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Public Information Statement 
National Weather Service Binghamton, NY 
800 AM EDT Wed Apr 24 2024

...THIS WEEK IS SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IN NEW YORK...

Today we discuss severe weather preparedness and safety. 
All thunderstorms, whether they are severe or not, are 
dangerous due to lightning. When one approaches, you need to 
protect yourself. When thunder roars go indoors! When you see
a flash, dash inside!

Before a storm, develop a safety plan so that you can protect 
your friends and family for many different scenarios. 
You need to have a safety plan for the home, when at school, 
at work and especially when outdoors. Being caught outdoors 
during a thunderstorm without a plan can turn deadly. Identify 
a safe place to take shelter and know what actions are needed 
when a warning is issued. The best way to do this is to conduct 
drills.

Lightning is a thunderstorm's biggest killer.  Do not use
electrical appliances or a computer while a thunderstorm is
nearby.

If you are outdoors, seek shelter in a sturdy building with 
plumbing or electricity. Picnic shelters, dugouts, small 
buildings are not safe! Keep out of open areas such as pavilions 
or gazebos. Stay away from tall objects such as isolated trees 
and metal objects such as towers supporting power lines. Also, 
stay away from wire fences, clothes lines, metal pipes, and rails. 
If in an automobile, do not touch metal parts or the exterior. If 
in a school bus, close all windows and move to the center portion 
bus, have all students cross their feet and place their hands in 
their lap. The driver should not touch any metal in the bus. 

Lightning may be about to strike if you are out in the open and 
feel your hair stand on end or your skin start to tingle. Run to 
seek proper shelter. There is no safe place outside once a 
lightning channel approaches from directly overhead (or very 
nearly so). You are likely to be struck and either killed or 
injured by the lightning strike. 

During a thunderstorm, stay out of the water. If you are boating, 
head to shore at the first sign of threatening weather. In 
addition to the danger of lightning, gusty thunderstorm winds can 
easily capsize small boats.

Stay away from places that commonly flood during a thunderstorms. 
Flash floods caused by heavy downpours are another danger. 
Low lying areas, especially near streams and creeks, can flood 
rapidly. Never drive your car into a flooded area.

Remember, thunderstorms occasionally produce tornadoes. Sometimes 
thunderstorm winds are strong enough to produce EF-0 and EF-1 
tornado like damage. Always be prepared to move to a safe shelter 
when a thunderstorm is near. 

Weather topics for the remainder of the week will be as follows:

Thursday...Tornadoes.
Friday...Flooding.
Saturday...Weather Ready Nation.

For more information on weather hazards and Severe Weather 
Awareness Week, please visit: 

https://www.weather.gov/bgm/swawny

$$

Mitchell Gaines
Meteorologist
National Weather Service Binghamton, NY