane hasnot made landfall in the state since Hur-

ricane Wilma in 2005, many hurricaneshave threatened to impact the state overthe past few years. Despite the inactiv-ity in the state, people need only to look back at the 1992 hurricane season. Onlysix named storms developed that year,but the only major hurricane to formproduced widespread devastation acrossSouth Florida. This is why residents andvisitors need to always be prepared forhurricanes, even if below normal hurri-cane activity is forecast.


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Sheet ooding over Lee County after Tropical Storm Fay in 2008, after the area received over a foot of rain (photo takenby Lee County emergency management).

Hurricane ImpactsWhen most of us think of a hurricane, wethink of strong winds. However, a hur-ricane brings other major hazards to lifeand property, including storm surge andassociated coastal ooding, inland ood -ing, and tornadoes.

The storm surge is the term used to de-scribe the wall of water that is pushed to-ward the shoreline as a hurricane movesonshore. A major hurricane can producea surge of 15 feet or more.

Those living in coastal and near-coastalcommunities should know the evacuationzone that they live in. When local of -

cials declare an evacuation for your zone,

move to the nearest possible evacuationdestination outside of the danger zone.Your family can choose to stay withfriends or relatives, or you may choose ahotel or motel.

The next deadly hazard associated withhurricanes is inland ooding. Slow mov -ing hurricanes and tropical storms oftenproduce large amounts of rain. A typicalrule of thumb used for estimating themaximum rainfall totals (in inches) pos-sible from a storm is to take 100 anddivide it by the storms forward motion.For example, Tropical Storm Fay driftedacross the Peninsula a couple of times atforward motions of around 5 mph. Usingthe rule of thumb gives an estimate of 20inches for the maximum rainfall totals,

START THE SEASON WITH AFamily Disaster Plan

not too far off from the highest observa-tion near Melbourne with a total of 27.65inches!

For those outside of coastal communi-

ties, winds associated with the eyewall of a hurricane are a major concern. Hur-ricane force winds can easily damage ordestroy mobile homes and other itemssuch as lanais, roo ng materials, treesand power lines. Though a hurricaneswinds typically weaken rapidly followinglandfall, Floridas at terrain allows thestronger winds to survive longer inlandthan in other parts of the country. WithHurricane Wilma in 2005, winds gustedto over 100 mph in these areas, causingdamage to several structures, includingdowntown high rises.


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National Hurricane Preparedness Week May 23-29, 2010

The nal hazard associated with tropicalcyclones is tornadoes. These tornadoes

typically form in the right-front quadrantof a hurricane, when looking in the direc-tion the hurricane is moving. These tor-nadoes are typically smaller than thoseproduced by severe thunderstorms.However, ALL tornadoes have the po-tential to be deadly and produce exten-sive damage. Tornadoes developing froma hurricane can form in the outer rainbands of the storm, well away from thecenter, and usually move quickly.

Again, increasing your awareness of hur-ricane hazards and developing a safetyplan before hurricane season will provideyou and your family with added bene ts

throughout the year. The National Hur-ricane Center along with your local Na-

tional Weather Service forecast of ceswill issue Tropical Storm and HurricaneWatches and Warnings in plenty of timeto prepare for a storm. The trained pro-fessionals coordinate with local emer-gency managers as well as county, state,and federal of cials so that evacuationdecisions and other considerations aremade with plenty of time for action andresponse. The job you and your familyhave to do is critical--be prepared beforethe season starts with a Family DisasterPlan as well as an emergency supply kit.

By Ryan Sharp, National Weather Service, Tampa Bay Area-Ruskin, FL


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Now is the Time to PrepareFor All of Floridas Weather!

1

Being Ready for An Emergency is As Easy As . . .In an emergency you need to be ready tomake it on your own. What should you havein your disaster supply kit?

1 gallon of water for each person perday. You should have enough water for atleast 3 days. If you have 4 people in your

family, you should store 1 gallon of waterX4 people X3 days = 12 gallons of water.

Canned and dried food food that iseasy to prepare and doesnt needrefrigeration

Manual can opener

Sleeping bags or cots

Flashlight or lantern with batteries

First-Aid kit

Bathroom supplies

Medicines

Emergency Contact list

Soap and hand sanitizer

Face masks

NOAA alert radio or battery poweredradio

EMERGENCY KIT

Preparing for severe weather is the theme of Severe Weather Aware-

ness Week, so how do we go about it? Preparedness plans come in allsizes as dictated by individual and collective needs.

Do you know the basic safety rules? Would your children know what to do if home alone?Are plans ready to move elderly or disabled people to shelter quickly?

Games

Credit cards and cash

Duct tape

Heavy garbage bags or tarps

Important documents

Waterproof containerFire extinguisher

Whistle or airhorn

Tools

Special need s:-baby formula, diapers, bottles, and otherinfant supplies

-extra eyeglasses/hearing aid batteries-special equipment for physically challenged-diabetic supplies-serial numbers of medical devices such aspacemakers

-pet supplies such as a cage, leash, food andvaccination papers

Have 2 kits:1. A large one with 3 days of supplies.2. A smaller kit to take with you if you must evacuate


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2

MAKE A PLAN

3

You can be ready for an emergency by:

Having a supply kit

Talking it over with your family

Learning about the different threats- Severe Weather- Fire

- Hazardous Materials (biological,chemical, explosive or radiological)- Nuclear

Watch TV or listen to the radio forinformation

Stay calm, have plans ready, and listenfor instructions.

If you have questions, call your countyemergency management office.

Go to www.FloridaDisaster.org

Kids activities and informationavailable at www.kidsgetaplan.com

BE INFORMED

Think ahead and have a plan:

Plan how you will get together in differ-ent situations

Talk about the plans with your family

Have a contact listIf phones are down, pick 2 meetingplaces:

1. Near your home

2. Somewhere outside theneighborhood

Discuss what to do if you mustevacuate

Test smoke/carbon monoxide detectorsmonthly

Learn how to turn off gas, electric, wa-ter and heater systems at main breakerswitches

Learn First-Aid and CPRDiscuss basic safety rules

Make sure children know what to do if home alone

Plan for elderly or disabled family mem-bers or neighbors

GET READY NOW!


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Flooding

Weve all seen those pho-tos in the newspaper:After heavy rain, some-one in a canoe or kayak

paddles down what is usually the middleof a street. It may look like fun, but itis dangerous. Flooding can happen inFlorida and any of the other 49 states.Even relatively dry states is the desertsouthwest have serious oods from timeto time. Each year, more deaths in theU.S. occur due to ooding than from anyother thunderstorm-related hazard. Themain reason is that people underestimatethe force and power of water. Flood ef-fects can be local, impacting a neighbor-hood or community, or very large, affect-ing entire river basins and multiple states.In Florida, ooding occurs frequently, butoften the oods are minor. Nonetheless,Floridians must be careful because evenminor oods can result in a loss of life.Once in a while, Florida can experiencemajor oods that can cause many deathsand destruction of property. We must beprepared.

What makes a ood happen? Rain, right?

Yes, but ooding is more than just how

much rain falls. It is also how fast it fallsand what happens to the rain after it hitsthe ground. All of Florida is vulnerableto ooding at any time of the year. SinceFlorida is surrounded on most sides bythe Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico,the state has an abundant supply of mois-ture available that feeds developing thun-derstorms which produce heavy rains ina fairly short period of time.

Meteorologists try to predict accuratelywhen, where and how much rain will fall.The total amount of rain and how fast itfalls (the rainfall rate) affect how muchwater will collect in places. The morewater that runs down into streams orlower areas, the worse the ooding canbe.

Hurricanes and oodingWhile hurricanes are known and fearedfor their ferocious winds, historically it isthe water that causes most of the deathsin hurricanes. About 90% of all hurricanefatalities occur from drowning in eitherstorm surge or freshwater ooding. TheFlorida record for the most rainfall dur-

ing a 24-hour period occurred during

Hurricane Easy in September of 1950.During that storm, 38.7 inches of rain fellat Yankeetown, along the Gulf Coast inLevy County. This heavy rainfall causedextensive ooding near Yankeetown andsouth of Ocala. More recently, the wide-spread ooding caused by Tropical StormFay serves as a reminder that tropicalstorms can cause as much or greaterdevastation than hurricanes with fresh-water ooding. Tropical systems oodneighborhoods and towns but may alsoresult in ooding of streams and rivers asall of the rainwater ows into the basin.

Meteorologists at the National Hurri-cane Center, the Southeast River Fore-cast Center and local Florida NationalWeather Service of ces all watch tropical systems very closely to try to fore-cast how much rainfall it may produceand how much ooding may occur. Thesemeteorologists use satellite pictures,Doppler radar and computer models totry to warn people well in advance of the

ooding, so they can save lives and property. (See story on hurricanes, Page 5.)

Flooding Safety ActionsNever play in ooded areas wherehidden sharp objects, electrocution

and pollution are serious hazards.In highly ood-prone areas, keepmaterials such as sandbags,plywood, plastic sheeting, plasticgarbage bags, lumber and shovelson hand.Be aware of streams, canals andareas that are known to ood soyou or your evacuation routes arenot cut off.

Stay away from downed power linesand never drive into moving water.Drive carefully when water coversthe road. If you cannot see the road-way beneath the water, do not drivethrough it!! The water may be deeperthan it appears and the road mayalready be washed away.

Heed water contamination advisories.Do not use food that has come incontact with oodwaters.

Flooding FactsSix inches of water will reach thebottom of most passenger cars causingloss of control and possible stalling.

A foot of water will oat manyvehicles.Two feet of rushing water cancarry away most vehicles includ-ing sport utility vehicles (SUVs)and pick-ups.Most ood-related deaths occurat night and are vehicular.

Urban and small-stream ashoods often occur in less thanone hour.Tropical cyclones pose signi cantrisks well inland due to freshwa-ter ooding.Flood damages are not coveredunder homeowners insurancepolicies. Consider purchasing

ood insurance.

N a t io n a l F lo o d A w a r e n e ss W e e k M a r c h 15 -19, 2 010


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Go with the ow predicting waters movementWhen rain hits the ground, it can behavemany different ways. The study of themovement of water along and under theground is called hydrology. Hydrologistslook at all the aspects of waters behaviorand make predictions. Why would oneriver or small creek ood when anotherdoes not, even with the same amount of rainfall? To answer this, hydrologists look at the size and shape of the streams ba-sin. Another factor that hydrologists look at is the condition of the soil around theriver and the earth beneath. Is it sandy?If so, the water can soak in rather than

ow away into a stream. Is it already wet?If so, there is less room for new waterand there will be more water runoff intorivers. Are there sinkholes and lakes andunderground caverns that can hold the

new water? If so, there will be less poten-tial for ooding.

A ood results when water ows overthe streams banks into normally dry ar-eas. Imagine a wide riverbank. The rivermay spill over and ood a large area, butthe ood will be fairly shallow. A steeperriverbank may result in some areas ex-periencing deeper ooding along theshores. Either way, people along riversand streams need to be ready for such

oods.

River forecasts online

At the National Weather Service (NWS),hydrologists team up with meteorolo-gists to produce the best river and oodforecasts and warnings possible. Theseriver forecasts are available on the in-ternet and shows maps of river forecastpoints which are color coded for certainriver level heights. Speci c site forecastsare displayable in graphs. These hydro-graphs show past, current and forecast

river stage levels along with ood po -tential information. River ood forecastsare now available on the easy-to-useAdvanced Hydrologic Prediction Servicewebsite at: www.weather.gov/ahps. If youlive along or near a river, you should payattention to the forecast, especially intimes of signi cant rain. It takes time toprepare for river ooding, so get a headstart by being alert to the forecasts.

Floodingits not just for rivers anymoreWe also see our share of urban ood -ing. As our states population increases,buildings and pavement replace the natu-ral land. This creates more water runoff

and can increase ood problems in urbanareas, which can be especially danger-ous and costly in these developed areaswhere we live and drive. Most deaths dueto ooding in the United States are dueto people driving their cars into oodedareas. It may only take 12 to 16 inches of water to cause a car to oat. Once a ve -hicle begins to oat, the situation for thedriver and passengers becomes danger-

ous and often deadly. So, remember theadvice: Turn around. Dont drown!

Florida has over 2,200 miles of tidalshoreline. Because of this, many areas of Florida are also prone to coastal ooding. This may come from storm surge as-

sociated with tropical cyclones or fromother causes such as strong onshorewinds or higher than normal tides due tolunar effects. The National Weather Ser-vice will issue coastal ood advisories,watches and warnings similar to inland

ood statements.

By Bob Goree, National Weather Service, Tallahassee

Flash ooding occurs when the ground becomes sat -urated with water that has fallen too quickly to beabsorbed. Flash oods can also occur due to a damor levee failure. These oods occur within an hourand can destroy structures, down trees and washout roads. You may not always have warning of thesesudden and deadly oods.

Flash Flood

Flooding can be magni ed in urban areas as pavedareas lose its ability to absorb rainfall. Urbanizationincreases water runoff as much as 2 to 6 times overwhat would occur on natural terrain. These oodsmake driving very dangerous.

Urban Flood

River oods occur in Florida on a yearly basis, but cancause extensive damage. Many river basins streaminto northern Florida from Georgia and Alabama,but other rivers are located further south near LakeOkeechobee. As water runoff collects in rivers andstreams, the excess water can be too much to han-dle and may over ow the banks.

River Flood

Areal ooding is usually not life-threatening, but re -sults in standing water in low-lying areas and open

elds. Agricultural losses can occur with theseoods. In addition, stagnant water can serve as a

breeding ground for insects and disease.

Areal Flooding


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Lightning

Florida is the lightning capital of thecountry. Why our state? Geogra-phy is the main reason. Many ele-ments that make our home state

such a great place to live and play, suchas warm annual temperatures and closeproximity to large bodies of water, playkey roles in generating thunderstormsthat produce dangerous lightning. Thesethunderstorm ingredients frequentlycome together during the warm seasonwhen lightning is often a daily occur-rence within the state. July is the deadli-

est month for weather related fatalities,both due to the frequency of storms andbecause many people are outside enjoy-ing outdoor activities, which make themmore vulnerable to lightning strikes.

Florida is bound on the east by the Atlan-tic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico to thewest. It is also located farther south thanmost of the nation. This geography allowsthe sun to strongly heat the ground eachsummer afternoon. As a result, daytimeheating of the ground over inland areascauses warm air near the ground to rise.In addition, wind ow creates small fron -tal boundaries along the Florida coasts,called sea breezes, which form on botheast and west coasts. As the sea breezesbegin to progress inland, a warm and un-

stable atmosphere allows thunderstormsto develop along the leading edge of thesesea breeze fronts.

Lightning is not just con ned to thunder -

Lightning Facts

Lightning heats the air up to50,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

This rapid heating of the air produces the shock wave thatresults in thunder.

A ground stroke of lightningcan produce between 100million and 1 billion volts of electricity.

The length of an averagecloud-to-ground lightningchannel can range from 2 to10 miles.

You can tell how far awaylightning is by counting theseconds between seeing thelightning ash and hearingthunder. For every 5 secondsyou count, lightning is onemile away.

storms, as it can even be generated bythe ash cloud from an erupting volcano.Lightning is also not just con ned to theEarth; lightning has been observed in theclouds of Jupiter and possibly Venus.

What are Thunder and Lightning?EVERY THUNDERSTORM contains light-ning. Lightning develops from friction andstatic electricity as cloud particles collidewith one another. The electrical charge

of a lightning strike searches for the pathof least resistance to complete the chan-nel from the cloud. It might strike you,a tree, or an object in the air. Thunderis a result of lightning. When a lightning

Contrary to belief, lightningCAN strike the same placetwice and rubber shoes or tiresdo not protect you from light-ning strikes.

Lightning SafetyActionsAvoid open ground and isolatedlarge trees.

Avoid water. This includesswimming pools, lakes, rivers,beaches and boats.

Seek shelter inside a buildingor automobile, but not a con-vertible car or golf cart.

Stay away from doors, win-dows and metal objects suchas pipes and faucets.

Stay off corded telephonesand away from electricaldevices.

Lightning Safety Week

June 20 26, 2010

www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov


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bolt travels through the atmosphere,it heats the air around it quickly. Thisrapid heating creates expansion of the airaround the lightning bolt at speeds fasterthan the speed of sound. The speedingair breaks the sound barrier resulting inthe explosive sound we know as thunder.Thunder is really just another form of asonic boom.

Because lightning travels at the speed of light, it is possible to see lightning far off in the distance and never hear the thun-der it produces. Heat lighting is seenfrom a very far distance, but so far awaythat thunder is not heard.

A Bolt from the Blue lightning strikeis a ash which travels a relatively largedistance in clear air away from the par-ent thunderstorm and then strikes theground. These lightning ashes have beendocumented more than 25 miles awayfrom the thunderstorm cloud. Theseevents can be especially dangerous asthey appear to come from clear bluesky.

Lightning Dangers

Lightning has been called the under-rated killer since it usually does not getas much headline attention compared toother dangerous weather phenomena.

On average, lightning strikes kill about100 Americans each year, more than hur-ricanes or tornadoes. In our state, light-ning results in an average of 10 deathsand 40 injuries every year.

Most people who are struck by lightningare not killed, but they are left badlybruised and burned. It is important torealize that people struck by lightningcarry no electrical charge and emergen-cy medical services can be immediatelyperformed safely to help resuscitate theperson.

Lightning SafetyBecause of our active Florida lifestylesand busy schedules, lightning plays a veryimportant role in our daily lives. Howmany times each summer have you beenat the beach or engaging in some outdooractivity, and have seen a thunderstormapproaching? Many of us assume that thestorm is too far away to pose any danger,and many believe that if the storm is notproducing rain at their location, then theyare not at risk of being impacted by thestorm. Many of us roll the dice whenwe try to speed-up doing yard work orhave just a few more things to bring in-side from the car. The fact still remains,if you are close enough to the storm to

hear thunder, then you are close enoughto be struck by lightning.

A darkening cloud is often the rst signthat lightning may strike. As soon as yousee lightning or hear thunder, you are atrisk. Go immediately inside a house orother enclosed structure to stay safe,and when inside, do not touch metal oruse corded electrical devices. If lightningstrikes an object nearby, the electricalcurrent can travel into your safe placethrough wiring or cables.

If you are caught outside when lightningis occurring, the most dangerous place tobe is an open area, such as a sports eld.Outdoor water activities such as swim-ming, boating and shing are also verydangerous during lightning because youare often the tallest, most vulnerable ob-

ject in the area closest the storm. Whena substantial building is not available andlightning is occurring or imminent, getinto a vehicle with a hard-topped roof.

The best course of action for lightningsafety is to monitor the weather forecastand sky conditions if you are participatingin an outdoor activity. The safest light-ning safety rule is this: If thunder roars,go indoors.

NWS Jacksonville, Sandrik/Enyedi

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon on the 4th of July, 2009, inLakeland, Florida. A group of about 100 people were celebrat-ing the holiday at a local eld, playing soccer and volleyball,when a lightning bolt or series of strikes hit nearby, seemingly

out of nowhere. In less than a few seconds, one of the group mem-bers was killed and 27 others were injured.

Those at the gathering witnessed just a few clouds in the area justnorth of the celebration, but it was not enough to suggest severeweather. Then all of a sudden, they saw two strikes of lightningand a ash on the eld. Many of the people playing soccer wereknocked off their feet. Meteorologists suggest that the lightningstrike came from a stronger thunderstorm well south of the area

According to the National Weather Service, about 1.5 millionlightning strikes occur every year in Florida. The summer monthsof June, July and August are also the deadliest time of year for light-ning strike victims in Florida.

Bolt from the Blue


14/32


Rip Currents:Dont Fight. Swim Left or Right!

What is a rip current?

A rip current is a channel of water ow -ing away from the shore at beaches.Most rip currents develop along thebeach at breaks in the offshore sandbar,but they can also form near structuressuch as jetties and piers. Rip currentsform when water, piled against the shore,begins to return to deeper water. Typi-cally, onshore winds and waves push wa-ter over the offshore sandbar, allowing

excess water to collect between the barand the beach. Eventually, this excesswater starts to return seaward throughlow spots in the sandbar, ripping anopening. Near the beach, rip currentsare usually narrow, increasing in width asthey extend farther offshore. Some ripcurrents last only a few minutes to a fewhours, while others may last a few days.Weather or ocean conditions can causerip currents to be stronger and more fre-quent on some days than on others.

Telltale signs of rip currentsYou can sometimes see the signs thatshow a rip current is present. A visible

channel of churning, choppy water; a nar-row channel where there is a differencein water color; a line of seaward movingfoam; an offshore area of murky waterare all indicators of possible rip cur-rents.

Why are rip currentsdangerous?Rip currents are dangerous because theycan pull unprepared swimmers awayfrom shore and into deeper waters. Ripcurrents do NOT pull a swimmer underwater, but do become dangerous whenswimmers panic and struggle against thecurrent while being pulled farther andfarther away from the beach. Rip cur-rents can move at speeds of up to 5 milesper hour, which is faster than an Olympicswimmer! At these speeds, the force of arip current is too strong for even the bestswimmers, and attempts to swim direct-ly back toward shore against the currentcan be fatal, especially for the panickedor tired swimmer. In fact, rip currentsclaim more lives in Florida each year thanhurricanes, tornadoes and lightning.

What you need to know

When you take a trip to the beach, thereare a few things that you can do to pro-tect yourself from the dangers of rip cur-rents. You should swim at beaches withlifeguards, if possible. When you arriveat the beach, ask the lifeguard about thecurrent rip current danger. Also note any

ag warning system that may be present.

If you nd yourself caught in a rip current,DONT panic and DONT swim against

Reported FloridaRip Currents Fatalities1989-2003


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Learn how to swim!Do not overestimate yourability to swim in ocean watersand strong currents.

If possible, always swim atbeaches staffed by lifeguardsor beach patrols, and heedtheir advice.

If caught in a rip current, tryto remain calm and signal for

help in the direction of the beach

patrol.If caught in a rip current, do nottry to swim directly back toshore! Instead, turn and face side-ways to the shore and wade orswim until you are out of the ripcurrent. Then move back towardshore at an angle away from therush of water.

An alternate method of escape

from a rip current, for those whoare good oaters and swimmers,is to let the rush of water takeyou offshore until it slows, thenswim back to the beach at anangle away from the rip current.

Do not get caught in a rip currentwhile trying to save someoneelse. Throw the person a ota -tion device and get help from thebeach patrol.

National Rip Current Awareness WeekJune 6-12, 2010

the outgoing current. Doing either of these could cost you your life. Sincemost rip currents are relatively narrow,you should swim in a direction parallel tothe shoreline to escape the outgoing cur-rent. More simply, if caught in a rip cur-rent and facing back toward the beach,swim either toward your left or right toescape the current. Just rememberingthe simple phrase Dont ghtSwimleft or right could save your life. Oncefree of the outgoing current, swim at anangle back to the beach.

By Don Shepherd, National Weather Service, Mobile

For more rip current information,visit www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov


16/32


Tornadoes What is a Tornado?

A tornado is a violent column of rap-

idly spinning or rotating air that comesdown from a thunderstorm to reach theground. Tornadoes usually last only a fewminutes, but often cause severe damage.Some tornadoes skip along a path or stayon the ground for many miles. Tornadoesare quite small compared to its largercousin, the hurricane, with most torna-does spanning no wider than one half of a mile. Because of this, the damage areaof a tornado is quite narrow, but in itsdirect path, winds can be as strong as astrong hurricane. Tornadoes are typi-cally funnel-shaped, but vary in width andeven color. Some tornadoes look dark gray or even black, while others appearlight gray or white. The strength of a tor-nados winds cannot be determined by itscolor and shape. Florida TornadoesFlorida is not typically noted for torna-does, but statistics show that tornadoesare much more common in the SunshineState than most people realize. Since1950, only three states (Texas, Kansasand Oklahoma) have reported more tor-nadoes than Florida. Our state also ranksfourth in the amount of damage causedby tornadoes.

Most tornadoes in Florida occur duringthe summer months of June, July andAugust. Stronger and more devastatingtornadoes can occur in Florida in the latewinter and spring months when strongcold fronts move through the state andprovide the necessary conditions fortornadoes to form. Tornadoes have oc-curred in every month in Florida, evenon Christmas Day, as was the case in2006, when tornadoes struck CentralFlorida. Tornadoes can also occur dur-ing hurricane season, especially in thespiral rain bands of tropical storms andhurricanes. During the hurricane seasonof 2008, Hurricane Gustav and TropicalStorm Fay produced damaging tornadoesin Florida.

Tornadoes can also strike at any time. Thedeadly tornado outbreak on GroundhogDay 2007 occurred in Central Florida af-ter midnight.

Where Do Tornadoes ComeFrom?

Tornadoes normally develop when risingair currents in a storm begin to rotateor move around in a circular nature. If the rotation is strong enough, a fun-nel cloud can drop from the clouds andtouch ground. It is important to knowthat a tornado is a rotating column of air that is touching the ground. If a fun-nel cloud is not touching the ground,it is NOT a tornado. A special type of thunderstorm called a supercell has thegreatest potential to produce large anddamaging tornadoes. Smaller tornadoescan also develop when cold air rushingout from underneath one thunderstormcollides with cold air rushing out fromanother thunderstorm. As these windsmerge from different directions, rotationtakes place, and that rotation sometimes

produces a tornado. The spiral bands of tropical storms and hurricanes can alsoproduce small, but sometimes intense,tornadoes.

How Do We Know theStrength of Tornadoes?National Weather Service meteorolo-gists use the Enhanced Fujita Scale, orEF Scale, estimate the strength of thetornados winds. The scale is used whenmeteorologists investigate the damagecaused by tornadoes. The EF scale ratestornadoes on a scale from 0 to 5, with 0being the weakest and 5 being the stron-gest.

Meteorologists rst look at the tornadodamage, either from the ground or theair. Next, they compare the damage fora single type of home, business or otherstructure to the EF Scale. Last, they es-timate the wind speed needed to causethe damage. The EF Scale shows thatmajor damage can occur in winds as lowas 90 to 100 mph, equivalent to an EF1

A tornado moves through downtown Miami after touching down on the southwest edge of the city.


17/32


How does the Enhanced Fujita Scale work?The Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale) uses actual damageto estimate a tornados wind speed. Tornadoes are clas-si ed according to the damage they cause, on the FujitaScale. This scale was named after its creator, Dr. Theo-dore Fujita. The EF Scale is to be used with caution.

Tornado wind speeds are still largely unknown, and thewind speeds on the EF Scale never have been scienti -cally tested and proven. Winds of different speeds maycause the same damage depending on how well-built astructure is, wind direction, wind duration, battering by

ying debris and various other factors.

EF 0 Gale Tornado: 65-85 miles per hour (mph)Some damage to chimneys. Tree branches broken off.Shallow-rooted trees uprooted.

EF 1 Moderate Tornado: 86-110 mphRoof surfaces peeled off. Mobile homes overturned.

Moving autos pushed off roads.

EF 2 Signi cant Tornado: 111-135 mphConsiderable damage. Roofs torn off frame houses.Large trees snapped or uprooted. Light object projec-tiles generated.

EF 3 Severe Tornado: 136-165 mphSevere damage. Roofs and some walls torn off well-con-structed homes. Most trees in forests uprooted. Heavycars lifted off ground.

EF 4 Devastating Tornado: 166-200 mphWell-constructed houses leveled. Structures blown off weak foundations. Cars thrown and large projectilesgenerated.

EF 5 Incredible Tornado: 200+ mphStrong frame houses lifted off foundations and disinte-grated. Automobile-sized projectiles y through the airin excess of 100 mph. Trees debarked.

Tornado Safety Actions

HomesWhen a tornado watch is issued, be prepared totake action.When a tornado warning is issued or a tornadois imminent, go to the innermost room on thelowest level away from windows. Interior closets,halls and bathrooms are good places to go.If you do not have time to get to the lowest level,get under a bed. If you are at school, get underyour desk.Consider constructing a tornado-safe room in oradjacent to your home.

Open Country

Seek a nearby shelter, if time permits.If not, lie at in the nearest depression, ditch or

culvert. Cover your head with your arms.

Vehicles

Abandon your vehicle and seek refuge in a build-ing or, as a last resort, a ditch.Do not try to outrun a tornado.

Of ces, Hotels and CondosWhen action is required, take shelter in an inte-rior hallway on the lowest oor, or in a closet orsmall room.As a last resort, get under heavy furniture, awayfrom windows.

Manufactured and Mobile Homes

Have a plan of where to go during a tornadothreata nearby pre-identi ed safe structurewithin walking distance.Abandon mobile homes and go to a rmly builtshelter.

The # 1 wind safety rule is to get as many walls between you and theoutside world as possible so the debris in the wind cannot reach you.It is not the wind that kills and injures people; it is the debris in thewind.For example, you can drive on the highway at 70 mph and stick yourhand out the window and not be harmed. However, you would suf-fer serious injury if your hand hit a brick or branch while the car isspeeding down the road. If you can keep the debris in the wind fromreaching your location, you will survive the wind eventwhether it isa tornado, hurricane or thunderstorm downburst wind.

What s the # 1 wind safety rule?


18/32


on the Enhanced Fujita scale and to cat-egory 1 or 2 on the Saf r-Simpson scalefor hurricanes.

During the Groundhog Day tornadooutbreak of February 2, 2007, three tor-nadoes moved through Central Floridaduring the overnight hours. Two of thetornadoes were rated EF-3, with winds

estimated as high as 150 mph. Thesetornadoes heavily damaged hundreds of homes and killed 21 people. In 2009, 28tornadoes were con rmed by the Na -tional Weather Service, with the stron-gest tornadoes rated at EF-1.

WaterspoutsA waterspout is a tornado that touchesdown over water. The Florida Keys isconsidered to be the waterspout capitalof the United States. Dr. Joseph Golden

studied waterspouts in Florida for morethan 35 years. He estimated more than300 waterspouts occurred each yearnear the Florida coast. Most of these areweak, but boaters are urged to move di-rectly away from a waterspout since theycan easily ip over a vessel. A few wa -terspouts do manage to move onshoreand cause damage. A waterspout thattouches land is then called a tornado.

Predicting Tornadoes: Warnings and Safety

The National Weather Service uses pow-erful tools such as Doppler radar to de-

tect possible tornadoes. Doppler radarsare able to see the rotation inside of athunderstorm that could be the beginningof a tornado. However, an actual tornadois typically too small for the Doppler ra-dar to detect. Therefore, meteorologistsdepend on volunteer storm spotterswho report funnel clouds, tornadoes andother severe weather to the National

Weather Service. The SKYWARN pro-gram is the National Weather Servicesnetwork of volunteer storm spotters.Timely reports from SKYWARN spot-ters can lead to early warnings that cansave lives.

The National Weather Service will issuea tornado warning when a tornado hasbeen either seen by a severe weatherspotter or when Doppler radar showsstrong rotation inside of a thunderstorm.In the event a tornado warning is issued

for your area, you and your family need toseek shelter and take cover right away.NOAA Weather Radio is the best wayto stay informed about tornadoes. TheNOAA Weather Radio will turn on andalert you of dangerous weather.

By Robert Molleda,National Weather Service, Miami

A waterspout approaches the Fuller Warren Bridge over the St. Johns River in Jacksonville on July 26th, 2009. AP Photo/The Florida Times-Union, Will Dickey


19/32


WANTED:Weather Observers in Florida

CoCoRaHSCommunity Collaborative Rain, Hail & Sn

CoCoRaHS is a unique, non-pro t, community base net -work of volunteers of all agesand backgrounds working

together to measure and map precipi-tation (rain,hail, andsnow). By us-ing low-costm e a s u r e -ment tools,s t r e s s i n gtraining ande d u c a t i o n ,and utilizingan interac-

tive web site, this projects aim is toprovide the highest quality data for nat-ura l reso urce , education and researchapplications. We currently operate inmany states across the country, includ-ing Florida.This is a community project. Everyonecan help, from the young to the old. Thisweb-base program requires an enthusi-asm for watching and reporting weatherconditions, and a desire to learn moreabout how weather can affect and impacteveryones lives.

What will Volunteers beDoing?Each time a rain, hail or snow stormcrosses your area, volunteers take mea-

surements of precipitation from theirlocations. These precipitations reportsare then recorded on the Web at www.cocorahs.org. The data is then displayedand organized for many of our customersto analyze and apply to daily situations,

ranging from water resource analysisand severe storm warnings to neighborscomparing how much rain fell in theirbackyards.

What are the Bene ts of Volunteering?

One of the neat things participating inthis network is coming away with thefeeling that you have made an important

contribution that help others. By pro-viding your daily observations, you helpto ll in a piece of the weather puzzlethat affects many across your area in oneway or another. You will also have thechance to make new friends as you makea signi cant contribution and learn somenew things along the way. In some areas,activities are organized for network par-ticipants including training sessions, eldtrips, special speakers, picnics, potluck dinners, and photography contests, justto name a few.

We need you! To sign up, just visit our web site

www.cocorahs.organd click on Florida. From the Florida page, click on the Join CoCoRaHS link

CONTACT:

Melissa Grif n,Florida CoCoRaHSState Coordinator Email: grif [email protected]: 850.644.0719

Dr. Pat Welsh,Florida CoCoRaHS

State Coordinator Email: [email protected]: 904.620.2756


20/32


It is no surprise that Florida ranks asthe top boating state with almost onemillion registered boats. The statesbeautiful waterways, water-sport

opportunities and great weather all addup to a lot of time spent on the waterby residents and visitors alike. However,before venturing out on the water, it isimperative for boatersparticularly smallboat operatorsto check the weather.What may seem like a tranquil andbeautiful start to the days weather canquickly turn violent with hazards suchas severe thunderstorms, strong winds,rough seas, lightning and waterspouts.Larger scale weather systems such astropical cyclones, squall lines along coldfronts, gusty winds behind cold frontsand cool season low-pressure systemsalso present dangers to small boaters.

Marine HazardsThunderstorms, Lightning, and Waterspouts

A mariner is never safe from thunder-storms. Brief wind gusts to gale force arepossible, producing locally rough seas ina matter of moments. These conditionsmake maneuvering a small boat dif cult,and in the worst case the rough seas canoverturn small boats. In addition, tor-rential rains can reduce visibility to nearzero, and hail is also possible. The mostdangerous thunderstorm events are fromeastward-moving squall lines during thewinter, spring, or fall, and slow-movingthunderstorms in the summer associatedwith the sea breeze.

Cloud to water lightning is the most com-mon hazard with marine thunderstormsand can occur far away from the parentthunderstorm. Florida has more lightningstrikes than any other state and also of-ten leads the nation in lightning-relatedfatalities and injuries. Many of thesedeaths and injuries occur on the water. If you hear thunder, you potentially can bestruck by lightning.

Waterspouts are analogous to tornadoesover water. Waterspouts can easily over-turn boats and create locally hazardousseas. In general, there are two types of waterspouts: fair weather and tornadic.Fair weather waterspouts are normallynot associated with thunderstorms. Theyform along the dark bases of developingcumulus clouds and tend to develop fromthe surface up. Tornadic waterspouts aresimilar in structure to tornadoes overland. They are associated with super cel-lular thunderstorms ahead of squall linesduring the cool season and sea breezethunderstorms during the warm season.When waterspouts and thunderstormsapproach, have an escape plan prepared.Never let thunderstorms cut off yourroute back to land. If a thunderstorm orwaterspout threatens, it is best to seek safe harbor immediately. If you are un-able to get back to the dock, be sureeveryone aboard is wearing a life jacket,as gusty thunderstorm winds or water-spouts can quickly overturn small boats.If caught near a waterspout, your bestcourse of evasive action is to move at a90 degree angle from its apparent move-ment, then seek safe harbor, if possible.Since lightning presents a danger toboaters even well away from its parent

WATERSPOUTS

Marine HazardsSmall Boat Safety

thunderstorm, boaters should seek safeshelter anytime thunder is heard. If un-able to reach safe shelter, go below deck and stay away from masts or ungroundedmetal objects.

Always have a NOAA Weather Radio orVHF marine radio on board and listen tothem for warning information. The U.S.Coast Guard also re-broadcasts someof these warnings, advisories and state-ments across the marine radio emer-gency channel.

Preparation and Awareness

Staying safe during a boating adventurerequires knowing the expected weather.Before leaving home, be sure to check the current marine conditions and thedays forecast by going online to weather.gov or listening to NOAA Weather Ra-dio. The National Weather Service is-sues Coastal Waters Forecasts that areupdated four times daily and if conditionsrapidly change. The Coastal WatersForecast includes a ve- day forecast of wind direction, wind speed, wave heightand precipitation. This forecast should beone of your primary tools for planning asafe day on the water. Once on the wa-


21/32


RAIN OR SHINE,

THE KEY TO SMOOTH SAILINGIS BOATING SAFETY

National Safe Boating Week March 22-28, 2010

in exposed coastal or offshore waters.Winds and seas can remain high for ex-tended periods behind a strong front.

Tropical cyclones and cool season non-tropical, low-pressure systems pose anextreme threat to marine conditions.Tropical storms with winds between 34and 63 knots typically result in seas build-ing to 12 feet or more. A tropical stormbecomes a hurricane when the windsreach 64 knots. Cool season or non-tropical low pressure systems can easilyreach winds speeds of gale force (34-49knots) or even storm force (50 knotsor higher). During these times, boatersshould remain off the water and securetheir boats (if docked on the water) forpotentially damaging winds and high wa-ter levels.

ter, be vigilant that weather conditionscan rapidly change, so periodically listento NOAA Weather Radio on your VHFmarine band radio. Additionally, turn onthe alert feature of your NOAA WeatherRadio or VHF marine radio, if equipped.This feature will sound an alarm on yourradio anytime the National WeatherService issues a Special Marine Warning.

These warnings are issued to provide ad-vanced notice to mariners of short-dura-tion (up to 2 hours) hazardous weatherconditions including sustained marinethunderstorm winds or associated gustsof 34 knots or greater, hail 3/4 inch ormore in diameter or waterspouts.You can also stay aware of short-termweather conditions and forecasts whileon the water by using your internet ca-pable cell phone or PDA. Simply pointyour HTTP-enabled device (PDA) to

mobile.srh.weather.gov or your WAPenabled device (internet capable cellphone) to www.srh.noaa.gov/wml.These sites will allow you to check thecurrent marine conditions and updatedforecasts and allow you to view the lat-est local radar and satellite images.

Low Pressure and FrontalSystem Winds

Strong or developing fronts can causetranquil or favorable coastal waters tobecome raging seas in a matter of hoursprior to or after a strong frontal passage.Waves can quickly build in excess of 6feet with the onset of 20-knot winds.Winds approaching or exceeding galeforce can build seas to 12 feet or more

Frontal system winds or tropical andnon-tropical low-pressure systems areusually predicted in advance. As such,be sure to check forecasts well ahead of time. Know the limitations of your boat,and if small craft advisories, gale warn-ings or tropical cyclone advisories areissued, postpone your boating plans andwait until conditions improve before re-suming activities.

Solar Radiation andExcessive Heat

Even in good weather, there are potentialmarine hazards that many people over-look. Strong solar radiation from expo-sure to the sun can cause sun burn andpotentially long-term skin effects. Duringthe warm season, the combination of hot temperatures, light winds and highhumidity can combine to create a situa-tion in which heat illnesses and even heatstroke are possible.

For protection against sun burn and ex-

cessive heat, always apply sunscreen witha Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 15 orgreater before leaving the dock and reap-ply while out on the water, drink plentyof water to stay hydrated and utilize on-board sun shades if available.

By Nick Petro, National Weather Service, Tampa Bay Area

Safety Actions A safe and enjoyable Florida boating experience is up to you. Always planahead and remember the follow safe boating practices:

Check forecasts well ahead of time.

File a oat plan at your marina.

Have an escape plan in mind.Thunderstorms and weather relatedhazards form quickly. Never let thesestorms cut off your route back to land.

If a thunderstorm threatens, besure everyone aboard is wearing alife jacket as a small boat can beoverturned quickly by gusty winds.

If caught in a thunderstorm, go below

deck if possible, and stay away frommasts or ungrounded metal objects.

Have a VHF Marine Band Radio on

board.Listen to NOAA Weather Radio forwarning information.

Know the limitations of your boat. Ifsmall craft advisories or gale warningsare issued, you should postpone travel.

Always apply sunscreen before leavingthe dock.


22/32


Thunderstorms

Thunderstorms occur frequentlyacross Florida. In fact, theFlorida peninsula has the great-est number of thunderstorms

in the United States. Floridas tropicalatmosphere and sea breezes provide theperfect recipe for the making of thun-derstorms. Three ingredients are need-ed moisture, an unstable atmosphereand lift. Thunderstorms are part of lifein Florida. They are natures way of pro-viding badly needed rainfall. When they

homes, trees, road signs, and vehicles.Downburst winds can cause damagesimilar to that of a strong tornado andcause loss of life or signi cant bodily in

jury from wind-blown debris and toppledstructures.

Sunday June 1, 2008 Jacksonville, FL

become strong, a thunderstorm can havestrong winds, hail, lightning, heavy rainfalland even tornadoes.

Hail

Although hail forms in every thunder-storm, it only reaches the ground if at-mospheric conditions are favorable. Hailtypically has the best chance of fallingto the ground in winter and springtimethunderstorms when the atmosphere iscolder. Hail may take on many differentsizes and shapes, such as a thin at pennyor a baseball.

Large hails can be dangerous. Penny-sized hail or larger can cause damage toobjects, such as vehicles and buildings, bybreaking windows and damaging roofs.Large hail can also down trees. Bodily in-

juries, or even death, can result in peopleare caught outdoors when large hail oc-curs.

Strong windsAll thunderstorms can produce gusty

winds. Severe thunderstorms produceeven stronger winds, called downbursts,that can cause signi cant damage to

WATCH vs.

WARNING

Although radar, satellite, andcomputer systems continueto improve, if you do not know

what to do or where to go, warnings are not effective! Re-member, severe weather candevelop rapidly and advance

warning time may only be afew minutes. Everyone needsthe knowledge to react quicklyand execute a plan of action

when severe weather materi-alizes.

A WATCH means that condi-tions are favorable for severethunderstorm, tornado, or

ash ood development. Thisis the time to be weather-aware. You should keep alertby listening to a radio, televi-sion, or weather radio for thelatest weather information.Know where your children are.Be aware of where you will goand what you will do if a severethunderstorm, tornado, or

ash ood threatens.

A WARNING means a severethunderstorm, tornado, or

ash ood has been sighted or indicated by radar. People inthe path of the storm shouldtake immediate life-savings ac-tions.


23/32


See page 12 for information on lightning,page 10 for ooding and page 16 for tor -nadoes.

How long do thunderstormslast?

Its not easy to say how long a thunder-storm will last. Thunderstorms come indifferent forms, which will determinehow long they might survive. Sometimesa storm has only one thunderstormcloud and will last for 20 to 30 minutes.Meteorologists call these of storms singlecell thunderstorms because each cloud isknown as a cell.

Sometimes thunderstorms have a familyof clouds, or cells, associated with themand the thunderstorm cell dies, insidethe storm another develops, keeping theparent thunderstorm alive. These fami-

lies of thunderstorms are called multicell thunderstorms. Finally, sometimes athunder storm cell can become huge andcover an area as large as some of our big-gest counties, such as Marion County orPalm Beach County. When this happens,they are called super cell thunderstorms,and all super cell thunderstorms rotate.Super cell thunderstorms are very dan-gerous because the often can producetornadoes. Meteorologists track thesetypes of thunderstorms very closely!

Tracking ThunderstormsMeteorologists use many tools to fore-cast and keep close watch on thunder-storms. Weather balloons and weather

Monitor NOAA Alert Radio. Listen for severe thunderstormwatches and warnings.

Avoid windows, metal objects and electrical equipment.

When severe thunder storms threaten, go to a small interior roomon the lowest oor of your home, school or business.

Before a severe thunderstorm, move vehicles into garages orcarports to help prevent damage, time permitting.

Postpone outdoor activities if thunderstorms are imminent.

Avoid tall structures such as t rees and powerlines.

instruments detect the moisture and un-stable air needed for thunderstorms toform. Doppler radar is used to see insidethunderstorms. It can see heavy rains,hail and strong winds. Your local Nation-al Weather Service of ce has meteorolo -gists and technicians working every hour

of the day and every day of the year. Theyissue warnings when thunderstorms maybecome severe. Warnings give peopletime to move to places of safety.

By Al Sandrik , National Weather Service, Jacksonville

Wh a t m a ke s a

T h u n d e rs t o rm Se v e re ?

Any one of t hese:

T orn a d oe s

Win d a t o r ab o v e 5 8 m p h

Q u a r t e r -s iz e h a il (1 in ch

in

d ia m e t e r ) o r la rg e r

THUNDERSTORM SAFETY ACTIONS


24/32


Although the desert Southwestis technically the sunniestplace in the continental UnitedStates, Floridas deserving of

its recognition as the Sunshine State.

There are good reasons why Florida isknown as the Sunshine State. Eachsummer, tourists come travel from allover the world to enjoy Floridas warmweather and sunny beaches, however,most are unaware of just how hot it canget here. Surrounded by the AtlanticOcean and the Gulf of Mexico, Floridais continually in uenced by tropicalmoisture, especially in the summer. Thehumidity is a measures of how much thelevel of water vapor is present in the air,and these percentages can be very highduring the summer months In order for our bodies to keep cool, wesweat to get rid of excess body heat. Asthe sweat evaporates/runs off our bodies,it pulls the heat from our bodies and coolsus. However, when high humidity values

are combined with high temperatures, itmakes our bodies think its hotter than itactually is the reality. This is called theheat index. The increased moisture inthe air limits our bodys ability to cool off

by not allowing the sweat to evaporate.When the heat index reaches over morethan 105F, conditions become danger -ous for the general population. A personcan experience sunstroke, heat cramps,heat exhaustion and even heatstroke if they are exposed to these conditions fora period of time.

The National Weather Service (NWS)will issue heat advisories and warningswhen the combination of heat and hu-midity causes the heat index to reach theextreme caution level.

In addition to the heat, people forget thedangers of ultraviolet (UV) radiation andoften get sunburn. Sunburn can occurwithin 15 minutes of exposure, depend-ing on the level of UV radiation and skin

type. Even on cloudy days, the suns UVradiation can do damage to skin. Overtime, with prolonged exposure, this UVradiation can cause cancer and blind-ness.

Play it safe:Hot Temperatures

Make sure to wear lightweight andlight-colored clothing. Lighter colorshelp reflect heat and sunlight, whilethe loose light-weight clothing willhelp your body maintain its normaltemperature.Slow down and limit your outdooractivities. Try to avoid participat-ing in or scheduling outdoor eventsduring the hottest part of the day(usually 10am until 4pm). Remain inair-conditioned places to reduce yourexposure to the heat.Drink plenty of water or other non-alcoholic beverages. Your body needs

WITH PROLONGEDEXPOSURE AND/ORPHYSICAL ACTIVITY

EXTREME DANGER

Heat stroke or sunstrokehighly likely

DANGER

Sunstroke, muscle cramps,and/or heat exhaustion likely

EXTREME CAUTION

Sunstroke, muscle cramps,and/or heat exhaustion

possible

CAUTION

Fatigue

*Provided by the National Weather Service

Temperature ( F)

R e

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TemperaturesIts Not the Heat, Its the Humidity.


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In Florida, it can be hot,hot, hot, but also chilly .

water to keep cool. And drink watereven if you dont feel thirsty, since peoplecan become dehydrated without realizingit.Check on the elderly, young childrenand animals during periods of pro-longed heat.Apply sunscreen before exposure tothe sun. Reapply sunscreen if youare taking part in activities that couldwash off the product. Make sure touse a sunscreen with a Sun Protec-tion Factor of at least 15. Also, wearsunglasses, a hat or carry an umbrellato further protect yourself.

Interesting Heat FactsThe hottest temperature ever re-corded in Florida was 109F on June29, 1931, in Monticello, FL.Heat waves in Florida are unusual,and typically occur only during pe-riods of drought, low humidity andmostly clear skies. In early June1985, a particularly severe heat wavehit the state, with temperatures of 106F in Ocala and 105F reported inLakeland.The hottest temperature recordedin the continental U.S. was 134F on

*Provided by the National Weather Service

July 10, 1913, in Greenland Ranch, CA

(located in Death Valley).The hottest temperature recordedon Earth was 136 F at Al Aziziyah,Libya on September 13, 1922.

Baby, Its Cold Outside

Although many people head south toescape the cold temperatures in thewinter, it isnt always warmer in Florida.Over the past 150 years, there havebeen numerous severe cold outbreaksthat have affected the state. These coldweather outbreaks can produce belowfreezing temperatures and are usually ac-companied by strong winds that producebitterly cold wind chills. Increased windspeeds at cold temperatures acceleratethe heat loss from exposed skin and thewind chill is a measure of this effect. Ba-sically, these conditions make a personor animal feel colder than the actualtemperature. The NWS will issue windchill advisories/watches/warnings, freezewatches/warnings, hard freeze watches/warnings, and frost advisories if coldweather will threaten an area.

Interesting Cold FactsThe coldest temperature recordedin Florida was 2F in Tallahassee

on February 13, 1899. At the sametime, snow up to three inches deepwas reported by several cities in thePanhandle.Snow has been reported numeroustimes throughout the state. On

January 19, 1977, snow fell on Miami,FL and was seen in Homestead, FL(which is 22 miles south of Miami).Unfortunately, it melted when it hitthe ground.The deepest snowfall ever measuredin Florida (four inches), occurred inMilton on March 6, 1954.The coldest temperature recordedin the lower 48 states was 70Fat Rogers Pass, MT, on January 20,1954.The coldest temperature recordedon Earth was 129F at Vostock II,Antarctica, on July 21, 1983.

Play It Safe: Cold

TemperaturesStay indoors and use a safe heatingsource. Do not use fuel-burningdevices indoors. They release carbonmonoxide, which is a deadly gas.Also, make sure to use space heatersaccording to their instructions and beattentive to open flames.Dont overexert yourself when out-doors. Your heart is already workingovertime to keep you warm.If you must go outside, dress in layersand wear a hat and gloves. Try to staydry and out of the wind.

By Melissa Grif n,Florida Climate Center

Ice clings to an orange tree on a farm nearPlant City. January 22, 2009


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Wild res

From January through Octoberof 2009, more than 2,800 wild-

res across Florida burned over136,000 acres of state and federal

lands. Though this may seem like a lot of res, 2009 was a fairly inactive wild re

season compared to recent years.

Though high pressure near the state keptmost of the tropical systems away, Tropi-cal Storm Fay in August of 2008 was able

to affect just about every part of the stateby slowly weaving its way northwardacross the Peninsula and then westwardalong the Florida Panhandle.However, drought conditions quickly re-

turned during the winter months of early2009, Lake Okeechobee levels were fall-ing, and it looked like Florida was in for arough year. From January through Marchof 2009, over 1,000 wild res burnednearly 25,000 acres. Thats more thandouble the 508 res that burned over

11,000 acres during the same time peri-od in 2008. The busiest re day was May17th, 2009 when 193 separate wild res

were actively burning over 17,000 acres.This is co-incident with extreme droughtthat was occurring over much of the pen-insula before the onset of the summerrainy season brought relief to the area.

WILDFIRE SAFETY ACTIONS Create a defensible or safe space of at least 30 feet around your home that islean, clean and green.To help emergency vehicles gain access, make sure driveway are at least 12feet wide with at least 15 feet of overhead clearance and are easily identi able.

Keep gutters, eaves and yards clear of debris, sticks, pine needles and leaves.Trim all the branches that hang over the house or are lower than 6 to 10 feet fromthe ground.Plant re-resistant plants such as dogwood, sycamore, magnolia, oaks, redmaple, wild azalea, sweet gum, black cherry and ferns instead of pines andpalmettos.Use re-resistant construction materials where possible and re-resistant barriers.when attaching ammable materials, such as wood decks or fences, to thehouse.Follow local regulations for the burning or disposal of yard waste and othermaterials.Develop a personal disaster plan, including a plan for evacuating your home. Besure to identify at least two routes out of your neighborhood or subdivision.

What do El Nio and La Niamean for Wild res?Part of the reason for the inactive wild-

re season this past year was the development of El Nio in the Paci c Oceanduring the early summer months. El

Nio conditions occur when abnormallywarm water forms across the central andeastern Paci c Ocean. These warm waters create a change in the atmosphericweather patterns that result in wetterand cooler than normal conditions acrossthe Southeastern United States.In 2003, only 27,000 acres burned in2,071 res due to El Nio weather patterns keeping plenty of moisture in thesoils and waterways. With these sameconditions in the forecast, there is thepotential for an inactive re season in the

early part of 2010.When the waters in the central Paci cOcean are cooler than normal, it is re-ferred to as La Nia. La Nia conditionsusually bring drier than normal wintersand increase wild re activity throughthe spring. Because of the in uence of ElNio and La Nia, it is possible to an-ticipate upcoming re activity of the nextthree to six months based on forecastsof weather and climate. As more re-search is done, more accurate forecastsand better planning and preparation canbe made for upcoming wild re seasonsacross Florida.

By Amy Godsey, Florida Division of Emergency Management


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2009 Florida Weather Year in ReviewThe Numbers

Warnings Issued for Florida Countiesby the National Weather Service;

January 1st to December 1st

Tornado Warnings 121Severe Thunderstorms Warnings 740

Flash Flood Warnings 50

Daytona Speedway on May 22, 2009 Port Orange, July 24, 2009

The National Weather Service does not issue spe-cial warnings or statements for lightning becauseall thunderstorms contain dangerous lightning. In2009, 5 people were killed and over 50 people

were injured from lightning strikes in Florida. Four of these fatalities occurred within 1 month of each other.In June, a Broward County man was killed while cuttingthe grass in his yard. Three days later, a Highlands Countyman was killed while standing underneath a tree on a golf course. In Polk County, a man was killed and 27 otherswere injured when lightning struck an open soccer eldwhere a group was having a 4th of July picnic. A man waskilled by lightning while at the beach in Brevard Countyand a man shing near Soldier Key in Miami-Dade Countywas struck on his boat.

An unusually strong winter freeze appeared twice withinone month across Florida. The rst widespread freezeoccurred on the morning of January 22nd, where freez-ing temperatures extended down into the Everglades andhard freezes were experienced across many areas northof the I-4 corridor. Two weeks later, another strong coldfront produced a second round of widespread freezesacross the state. In total, these freezes caused millions of dollars in crop damage and resulted in 2 deaths.

Lack of winter rains created moderate drought condi-tions across much of the state by March. Abundant rain-fall nally came to the Florida Panhandle in late Marchand early April, creating widespread river ooding acrossNorth Florida, but left the central and southern Floridapeninsula in extreme drought conditions until the end of May. Above normal rainfall was seen through the end of the year in Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa. Tallahasseeand Miami ended the year with a 8-12 inch de cit.

OTHER SIGNIFICANT WEATHER


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Several global-scale atmosphericpatterns can impact the weatherand climate over Florida duringcertain times of the year. Of these

many patterns, one dominant pattern iscalled the El Nio Southern Oscillation(ENSO or El Nio for short). As an ENSOevent begins, winds across the equatorialwestern Paci c become altered, which inturn cause a warming of the ocean sur-face and an eastward movement of thewarm water region to the central andeastern equatorial Paci c. When oceantemperatures over a speci c portion of the eastern Paci c warm to 0.5 Celsius(0.9 Fahrenheit) or more above normal

and persist for several months, scientistslabel this phenomenon as an El Nio.Conversely, if ocean temperatures be-come 0.5 Celsius (0.9 Fahrenheit) ormore below normal over this area for anextended period of time, this pattern iscalled La Nia.

El Nio and La Nia events alter largescale circulation patterns that in turnchange weather patterns over NorthAmerica, including Florida, especiallyduring the Northern Hemisphere winterseason. The primary change that El Niobrings about to in uence weather overFlorida is an extension of the Paci c Jet

Stream over the southern United States.A jet stream is a narrow channel of fastmoving air far up in the atmosphere thathelps transport storm systems across theglobe. This extension of the jet streamover the southern United States trans-ports more periods of rainy and stormy

weather across Florida during the wintermonths compared to a typical year. Thisincrease in storminess leads to abovenormal precipitation during Floridas usu-al dry season that runs from Novemberto April. This increase in rainfall can bebene cial in some respects, as it can lead

to a reduced risk of wild resacross Florida, but can alsobe harmful by producing

ooding across certain areasof the state. El Nio has alsotypically been found to bringbelow normal temperaturesacross Florida during thewinter season; however, thisrelationship is usually notvery strong and the amountof cooling can often be small.

The most dangerous impactthat El Nio brings to Floridais an increased potential forsevere weather. During El

El Nio Southern Oscillation

Temperature anomalies for Paci c Ocean (Yellow and red indicates above normal sea surface temperatures)


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Nio events, a greater number of stormsystems move across the region during thewinter and early spring, bringing a largerthan normal risk of thunderstorms thatcan produce large hail, damaging windsand tornadoes. In fact, two of the mostdeadly tornado events to affect Floridaoccurred during recent El Nio periods.During the strongest El Nio on record(1997-1998), several EF-3 tornadoes withwinds up to 165 mph moved across cen-tral Florida during the night of February22nd to 23rd, tragically killing 42 people,many in the Kissimmee area. A more re-cent tornado episode occurred during amuch weaker El Nio (2006-2007). Dur-ing this event, two EF-3 tornadoes withwinds up to 165 mph pushed throughSumter, Lake, and Volusia Counties theearly morning hours of February 2nd,2007, resulting in 21 fatalities.

As illustrated by the February 2, 2007tornadoes, it doesnt take a strong ElNio to create dangerous weatheracross Florida. No two El Nio eventsare exactly alike, which makes it dif cultfor forecasters to determine how muchand where severe weather will occur. Thebest course of action is to have a pre-

paredness plan in place for you and yourfamily, which includes knowing in advancewhere to shelter in the event of a severeweather in your area. Your plan shouldalso include having a NOAA weather ra-dio, which broadcasts National WeatherService warnings, watches, forecasts andother hazardous information 24 hours aday. The ability of the radio to trigger

tone alerts can save lives, especially forovernight tornadoes when most peopleare sleeping. Also consider having a back-up method to receive weather alerts,such as subscribing to a text messageservice to have warnings sent directly toa personal cellular phone.

Remember, to remain safe, you need toknow where to shelter in the event of atornado, you must have a method to re-ceive tornado warnings day or night, andyou must react immediately by moving

to your place of safety when it becomesnecessary.

Derrick Weitlich and Scott Spratt,National Weather Service,

Melbourne, Florida

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Notes:


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Dont forget to


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Florida Division of Emergency Managementwww.FloridaDisaster.org

Kids Get A Planwww.kidsgetaplan.com

National Weather Servicewww.weather.gov

American Red Crosswww.redcross.org

Florida Department of Educationwww. doe.org

Just Read Florida!www.justread orida.co m

National Hurricane Centerwww.nhc.noaa.gov

JetStream Online School for Weatherwww.srh.noaa.gov/jetstream/index.htm Storm Prediction Center

Federal Alliance For Safe Homeswww. ash.or g

Hurricane Hunter website forTeachers and Studentswww.aoc.noaa.gov/Teachers_and_students.html

National Wildland/UrbanInterface Fire Programwww. rewise.or g

Florida Climate Centerwww.coaps.fsu.edu/climate_center/index.shtml

Climate Prediction Centerwww.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov

For more information, visit these websites:

Florida Severe WAwareness We

January 24-30, 2

Dont Forget to Get A Plan For Your Family and Business

2010 Severe Weather Awareness Guide Sponsors

2010 florida severe weather guide

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