Florida's Severe Weather Awareness Week takes place from Monday, January 30th to Friday, February 3rd. The Florida Division of Emergency Management & the American Red Cross have joined together to sponsor this knowledge filled week. This week breaks down various weather hazards that frequently cause havoc across the state, and it gives people helpful information on how to prepare for these natural disasters (e.g. like lighting, hurricanes, etc.).
Each day of the week, there is a focus: Monday, Jan. 30th, the focus is on
"Lightning." It only makes sense to kick-off the week learning about lightning & lightning safety because Florida is #1 for lightning strikes in the United States.
Tuesday, Jan. 31st..."Marine Hazards & Rip Current Safety" will be highlighted.
Wednesday, Feb. 1st..."Tornadoes & Thunderstorms" will be highlighted. During this time, there will be a statewide tornado drill. A description of the event is below:
***The National Weather Service and the Florida Division of Emergency Management will conduct the statewide Tornado Drill at 10:10 a.m. Eastern Time (9:10 a.m. Central Time), on Wednesday, February 1, 2012. Floridians are asked to consider themselves under a tornado watch during the morning of February 1, 2012. A Tornado Watch means that you should closely monitor the weather and be prepared to go to a safe place in the event of a tornado warning. Once the drill begins you should consider yourself in a Tornado Warning. A Tornado Warning means that a tornado has been sighted or has been picked up on radar in your area. This means that you need to take shelter immediately in a safe sturdy structure. Even if you do not participate in the morning drill, all schools, families and businesses are encouraged to talk about their tornado safety plan that day.*** (taken from FloridaDisaster.org)Thursday, Feb. 2nd, "Hurricanes & Flooding" will be highlighted.
The finale will be on
Friday, Feb. 3rd...ending the week with
"Temperature Extremes & Wildfires."For more information on Florida's Severe Weather Awareness week & the above listed topics...check out the following link:
http://www.floridadisaster.org/swaw/ Remember, you can never learn too much about the weather. The more you know about it, the more likely you are to stay safe during severe weather or threatening "natural disaster" situations.
Meteorologist Deitra Tate
