CTZ001-013-MAZ001-025-NYZ032-033-038>043-047>054-058>061-063>066-
082>084-VTZ013>015-301200-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
800 AM EDT TUE APR 29 2008 

...SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK CONTINUES...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND THE STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCIES OF NEW YORK...VERMONT...CONNECTICUT...AND MASSACHUSETTS 
HAVE PROCLAIMED APRIL 27 TO MAY 3...SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK. ALL RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO LEARN HOW TO PROTECT THEMSELVES 
FROM THE HAZARDS OF FLOODING...TORNADOES...AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.

TODAY WE REVIEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. THIS MORNING AT 1130 WE WILL CONDUCT THE FIRST OF OUR SEVERE WEATHER COMMUNICATION DRILLS. 

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEFINED AS THUNDERSTORMS WITH WIND SPEEDS OF 58 MPH OR GREATER AND OR HAIL OF THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH IN
DIAMETER OR LARGER. LAST YEAR...ALMOST 160 SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE RECORDED IN EASTERN NEW YORK AND WESTERN NEW ENGLAND...SLIGHTLY
ABOVE AVERAGE. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MOST FREQUENTLY OCCUR DURING THE WARM MONTHS...BUT HAVE BEEN RECORDED IN ALL SEASONS AND AT ALL
TIMES OF THE DAY. INDEED...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS STRUCK OUR AREA ON MARCH NINTH THIS YEAR.

THUNDERSTORMS REQUIRE MOISTURE...LIFT AND UNSTABLE AIR TO DEVELOP. MOISTURE IS NECESSARY FOR THE CLOUDS AND RAIN. LIFT IS USUALLY
SUPPLIED BY WARM OR COLD FRONTS...SEA OR LAKE BREEZES...MOUNTAINS...OR THE SUNS HEAT. LIFT SUPPLIED TO MOISTURE IN AN UNSTABLE
ENVIRONMENT RESULTS IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THUNDERSTORMS. THUNDERSTORMS PROGRESS THROUGH THREE STAGES...DEVELOPING...MATURE...AND
DISSIPATING. IT IS IN THE MATURE STAGE THAT THUNDERSTORMS ARE TYPICALLY MOST DANGEROUS...CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SEVERE WEATHER. 

ALTHOUGH THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES WARNINGS FOR ONLY THOSE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO MEET WARNING CRITERIA...ALL 
THUNDERSTORMS ARE DANGEROUS. BY DEFINITION...THUNDERSTORMS CONTAIN LIGHTNING. IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU CAN BE STRUCK BY 
LIGHTNING. ONCE YOU HEAR THUNDER...SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IN A SAFE STRUCTURE. MOST LIGHTNING FATALITIES OCCUR WHEN PEOPLE ARE 
CAUGHT OUTDOORS. DONT BE A LIGHTNING VICTIM. LAST YEAR WE RECORDED ONE LIGHTING FATALITY AND TWO LIGHTNING INJURIES IN THE REGION.  

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES AND WARNINGS TO ALERT THE PUBLIC TO A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM THREAT. 
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS THAT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE. CONTINUE WITH YOUR DAILY ROUTINE...BUT BE READY TO TAKE
QUICK ACTION SHOULD A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING BE ISSUED. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING MEANS THAT SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE 
IMMINENT OR OCCURRING. SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN KILL AND INJURE. SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS SHOULD BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY. YOU SHOULD PREPARE FOR SEVERE 
THUNDERSTORMS. DEVELOP A FAMILY WEATHER SAFETY PLAN. IDENTIFY SAFE SHELTERS WHERE YOU AND YOUR FAMILY CAN GO SHOULD A SEVERE 
THUNDERSTORM THREATEN. KNOW THE BASIC WEATHER SAFETY TERMS. KEEP TUNED TO YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET FOR THE LATEST NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE STATEMENTS CONCERNING SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.

THIS MORNING AT 1130...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...THE NEW YORK STATE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICE...THE NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT
OF EDUCATION AND THE NEW YORK STATE BROADCASTERS ASSOCIATION WILL CONDUCT A TEST OF THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER WARNING SYSTEM. THIS DRILL
SERVES SEVERAL IMPORTANT PURPOSES. FIRST...THE DRILL ALLOWS US TO TEST COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS AVAILABLE DURING HAZARDOUS WEATHER
SITUATIONS. SECOND...THE DRILL ALLOWS THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE STAFF TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR PROCEDURES AND CHECKLISTS ARE UP TO
DATE AND OUR EQUIPMENT IS FUNCTIONING. FINALLY...THE TEST WILL INFORM AREA RESIDENTS OF THE MEANS OF GETTING INFORMATION CONCERNING
WEATHER RELATED EMERGENCIES THROUGH ELECTRONIC MEDIA AND NOAA WEATHER RADIO.  

NOAA WEATHER RADIO OFFERS THE BEST WAY TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH WEATHER CONDITIONS WHETHER AT HOME...WORK OR PLAY. NOAA WEATHER RADIO
PROVIDES CONTINUOUS BROADCASTS OF WEATHER INFORMATION...WITH IMMEDIATE RELAY OF ANY SEVERE WEATHER WARNINGS. NOAAS NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE RECOMMENDS EVERYONE HAVE ACCESS TO A NOAA WEATHER RADIO.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK...GO TO OUR WEB SITE WWW.WEATHER.GOV. THEN CLICK ON EASTERN NEW YORK OR 
WESTERN NEW ENGLAND. FINALLY...SELECT OUR SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS LINK. 

TOMORROW WE TAKE A LOOK AT WEATHER SAFETY AND PREPAREDNESS. 

$$

OKEEFE