Tornado and Severe Weather Preparedness

By the Greater Wisconsin Agency on Aging Resource Legal Services Team

The snow is melting, and the trees are turning green, which means it’s time to review your safety plans so that you will be ready when severe weather hits. Wisconsin averages 23 tornadoes per year, with most tornadoes occurring between May and August.  June usually has the highest number of tornadoes.  Wisconsin averages 23 tornadoes annually. Last year, the National Weather Service (NWS) confirmed 45 tornadoes in Wisconsin, the third highest in state history! 

Other hazards of spring and summer weather are powerful, straight-line thunderstorm winds that can exceed 60 mph and large hail.  Wisconsin gets a few storms each year that generate hurricane-force winds of at least 75-100 mph.  The National Weather Service issues Severe Thunderstorm Warnings for these wind events as well as for storms with hail of at least 1 inch in diameter.

Wisconsin Emergency Management recommends having a plan for what to do in case of severe weather.  When a Thunderstorm Watch or Tornado Watch has been issued, pick a reliable source of information and keep in touch with that source until the threat of severe weather has passed.  One of the best tools is a weather radio.

When you hear a siren or that there is a tornado warning, find shelter immediately.  If you are at home or in a building, move to a shelter space you have chosen, such as a basement, and get under a sturdy table or the stairs.  If you do not have a basement, move to a small interior room or hallway on the lowest floor and get under a sturdy table or desk or cover yourself with blankets or pillows.  Stay away from windows and put as many walls as possible between you and the storm. 

If you are in a mobile home or caught outdoors, seek shelter in a sturdy building.  If you cannot walk to a shelter quickly, get into a vehicle, buckle your seatbelt, and drive to the closest sturdy shelter.  If debris starts flying while you are driving, pull over and park.  Either stay in the vehicle with your seatbelt on and place your head below the windows, or, if you can safely get to a point that’s noticeably lower than the roadway, get out of the vehicle and lie in that area, covering your head with your hands.  Do not seek shelter under an overpass. 

You can read more about severe weather safety and emergency preparedness, including tips for making a disaster plan at www.ready.gov/plan.