Our eyes will be focused on the sky today as severe weather is possible across Alabama. No, it is not a classic setup due to limited instability values, but a few isolated tornadoes are still possible along with some hail and strong straight line winds. This is a clear reminder that we are getting very close to our primary severe weather season, the months of March, April, and May. All of us in the professional weather community are working hard this month to get Alabama families ready for the season; that is the reason we conduct our Storm Alert tour every February (we will be in Jasper this Thursday evening at 7:00 at the CHS Community building downtown). The National Weather Service also brings us their “Severe Weather Awareness Week†every February; this year the week is February 19-23.
One the things I am really stressing is that we must get rid of the “siren mentality†when it comes to tornado warnings. Tornado warning sirens serve a purpose, but that purpose is not to reach anyone inside a home or business. The thought that you are supposed to hear a siren before every tornado is one that has to be removed from the minds of all Alabamians; and I have great fear that mentality will get someone killed the next time we have a tornado late at night, or during the pre-dawn hours. Forget the sirens; every home and business must have a NOAA Weather Radio receiver. That is the best option we have right now, and ABC 33/40 had teamed up with Midland Radio, Publix, and Handy TV to make new digital Weather Radio receivers available at a very affordable price. Within a few days (maybe even by the time you read this), you can purchase a new Midland NOAA Weather Radio, complete with SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) capacity and a battery backup, for only $29.95. This is a great bargain, and they will be available at all North-Central Alabama Publix and Handy TV locations. If you don’t have a NOAA Weather Radio, this is the best chance you will ever get to get one at this kind of price.
The tragic deaths of 20 Floridians in a pre-dawn tornado event a couple of weeks ago is a great reminder of how important this is. Great warnings from the NWS, but they never heard them. We must forget the sirens and move to getting a NOAA Weather Radio in every Alabama home now.
