#tSpotter Reporting Information

We have partnered with the National Weather Service (Nashville) to immediately relay severe & winter weather reports you tweet to the NWS. We call this tSpotter.

If you see:

        TORNADO
        FUNNEL CLOUD
        FLOODING
        HAIL >= 1/2 INCH
        WINDS > 50 MPH (MEASURED)
        STRUCTURAL DAMAGE
        TREES OR POWER LINES DOWN
        and
        SNOW/FLURRIES

Let us know ASAP by tweeting your report with hashtag #tSpotter.  Tweets with photos and specific locations (geotagged) are best. Your reports assist the NWS in issuing severe weather warnings and advisories. The NWS only has radar, which can not see what is happening on the ground. Your report is a public service which improves the warning process, furthering the NWS mission of protecting life and property.

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Severe Weather Awareness Week - Weather Radio

NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards

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NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards (NWR) is a nationwide network of radio stations broadcasting continuous weather information directly from the nearest National Weather Service office. NWR broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Working with the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) Emergency Alert System , NWR is an "All Hazards" radio network, making it your single source for comprehensive weather and emergency information. In conjunction with Federal, State, and Local Emergency Managers and other public officials, NWR also broadcasts warning and post-event information for all types of hazards – including natural (such as earthquakes or avalanches), environmental (such as chemical releases or oil spills), and public safety (such as AMBER alerts or 911 Telephone outages).
Known as the "Voice of NOAA's National Weather Service," NWR is provided as a public service by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), part of the Department of Commerce. NWR includes 1000 transmitters, covering all 50 states, adjacent coastal waters, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Pacific Territories. NWR requires a special radio receiver or scanner capable of picking up the signal. Broadcasts are found in the VHF public service band at these seven frequencies (MHz):

162.400

162.425

162.450

162.475

162.500

162.525

162.550

Information provided by The National Weather Service

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Severe Weather Awareness Week - Tornadoes

In 2011 32 Tennesseans lost their lives due to tornadoes. Most of the fatalities occurred in the eastern part of the state during the terrible outbreak on April 27th.

Nationwide 1690 tornadoes were reported in 2011 which was the second highest total ever.  48 states had confirmed tornadoes last year which ties a record for the most states affected in one year.  550 Americans lost their lives due to tornadoes making 2011 the fourth deadliest year for tornadoes.  There were 6 ef5 tornadoes in 2011.  The ef5 total is second only to 1974 when there were 7 ef5 tornadoes.  The estimated dollar loss from tornado damage in 2011 was $10 billion...The most ever in a single year.

Your safety depends on being constantly alert to the possibility of tornadoes from the thunderstorms that approach you. This is especially true during tornado watches. A careful lookout should be kept during any period of severe weather activity. Plan in advance where you will go and what you will do if a tornado threatens you.

Remember...A tornado watch means that tornado development is possible...So watch the sky for developing thunderstorms and all the hazards they bring. Stay tuned to NOAA weather radio...commercial radio or television for weather statements or warnings.

The watch gives you time to think about what you should do if a tornado approaches and alerts you to the fact that atmospheric conditions might favor the development of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes. A watch might cover several thousand square miles over parts of one or more states.

A tornado warning, usually issued for 1 or 2 counties at a time, means that a tornado has been sighted...Or that one is likely based on radar. Persons in the path of the storm need to immediately find shelter, preferably in a sturdy building, below ground if possible.

Tornado safety rules

In homes or small buildings, go to the basement or to an interior room, such as a closet or bathroom, on the lowest level. Get under something sturdy such as a heavy table or a bed. 

In mobile homes and vehicles, abandon them and go to a sturdy structure. If there is no such structure nearby, lie flat in a ditch, ravine, gully, culvert or low spot with your arms and hands shielding your head.

In large buildings, such as schools, factories, hospitals, nursing homes and shopping centers, go to the pre-designated shelter area. Interior hallways on the lowest floor are usually best. Stay away from rooms that are large in area because they have weakly supported roofs.  In high-rise buildings, go to an interior small room or hallway.

Stay away from windows. Don't bother opening or closing them. It won't make any difference to the structure and you'll just waste time or put yourself at risk should glass break as you are near.

NOAA weather radio will carry information and safety tips all this week containing important safety rules that you can use to protect yourself and your loved ones from the dangers of severe weather.

Information provided by the National Weather Service.
 

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Severe Weather Awareness Week - Severe Thuderstorm Warning

Severe Thunderstorm Warning   This is issued when either a severe thunderstorm is indicated by the radar or a spotter reports a thunderstorm producing hail one inch or larger in diameter and/or winds equal or exceed 58 miles an hour; therefore, people in the affected area should seek safe shelter immediately. Severe thunderstorms can produce tornadoes with little or no advance warning. Lightning frequency is not a criteria for issuing a severe thunderstorm warning. They are usually issued for a duration of one hour. They can be issued without a Severe Thunderstorm Watch being already in effect. Like a Tornado Warning, the Severe Thunderstorm Warning is issued by your National Weather Service Forecast Office (NWFO). Severe Thunderstorm Warnings will include where the storm was located, what towns will be affected by the severe thunderstorm, and the primary threat associated with the severe thunderstorm warning. If the severe thunderstorm will affect the nearshore or coastal waters, it will be issued as the combined product--Severe Thunderstorm Warning and Special Marine Warning. If the severe thunderstorm is also causing torrential rains, this warning may also be combined with a Flash Flood Warning. If there is an ampersand (&) symbol at the bottom of the warning, it indicates that the warning was issued as a result of a severe weather report. After it has been issued, the affected NWFO will follow it up periodically with Severe Weather Statements. These statements will contain updated information on the severe thunderstorm and they will also let the public know when the warning is no longer in effect.

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Severe Weather Awareness Week - Skywarn Spotter Importance

SkyWarn needs you

SKYWARN® is the National Weather Service (NWS) prgram to recruit and train storm spotters, who serve as the ears and eyes that can share the “ground truth” with forecasters. Despite sophisticated technology in use by NWS, forecasters still rely on storm spotters. Anyone can become a volunteer SKYWARN® spotter, if they value the satisfaction of knowing that their reports result in better warnings which save lives. NWS also has e-spotter — a web based program — that lets spotters send reports online in real time at: http://espotter.weather.gov/ Your local NWS office has schedules for training.

This information was taken from the Tennessee Severe Weather Information Book provided by The National Weather Service and The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency

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Severe Weather Awareness Week - Lightning

Nationwide in 2011, 26 people were killed by light­ning. Fortunately, none of those killed were in the Vol­unteer State. Since 1959, nearly 4,000 people in the United States, including 140 in Tennessee, have died. As a result, Tennessee is in the Top 5 of states in terms of lightning fatalities.

In an average year, 25 million lightning strikes are recorded across the United States alone.  Lightning is an incredibly powerful electrical discharge, containing up to 100 million volts of electrical charge and capable of reaching 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cloud-to-ground light­ning is the result of incred­ible differences in electrical charge between thunder­storms and the earth’s sur­face.

The sound of thunder travels around one mile ev­ery five seconds and is of­ten audible up to 10 miles. If you can see lightning and hear thunder at your loca­tion, you are in danger of being struck by lightning and your life is in immediate danger.

Rules for Safety

Stay away from windows.
Avoid telephones and electrical appliances (wires connecting to these devices run outside of the home and act as lightning rods).
Don’t wash dishes or take a shower. The pipes will conduct electricity.
Unplug computers and other sensitive electrical devices. Surge suppressors may not protect these items if lightning hits close to home.
Lightning can strike twice, and often will. 

This information was taken from the Tennessee Severe Weather Information Book provided by The National Weather Service and The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency

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First real winter precipitation in Wilson County

We experienced our first real glimpse of Winter precipitation in Wilson County today.  It was short lived due to the temperatures being quite warm for a couple of days prior and the temperature during the snow event being at or just above freezing.

The National Weather Service said that this snow event was one of the hardest to predict in recent memory.  The computer models were no where near being in agreement for the outcome of the winter weather.

It snowed for a few hours and at times the flakes were as large as quarters coming down at a very heavy pace.  Had the temperature been about 5 degrees colder we would have had a pretty major snow event.  As the snow tapered off to flurries the temperature started to rise and by about 4:00 this afternoon it was nearly 40 degrees and the snow was nothing more than a memory.

The way this Winter has progressed in the middle Tennessee area this could have possibly been our best chance for a significant snow accumulation.

Stay tuned to WilsonSevereWX on Twitter for your real-time severe weather information in Wilson County, Tennessee.

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