National Weather Service Raw Text Product

311 
NOUS42 KGSP 061256
PNSGSP
NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014-019-070000-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
756 AM EST TUE MAR 6 2012

...PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...

THIS IS SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IN THE CAROLINAS. FAMILIES AND 
INDIVIDUALS...AS WELL AS EMPLOYERS AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS...ARE 
URGED TO USE THE INFORMATION PROVIDED THIS WEEK TO DEVISE THEIR OWN 
SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY PLANS. IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A PLAN IN PLACE... 
YOU ARE ENCOURAGED TO USE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW YOUR PROCEDURES 
AND PERFORM DRILLS AND EXERCISES. TO SUPPORT THIS EFFORT...THE 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...IN CONJUNCTION WITH STATE EMERGENCY 
MANAGEMENT...WILL CONDUCT A TORNADO DRILL THIS MORNING AT 9:00 AM IN 
SOUTH CAROLINA...WHEN A TEST TORNADO WARNING WILL BE ISSUED. IN 
NORTH CAROLINA...THE DRILL WILL BE ON WEDNESDAY MARCH 7TH AT 9:30 
AM...AND WILL BE CONDUCTED VIA NOAA WEATHER RADIO THROUGH A REQUIRED 
MONTHLY TEST. 2011 WAS AN UNUSUALLY ACTIVE YEAR FOR SEVERE WEATHER 
ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS...WITH MULTIPLE STRONG TORNADOES 
REPORTED...AND NUMEROUS STRONG DOWNBURST EVENTS. THERE ARE NO 
GUARANTEES THAT 2012 WILL BE LESS ACTIVE...OR WILL NOT BE EVEN MORE 
ACTIVE THAN 2011. THE TIME TO PREPARE FOR VIOLENT WEATHER IS RIGHT 
NOW.

ON TUESDAY...WE DISCUSSED WEAK TORNADOES...WHICH ACCOUNT FOR ABOUT 
80% OF THE TORNADOES THAT OCCUR ACROSS THE CAROLINAS. TODAY...WE 
FOCUS ON THE RARE BUT DANGEROUS STRONG AND VIOLENT TORNADOES. STRONG 
TORNADOES PRODUCE WIND SPEEDS BETWEEN 110 AND 170 MPH. WINDS OF THIS 
MAGNITUDE CAN CAUSE SERIOUS DAMAGE TO WELL CONSTRUCTED BUILDINGS... 
COMPLETELY DESTROY AND SWEEP AWAY MANUFACTURED HOMES...AND TOSS 
AROUND AUTOMOBILES. VIOLENT TORNADOES PRODUCE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 170 
MPH...STRONG ENOUGH TO COMPLETELY DESTROY EVEN WELL-CONSTRUCTED 
HOMES. STRONG AND VIOLENT TORNADOES ACCOUNT FOR ONLY ABOUT 30% OF 
THE TORNADOES THAT OCCUR ACROSS THE UNITED STATES EACH YEAR. 
HOWEVER...THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE THAN 95% OF TORNADO-RELATED 
FATALITIES. IN FACT...VIOLENT TORNADOES...WHICH ACCOUNT FOR ONLY 1 
OR 2 PERCENT OF ALL TORNADOES...ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ABOUT 70% OF THE 
DEATHS.  

OBVIOUSLY...THESE TYPES OF TORNADOES ARE RARE ACROSS THE 
CAROLINAS...AS THEY ARE ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. HOWEVER...STRONG 
AND VIOLENT TORNADOES HAVE OCCURRED IN THIS AREA...AND THEY WILL 
OCCUR AGAIN. PIEDMONT COUNTIES ARE ESPECIALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO THESE 
TORNADOES...EXPERIENCING A STRONG TORNADO ONCE EVERY 10 YEARS OR SO 
ON AVERAGE...AND A VIOLENT TORNADO ONCE EVERY 25 TO 50 YEARS. 

THE APRIL 27...2011 TORNADO OUTBREAK THAT AFFECTED MUCH OF THE 
TENNESSEE AND MISSISSIPPI VALLEYS WAS THE THIRD DEADLIEST ON 
RECORD...WITH MORE THAN 300 PEOPLE KILLED. THE WORST PART OF THIS 
OUTBREAK HAD ENDED BEFORE THE RESPONSIBLE STORM SYSTEM MOVED OVER 
THE WESTERN CAROLINAS...ALTHOUGH SEVERAL WEAK TORNADOES TOUCHED DOWN 
IN THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS. HOWEVER...THE ONLY 
THING THAT SPARED THE WESTERN CAROLINAS FROM EXPERIENCING A MORE 
DEVASTATING OUTBREAK ON THIS DAY WAS TIMING. IF THE STORM SYSTEM HAD 
MOVED OVER THE REGION DURING THE HEAT OF THE AFTERNOON...RATHER THAN 
AFTER DARK...IT IS LIKELY THAT THE TYPES OF VIOLENT TORNADOES THAT 
AFFECTED PORTIONS OF ALABAMA...MISSISSIPPI... AND TENNESSEE ON THAT 
DAY WOULD HAVE DEVELOPED OVER OUR AREA. 

MORE RECENTLY...STRONG TORNADOES DEVELOPED OVER THE PIEDMONT OF 
SOUTH CAROLINA ON NOVEMBER 16...AND OVER THE NORTH CAROLINA 
FOOTHILLS ON JANUARY 11. NUMEROUS HOMES WERE DAMAGED OR COMPLETELY 
DESTROYED AND MULTIPLE PEOPLE INJURED BY THESE TORNADOES. THREE 
PEOPLE WERE KILLED NEAR ROCK HILL ON NOVEMBER 16 WHEN A STRONG EF2 
TORNADO MOVED THROUGH THE OGDEN COMMUNITY. IT IS INEVITABLE THAT 
THESE TYPES OF TORNADOES WILL STRIKE THE AREA AGAIN IN THE NEAR 
FUTURE. THEREFORE...IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT YOU HAVE A PLAN OF ACTION 
IN THE EVENT THAT YOU ARE FACED WITH SUCH A LIFE THREATENING 
SITUATION.    

ONE OF OUR BEST DEFENSES AGAINST TORNADOES IS TO BECOME FAMILIAR 
WITH THE SOUND THEY MAKE. THE SOUND IS MOST COMMONLY DESCRIBED AS A 
LOW-PITCHED CONTINUOUS RUMBLE...VERY SIMILAR TO THAT OF A TRAIN. THE 
SOUND HAS ALSO BEEN DESCRIBED AS A LOUD HUMMING NOISE...AND HAS AT 
TIMES BEEN COMPARED TO THE SOUND OF A LOUD WATERFALL. IF YOU HEAR 
THIS TYPE OF SOUND DURING A THUNDERSTORM...EVEN IF A WARNING HAS NOT 
BEEN ISSUED...TAKE TORNADO SAFETY PRECAUTIONS IMMEDIATELY.   

THE SAFEST LOCATION DURING A TORNADO IS AN UNDERGROUND SHELTER. IF 
ONE IS NOT AVAILABLE...GO TO AN INTERIOR ROOM...CLOSET...OR HALLWAY. 
YOUR GOAL SHOULD BE TO PLACE AS MANY WALLS AND FLOORS BETWEEN YOU 
AND THE OUTSIDE AS POSSIBLE. COVER YOURSELF WITH BLANKETS OR SIMILAR 
ITEMS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS. IF YOU ARE IN A 
VEHICLE...YOU SHOULD ABANDON THE VEHICLE IF YOU CAN GET BELOW THE 
LEVEL OF THE ROAD. OTHERWISE...FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELT AND DUCK BELOW 
WINDOW LEVEL. COVER YOUR HEAD WITH A BLANKET IN ORDER TO PROTECT 
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS. MOBILE HOMES SHOULD BE ABANDONED FOR A 
STURDIER SHELTER. THEY OFFER LITTLE IF ANY PROTECTION FROM EVEN THE 
WEAKEST TORNADOES. IF YOU LIVE IN A MANUFACTURED HOME...NOW IS THE 
TIME TO THINK ABOUT WHERE YOU WOULD GO IN THE EVENT OF A TORNADO. DO 
NOT WAIT UNTIL A TORNADO IS APPROACHING TO DECIDE...IT WILL BE TOO 
LATE. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WEATHER SAFETY...VISIT OUR WEBSITE  
AT WEATHER.GOV/GSP.
 
$$ 
LANE