CTZ001-013-MAZ001-025-NYZ032-033-038>043-047>054-058>061-063>066-
082>084-VTZ013>015-041200-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ALBANY NY
800 AM EDT THU MAY 3 2012

...SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK CONTINUES...

APRIL 29 TO MAY 5 IS SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IN NEW YORK...
VERMONT...CONNECTICUT...AND MASSACHUSETTS. ALL RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO 
BE WEATHER READY BY PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM THE HAZARDS OF FLOODING...
TORNADOES...AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.

TODAY WE TAKE AN IN DEPTH LOOK AT TORNADOES AND CONDUCT OUR NEW 
YORK SEVERE WEATHER COMMUNICATION DRILL AT 115 PM. OUR REGION 
AVERAGES ABOUT FIVE TORNADOES PER YEAR. LAST YEAR...SIX TORNADOES 
WERE RECORDED. TORNADOES HAVE OCCURRED IN NEW YORK AND WESTERN 
NEW ENGLAND DURING EVERY SEASON BUT ARE MOST COMMON BETWEEN MAY 
AND AUGUST. TORNADOES CAN STRIKE ANYWHERE...VALLEYS AND 
MOUNTAINS...CITIES...AND RURAL AREAS. ALTHOUGH MOST COMMON FROM MID 
AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING...TORNADOES HAVE STRUCK AT ALL HOURS...THOUGH 
THEY ARE MOST LIKELY BETWEEN NOON AND 9 PM.   

TORNADOES ARE VIOLENTLY ROTATING COLUMNS OF AIR IN CONTACT WITH 
THE GROUND AND ATTACHED TO THE CLOUD ABOVE. THE STRONGEST 
TORNADOES HAVE WIND SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 200 MPH...WIDTHS 
APPROACHING ONE MILE...LENGTHS OF MANY MILES...AND DURATIONS OF UP 
TO ONE HOUR. FORTUNATELY...MOST TORNADOES ARE CONSIDERABLY WEAKER 
AND OF SHORTER DURATION. TORNADOES TYPICALLY MOVE AT ABOUT 30 
MPH...BUT CAN MOVE AS FAST AS 70 MPH. IN NEW YORK AND NEW 
ENGLAND...ABOUT 77 PERCENT OF ALL TORNADOES ARE WEAK...21 PERCENT 
STRONG...AND ONLY ABOUT TWO PERCENT ARE CONSIDERED VIOLENT. 

TORNADOES FORM IN AN ENVIRONMENT CONDUCIVE TO THUNDERSTORM 
DEVELOPMENT. WINDS CHANGING DIRECTION AND SPEED WITH HEIGHT 
PRODUCE A HORIZONTAL SPINNING IN THE ATMOSPHERE. STRONG UPWARD 
MOTIONS IN THUNDERSTORMS TILT THE HORIZONTAL ROTATION TO THE 
VERTICAL. AN AREA OF ROTATION NOW TWO TO SIX MILES WIDE EXTENDS 
THROUGH THE MUCH OF THE THUNDERSTORM. MOST TORNADOES FORM IN THIS 
AREA OF ROTATION.

A NUMBER OF TORNADO MYTHS EXIST. A MYTH... WINDOWS SHOULD BE OPENED 
TO EQUALIZE AIR PRESSURE. LEAVE THE WINDOWS ALONE. SEEK SHELTER 
IMMEDIATELY. ANOTHER MYTH. LOW PRESSURE ASSOCIATED WITH TORNADOES 
CAUSES BUILDINGS TO EXPLODE. VIOLENT TORNADIC WINDS AND DEBRIS 
SLAMMING INTO A STRUCTURE CAUSE MOST OF THE DAMAGE. A MYTH. IF 
YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE YOU SHOULD SEEK SHELTER UNDER AN OVERPASS. 
SEEK SHELTER IN A STURDY REINFORCED BUILDING. OUTDOOR SHELTER MAY 
PROVIDE LIMITED PROTECTION...BUT YOUR RISK WILL BE REDUCED BY 
MOVING INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING OR BASEMENT.

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

YOU SHOULD PREPARE FOR TORNADOES NOW. DEVELOP A SEVERE WEATHER 
SAFETY PLAN. IDENTIFY SAFE SHELTERS WHERE YOU CAN GO SHOULD A 
TORNADO THREATEN. KNOW THE BASIC WEATHER SAFETY TERMS. KEEP TUNED 
TO YOUR FAVORITE MEDIA OUTLET FOR THE LATEST NATIONAL WEATHER 
SERVICE STATEMENTS CONCERNING TORNADOES.

AT 115 PM...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...THE NEW YORK STATE 
OFFICE OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT...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 LOOK AT FLASH FLOODING.
$$
DIRIENZO