Know the Signs of a Tornado

We are moving into the severe weather season here in Wisconsin, which represents a different set of challenges for firefighters and EMS. To be prepared and recognize the conditions that can lead to a tornado, Rusty Kapela of NOAA’s National Weather Service in Sullivan will be holding a class in Jefferson. To wet your appetite for this training, consider this information from the NOAA website:

Know the signs of a tornado: Weather forecasting science is not perfect and some tornadoes do occur without a tornado warning. There is no substitute for staying alert to the sky. Besides an obviously visible tornado, here are some things to look and listen for:

1. Strong, persistent rotation in the cloud base.

2. Whirling dust or debris on the ground under a cloud base -- tornadoes sometimes have no funnel!

3. Hail or heavy rain followed by either dead calm or a fast, intense wind shift. Many tornadoes are wrapped in heavy precipitation and can't be seen.

4. Day or night - Loud, continuous roar or rumble, which doesn't fade in a few seconds like thunder.

5. Night - Small, bright, blue-green to white flashes at ground level near a thunderstorm (as opposed to silvery lightning up in the clouds). These mean power lines are being snapped by very strong wind, maybe a tornado.

6. Night - Persistent lowering from the cloud base, illuminated or silhouetted by lightning -- especially if it is on the ground or there is a blue-green-white power flash underneath.

Ray Albarelli
Severe Weather Spotter