Severe weather threat Friday

Storms are likely Friday late afternoon and into the evening hours. Tornadoes, damaging wind, and hail will be possible as storms move through. The time to start planning is now. Know where your safe place is should severe storms move into your area.

There is a large area (above) that has the potential for severe weather Friday. For our area, it will start up as early as Friday afternoon and last into the evening hours. There is a video forecast of this at the bottom of this post.

For our area (above), we have a Level 3 “Enhanced Risk” and a Level 4 (out of 5) “Moderate Risk” for severe weather. We don’t see this level of a threat very often, so please take this one very seriously.

Our main concern will be tornadoes (above). Here’s what the colors mean:
Light Brown: 5% chance for a tornado.
Yellow: 10% chance for a tornado.
Red: 15% chance for a tornado.
Black lines in the yellow and red: 10% or greater probability of EF2 – EF5 tornadoes within 25 miles of a point.

The wind (above) is also going to be a major concern. The entire KBSI viewing area has a 30% chance at seeing wind that will meet severe weather criteria (57 mph). The area with black lines means a 10% or greater probability of wind gusts 75 mph or greater within 25 miles of a point.

Hail (above) will also be an issue. There is a 15% chance that we will see hail that meets severe weather criteria (1″ in diameter or bigger).

Above is a video showing the possible progression of the storm Friday afternoon and evening. Any of this line of storms will have the potential for hail, damaging wind, and tornadoes.

We want you to be safe, so please take the following precautions to stay safe during severe weather:

• Stay Weather Ready: Continue to listen to local news or a NOAA Weather Radio to stay updated about severe weather watches and warnings.
• At Your House: Go to your secure location if you hear a severe thunderstorm or tornado warning. Tornadoes, damaging wind, and/or large hail may be approaching. Take your pets with you if time allows.
• At Your Workplace or School: Stay away from windows if you are in a warning and a tornado, damaging wind, and/or large hail is approaching. Do not go to large open rooms such as cafeterias, gymnasiums or auditoriums.
• Outside: Go inside a sturdy building immediately if a severe storm is approaching. Sheds and storage facilities are not safe. Taking shelter under a tree can be deadly. The tree may fall on you. Standing under a tree also put you at a greater risk of getting struck by lightning.
• In a Vehicle: Being in a vehicle during severe weather is safer than being outside; however, drive to closest secure shelter if there is sufficient time.

Storm Alert Team Chief Meteorologist
Rusty Dawkins