• About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Insiders: Log In
Friday March 31st
  • Login
  • Register
  • Home
  • Briefing
    • Today
    • Future
  • Safety
  • Articles
  • KSStorm.Live
No Result
View All Result
KSStorm Info
KSStorm Info
  • Home
  • Briefing
    • Today
    • Future
  • Safety
  • Articles
  • KSStorm.Live
No Result
View All Result
KSStorm Info
No Result
View All Result

Prepare 2023: Severe Thunderstorms

Scott Roberts by Scott Roberts
2023-03-26 19:30 CDT
in Safety
0 0
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on Pinterest
23 severe weather awareness week tuesday story header

Dark clouds roll in and the wind picks up…the sound of thunder can be heard from the distance. Severe storms are a common occurrence in Kansas.It’s important to know how to identify severe storms and take measures to stay safe when they occur.

Watch vs. Warning

Big thanks to KAKE-TV for this humorous look at a serious topic:

fb img 1677921046984

That’s the basics…a watch means the ingredients are right: sufficient moisture, heat, and a mechanism to lift that moist air from near the ground to higher in the sky.

spc risk categories
Courtesy: Storm Prediction Center

Types of Severe Storms

mode
Convective Modes (images licensed from MetGraphics)

The storm modes are listed generally in the order of increasing risk of damage.

Pulse Storms

Also called pop-up or popcorn storms. These typically last 10-45 minutes, and can cause brief heavy rain and small hail. Their main damage-causing risk is straight-line wind, most frequently generated as they fall apart when the atmosphere can no longer sustain the storm.

Multi-cell storms

These tend to be stronger, because the environment among the clusters tend to keep things going longer. This allows hail to make multiple up and down trips in the storm updraft, which leads to larger, potentially damaging hail stones. These tend to be more frequent in the eastern half of Kansas due to better moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, but can be seen anywhere. Again they present a wind damage risk as they die out (and are potentially replaced by another storm). Very heavy, flooding rain is possible if storms fire repeatedly in the same area, a situation known as “training.”

Linear Storms

In these systems, the storms form a line, a bow, or similar structure. From the ground you see a shelf cloud — often going horizon to horizon

long white shelf cloud
“White shelf cloud,” courtesy of Public Domain Pictures

The they are formed when an advancing cold front forms a wedge and pushes warm. moist air into the middle levels of the atmosphere where it condenses and causes heavy rain. The wind form the descending rain-cooled air pushes the front forward and the cycle continues. The event that impacted most of Kansas on February 26, 2023 was an example of a linear system.

  • While tornadoes can occur on a linear system, they are most commonly very short-lived (often dissipating before a warning can be issued) and weak. Occasionally EF-2 damage can be seen from these. We used to call them gustnadoes.
  • The risk on a linear system is two-fold: strong to extreme wind as the line passes, followed by torrential rain and sometimes hail.
  • A line of storms that sustains for hours and impacts multiple states may be termed a “derecho” (dur-AY-cho) — there is a technical definition, but you just need to know if you hear that term it is causing substantial impact for a lot of people.

“The worst is first, then comes the rain”

Discrete Supercells

supercell1 wallpaper cave
“Supercell” Courtesy of Wallpaper Cave

These are the Daddy of all storms. The stronger storms can actually create their own mini-environment. These are the storms where you can see a tower of bubbling cloud miles in the distance, extending from near the ground to an anvil top high in the sky. Warm moist air flows in at ground level, usually from the southeast or south, and rises until it can rise no more. The air condenses as it rises, and the falling air, which is cooler than the nearby rising air, begins a process of “rolling” in the atmosphere. The roll takes on a tilt, partly due to the motion of the storm and partly because it is getting spin imparted from winds that get faster and turn around the clock from southeast at the low level to westerly at the top.

supercell wallpaper national geographic
Supercell (c) National Geographic. Downloaded at Wallpaper Cave, used under Fair Use principles.

When a severe storm is on the horizon, it’s important to take steps to stay safe. The first is to stay indoors and away from windows. Close all windows and curtains, and unplug any electronic devices in order to protect them from a power surge. If possible, move to an interior room on the lowest level of the home. Additionally, avoid contact with any metal objects as they can conduct electricity.

Safety messages from National Weather Service:

 images wrn social media 2017 spendingtimeoutdoors

Have multiple ways to receive the warning

We recommend the following:

  • Weather app on your mobile device we have covered some previously. Any of the apps offered by the local TV stations are also good. Be sure to set the apps to track your location, so you will be notified only when warnings apply to you
  • NOAA All-Hazards alert radio: We used to call these “weather alert radios.” They can be programmed so you are only alerted when a warning is issued for your county.
  • Broadcast TV/Radio (although unfortunately in Wichita and some other areas, the live coverage of storms on radio is less than it once was.) All three Wichita stations do a good job. I’m partial to Storm Team 12, of course, due to my relationship with them. And we’re proud to partner with Eagle Media in Hutchinson, where they do severe weather coverage on all three stations…KHUT, KHMY and KWBW.
weather ready ambassador
KSStorm.Info is a
Weather Ready Nation Ambassador

Related Articles

23 severe weather awareness week wednesday story header

Prepare 2023: Fire Weather

2023-03-26 19:30 CDT
27
23 severe weather awareness week monday feature banner

Prepare 2023: Looking Back, Looking Forward

2023-03-26 19:30 CDT
78
Photo by Tehmasip Khan from Pexels

Weather and Our Fur Kids

2022-03-18 06:43 CDT
53
pexels daria rem 3890053

Prepare 2022: Flooded Out

2022-03-11 05:59 CST
59
Load More
Tags: featuredhailsevere thunderstormtacoweatherwind
Scott Roberts

Scott Roberts

I've chased storms and reported on the weather in some form now for almost 40 years. My first severe weather coverage was in the summer of 1981 on an FM station in Pratt, KS. I worked for KFDI News, including many hours in the Mobile Units during storm season, for six years. I went to KWCH12 as their storm chase coordinator for the 2003 and 2004 seasons. Then I went into business for myself and have been chasing actively since 2005. 2020 brings some new things to the site, but at the core I still am driven to connect my understanding of weather and safety to you, giving accurate and timely information the best ways I can with the tools available. I'm gratified to have you along for the ride!

Next Post
23 severe weather awareness week wednesday story header

Prepare 2023: Fire Weather

Connect with us

  • 610 Followers
  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
blizzard

Second Signficant Snowstorm Imminent for Kansas

2022-02-16 21:42 CST

Risk Upgrade

2021-10-12 08:44 CDT
multi vortex

Andover Tornado: Photos and Video

2022-04-30 01:06 CDT

First Look: Multi-Day Event Next Week?

2022-04-08 08:18 CDT

When a City Loses Its Ever-lovin’ Mind

The 3 Things Tornado Victims Wish They Had

Have mercy on the TV weather departments

NOAA Lightning at night

There is No Such Thing as a Professional Chaser

Aware 2021: The consistent economic damage outperformer of all weather hazards

Watching the Weather

2023-03-27 11:15 CDT
pxl 20230326 223810156

Ready for the Season, 2023

2023-03-26 19:22 CDT
severe weather awareness week monday pm feature header

Prepare 2023: Andover EF-3 Tornado (2022) Retrospective

2023-03-09 18:01 CST
2016 05 16 tornado north of solomon, kansas

Prepare 2023: Tornadoes

2023-03-26 19:29 CDT

Recommended

Aware 2021: The consistent economic damage outperformer of all weather hazards

Watching the Weather

2023-03-27 11:15 CDT
16
pxl 20230326 223810156

Ready for the Season, 2023

2023-03-26 19:22 CDT
63
severe weather awareness week monday pm feature header

Prepare 2023: Andover EF-3 Tornado (2022) Retrospective

2023-03-09 18:01 CST
19
2016 05 16 tornado north of solomon, kansas

Prepare 2023: Tornadoes

2023-03-26 19:29 CDT
37
Twitter Instagram Pinterest Twitch RSS Youtube

About KSStorm.Info

We're a collaboration of weather enthusiasts who live the goal of providing accurate, hype-free weather forecasts, outlooks, and safety information. Our focus is Kansas.

More about KSStorm.Info

All material on this site is © KSStorm Media and may not be used or reposted anywhere without express permission.
Call or email for licensing.

KSStorm Info Services

  • PERKS: Become a KSStorm.Info Insider
  • Chase with Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Need a Speaker?
    Storm Safety Talk

© 2021 KSStorm Media, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Want to use something from this site? Email or Call to license.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Briefing
    • Today
    • Future
  • Safety
  • Articles
  • KSStorm.Live

© 2021 KSStorm Media, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Want to use something from this site? Email or Call to license.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

*By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Install this KSStorm Info on your iPhone and then Add to Home Screen

×

Add KSStorm Info to your Homescreen!

Add
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.

By visiting our site, you agree to our privacy policy regarding cookies, tracking statistics, etc. Read more