Be prepared for severe weather today

UPDATE, 8:20 a.m.:  Meteorologist Kerry Dean adds this very important bit of information - for which I thank him: "All SPC and NWS outlooks. watches, etc. use solid lines. Storms do not respect those lines so please don't forget, if you live in OR NEAR a watch box be prepared."  Thank you, Kerry!

As of 7:55 a.m. this morning, the Storm Prediction Center has all of the Tri-State area under at least a MODERATE risk of severe weather, with the east and southeast portions of the area under a HIGH risk.

Now is the time to know what you will do in case of severe weather, folks.  The time for suggesting this is long past, now I INSIST that you have a NOAA Weather Radio in your possession and ready to help warn you of any and all watches and warnings which may be issued today.

In addition, after the jump, I've posted an explanation from the National Weather Service in Paducah of what a Particularly Dangerous Situation watch is, and how it differs from your "garden variety" severe thunderstorm watch or tornado watch.

Any new watches which are issued today will scroll across your computer screen directly below the banner at the top here at JDTVB.  You can also find a handy weather radar on the Weather page, and weather radio info on the NOAA Weather Radio page.

Please, folks ... be watchful today, and stay safe, wherever you may be.

...THE IMPORTANCE OF PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION CONVECTIVE
WATCHES ISSUED BY THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER...

THERE ARE RARE OCCASIONS WHEN THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OKLAHOMA WILL ISSUE TORNADO OR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES EMPHASIZING THAT THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THESE UNIQUE P D S OR PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION CONVECTIVE WATCHES ARE ISSUED WHEN THERE IS A WIDESPREAD AND SIGNIFICANT THREAT TO LIFE AND PROPERTY.

THIS SPECIFIC WORDING IS USED IN RARE SITUATIONS WHEN LONG LIVED...STRONG...E F 2 OR E F 3...AND VIOLENT...E F 4 OR E F 5... TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE WATCH AREA. THE ENHANCED WORDING MAY ALSO BE FOUND IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCHES FOR EXCEPTIONALLY INTENSE AND WELL ORGANIZED CONVECTIVE WIND STORMS...SUCH AS DERECHOES.

THE DECISION TO ISSUE A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION OR P D S CONVECTIVE WATCH IS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER FORECASTER WHEN ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS ARE QUITE HAZARDOUS. P D S WATCHES ARE MOST LIKELY TO BE ISSUED IN A HIGH RISK AREA IDENTIFIED IN A CONVECTIVE OUTLOOKS ISSUED BY THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER.

THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXAMPLE OF AN ACTUAL P D S EVENT.

SEVERAL P D S TORNADO WATCHES WERE ISSUED FOR THE APRIL 27TH 2011 TORNADO OUTBREAK THAT COVERED PARTS OF MISSISSIPPI...ALABAMA...GEORGIA... TENNESSEE AND THE CAROLINAS. ON THAT DATE...NEARLY 200 TORNADOES WERE REPORTED RESULTING IN 316 FATALITIES. EIGHTEEN OF THESE TORNADOES WERE CONSIDERED VIOLENT...E F 4 AND E F 5.

IF YOU FIND YOUR HOME...SCHOOL OR BUSINESS IS PLACED UNDER A P D S WATCH...MAKE SURE YOUR EMERGENCY ACTION PLANS ARE READY FOR IMMEDIATE USE. IF A TORNADO OR SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING IS ISSUED...TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT WASTE TIME LOOKING FOR THREATENING WEATHER...YOU MAY END UP LOSING YOUR LIFE.

Severe weather awareness campaign dates set for Tri-State

Given the events of Wednesday morning, many of us — if not most of us — are now painfully aware of the power of nature's fury, but it is always good to be as prepared as possible when the weather does take a nasty turn.

To help with that, statewide severe weather awareness campaigns will be held across Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky at some point this month.  Kentucky's campaign is all month long, beginning today.  Illinois' preparedness week is Mar. 4-10, and Indiana's will be held later in the month, from Mar. 18-24.

A major part of all severe weather awareness campaigns is the tornado drill.  Illinois and Kentucky residents, students and businesses will have the opportunity to participate in the drill on Tuesday, Mar. 6.  In Kentucky, the drill will take place at 9:07 a.m. Central time (10:07 Eastern), with Illinois' drill following at 10 a.m.

Indiana's drill — actually two drills — will be held on Mar. 21 at 9:15 a.m. and 6:35 p.m. Central time (10:15 and 7:35 Eastern).

Some of you may recall that last year, JDTVB teamed up with HoosierWX.com to provide severe weather preparedness information.  For your convenience, here are those articles once again, and I hope you'll find them helpful.

• Do you have the items you need?
• When the Sirens Sound: The storm is only minutes out
• After the Storm: Resources to help start your recovery

Of course, these articles aren't intended to replace official information which can be found as close as your nearest National Weather Service website.  Here, too, are links to the information they have compiled to keep you safe:

• NWS CENTRAL ILLINOIS 
• Serving Clay, Lawrence and Richland counties in Illinois
• NWS PADUCAH
• Serving Edwards, Gallatin, Hamilton, Saline, Wabash, Wayne and White counties in Illinois; Gibson, Pike, Posey, Spencer, Vanderburgh and Warrick counties in Indiana; and Daviess, Henderson, Hopkins, McLean, Muhlenberg, Union and Webster counties in Kentucky
• NWS INDIANAPOLIS
• Serving Daviess, Knox and Martin counties in Indiana
• NWS LOUISVILLE
• Serving Dubois and Perry counties in Indiana, and Hancock and Ohio counties in Kentucky

Ill. residents can win a weather radio from IESMA and IEMA

March is Severe Weather Preparedness Month in Illinois, and the Illinois Emergency Services Management Association (IESMA) and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) are joining forces to encourage Illinois residents to have National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) all-hazards weather alert radios. A weather alert radio provides potentially life-saving alerts about approaching severe weather and other hazards in your area 24 hours a day.

As part of their awareness campaign, IESMA and IEMA are sponsoring the "Weather Alert Radios Save Lives" contest throughout March to promote the use of weather alert radios. The contest is open to all Illinois residents. To participate, simply click on the contest link at ready.illinois.gov, read a narrative about weather alert radios and take a quick five-question quiz. After completing the quiz, you'll need to fill out the entry form and click "submit." A total of 100 NOAA weather alert radios will be awarded to participants throughout Illinois.

EDITOR'S NOTE:  Weather radios can also be found for sale at many stores across Illinois and elsewhere, such as Walmart and RadioShack, just to name a couple.  I encourage everyone - not just in Illinois but across the Tri-State - to get a weather radio, program it and keep it at the ready in your home.  For more NOAA Weather Radio information, visit JDTVB's NOAA Weather Radio page or the official NOAA Weather Radio website.

Information for this story was provided by IESMA and IEMA.