Sheldon, Iowa — This is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa. Each day this week, the National Weather Service is focusing on a different severe weather topic.
Today’s topic is severe thunderstorms.
The National Weather Service’s Sioux Falls office covers northwest Iowa. The Warning Coordination Meteorologist for that office is Peter Rogers. He tells us about the different hazards associated with severe thunderstorms.
He tells us, from their perspective, the difference between a regular (sometimes called “garden variety”) thunderstorm and a severe thunderstorm.
Rogers says, by definition, all thunderstorms have lightning, so that’s not one of the criteria for issuing a severe thunderstorm warning. Also, Rogers says that severe thunderstorms can, and occasionally do produce tornadoes.
Rogers tells us that their saying in regard to thunderstorms is, “When thunder roars, go indoors.”
Also, prepare yourself and your family for Wednesday’s statewide tornado drill. Outdoor warning sirens will sound in nearly every community in northwest Iowa to test them in preparation for severe weather season. The National Weather Service says when you hear the sirens you should practice your severe weather plan as well, and talk with your family about what you would do in various situations were a tornado warning to be issued — where would you go if you were at work, at school, on the road, and so forth.
