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NOUS42 KCHS 011253 
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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON SC
600 AM EST MON FEB 4 2013

...GEORGIA SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY...

EACH DAY THIS WEEK...YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN CHARLESTON SC 
WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION REGARDING SEVERE WEATHER. TODAY WE WILL 
DISCUSS THUNDERSTORMS AND LIGHTNING.

THUNDERSTORMS AFFECT RELATIVELY SMALL AREAS WHEN COMPARED TO 
HURRICANES AND WINTER STORMS. A TYPICAL THUNDERSTORM IS 15 MILES IN 
DIAMETER AND LASTS AROUND 30 MINUTES. SOMETIMES ORGANIZED SYSTEMS OF 
MULTIPLE THUNDERSTORMS SUCH AS SQUALL LINES WILL PERSIST FOR MANY 
HOURS AND WILL IMPACT LARGER AREAS.

REGARDLESS OF SIZE AND DURATION...ALL THUNDERSTORMS ARE DANGEROUS 
BECAUSE THEY PRODUCE LIGHTNING. SOME LIGHTNING REMAINS ABOVE THE 
GROUND. HOWEVER...CLOUD TO GROUND AND CLOUD TO WATER LIGHTNING KILLS 
AN AVERAGE OF 58 PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES EACH YEAR. 

SOME THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE PRODIGIOUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING 
STRIKES WHICH CAN INDUCE POWER OUTAGES AND STRUCTURE FIRES. 
HOWEVER...BECAUSE FREQUENCY AND IMPACT OF LIGHTNING ARE NOT INCLUDED 
WITHIN THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DEFINITION OF A SEVERE 
THUNDERSTORM...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS ARE NEVER ISSUED BASED 
SOLELY ON LIGHTNING ACTIVITY. MORE COMMONLY...THE NATIONAL WEATHER 
SERVICE INCLUDES INFORMATION ABOUT FREQUENT...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING 
WITHIN WARNINGS AND STATEMENTS WHICH OFFER OTHER CRITICAL 
INFORMATION ABOUT STRONG AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. 

CHECK OUT ADDITIONAL SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK INFORMATION ON 
OUR WEB PAGE AT WWW/ERH.NOAA.GOV/CHS/...AS WELL ON FACEBOOK AT 
WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/US.NATIONALWEATHERSERVICE.CHARLESTONSC.GOV. YOU CAN 
ALSO FOLLOW @NWSCHARLESTONSC ON TWITTER.  

TOMORROW WE WILL DISCUSS THE DANGERS OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS 
INCLUDING DAMAGING STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.

$$