As many of you know (or not but now you will) Mountain Wave Weather is an officially designated NOAA Weather Ready Nation Ambassador. What does that mean exactly? It means we work with local businesses, residences and everyone in between to be prepared for severe weather.
The goal of the WRN Ambassador initiative is to foster innovative, stronger collaborations across government, non-profits, academia, and private industry to help make the nation more ready, responsive, and resilient against extreme environmental hazards.
Now that you know, stay tuned for some very interesting articles thorughout the month of April on Colorado's severe weather, how to be prepared and what to watch for!
April 3, 2019
Safe place selfie at 11:11AM!
Do you know where your safe place is for severe weather? (Hint: it may be different depending on the threat!)
If there was one extreme weather preparedness action you want your loved ones to take, what would it be? For many, that one action is to know ahead of time where their safe place is located. On April 3rd, 2019, at 11:11am local time, please join the National Weather Service and its Weather-Ready Nation Ambassadors to take a “selfie” and post with the hashtag #SafePlaceSelfie.
Here are some helpful suggestions:
- Think about the hazards in your area where you would need to know where safe places or evacuation routes are located.
- Get creative! Storm shelters, safe rooms, and basements are all good safe places from tornadoes and strong winds, but think of other scenarios or hazards that may require other safe places.
- What other preparedness actions make your safe place even safer? Having a NOAA Weather Radio? Emergency Kit? Family Communications Plan?
- Encourage family, friends, and your social media network to post their #SafePlaceSelfie. Tag someone on your post and ask them, “Where is your safe place from extreme weather?”
I'll have more information about this up tomorrow here on Mountain Wave Weather with some suggestions based on specific severe weather threats we see here in Colorado. Stay tuned!
Lightning Safety - It's Thunderstorm Season!
We see the most lightning fatalities with outdoor activities and sports.
Did you know Colorado reports on average some of the highest numbers of lightning fatalities in the U.S.A.? We can probably chalk that up to our tendency to be outdoors a lot during the summer, but it also comes down to surprise thunderstorms in the mountains that can often find people in exposed, high altitude terrain with little options for shelter.
Speaking of which, should you be caught in the hills or mountains and a thunderstorm approaches, here's some handy tips.
If you find yourself above treeline in a thunderstorm, you're already in a bad situation... but these tips can help a bit.
Face it, if you're in a highly exposed area with no time to get to shelter, you've already found yourself in a bad situation. It's best to pay attention to the weather and make plans to take shelter as soon as you hear thunder.
Easy to remember this; when thunder roars, go indoors! If you can hear it... you are close enough to the storm to be hit by lightning!
Stay tuned for more severe weather discussion and preparedness tips in the coming days and weeks!
