More than 100 firefighters, weather spotters and law enforcement officials packed a Riverland Community College lecture room Monday night to review basic storm spotting concepts and review emergency procedures.

Tuesday, April 17, 2001

More than 100 firefighters, weather spotters and law enforcement officials packed a Riverland Community College lecture room Monday night to review basic storm spotting concepts and review emergency procedures.

Storm spotters are important in severe weather detection for a number of reasons, said Bill Togstad, forecaster for the National Weather Service, Chanhassen office. Spotters can see small scale rotations in weather patterns and make real-time storm warning decisions, giving communities crucial extra minutes to react to storms, he said.

Freeborn County has about 400 storm spotters, said Sheriff Don Nolander.

&uot;The spotters are extremely important in this part of the country, because you’re going to see things that show up in the clouds that gives your community time (to react),&uot; Togstad said.

Spotters meet every year to review storm pattern information, Nolander said. This year’s meeting coincides with Severe Storms Awareness week.

The National Weather service considers a thunderstorm to be severe if it produces hail 3/4 inch or larger, wind 58 miles per hour or stronger, or includes tornadoes.

Most severe storms occur between April and August, Nolander said. Data indicates most downbursts in Freeborn County occur in August during the early morning, usually around 2:30 to 3:30 a.m., Togstad said. The second-most common month for downbursts in the county is June.

The typical thunderstorm is 15 miles in diameter and lasts an average of 30 minutes. They can produce straight-line winds which can exceed 120 miles-per-hour. These winds can overturn mobile homes, tear roofs off houses and topple trees, according to the National Weather Service.

Hail annually causes nearly one billion dollars in damage nationally. Many of those losses are incurred by farmers. Large hailstones fall at speeds faster than 100 miles-per-hour and have been known to kill people.

Lightening kills about 100 Americans annually and injures an additional 300. It can occur as far as 10 miles away from any rainfall, the National Weather Service says.

Rubber provides no protection from lightening. However, the steel frame of a vehicle acts as a cage and routes the lightening strike to the ground.

Flash floods claim nearly 200 lives nationally each year, force 300,000 from their homes, and cause property damage in excess of $2 billion.

When driving, do not cross high water. Two feet of running water is enough to carry away most vehicles. Half of flash flood deaths occur in vehicles.

Watches are issued when conditions are favorable for tornadoes, severe thunderstorms or flash floods. People in a watch area should be aware of the conditions and be prepared to seek shelter if necessary, according to the National Weather Service.

Warnings are issued when severe weather has been reported or is imminent. People in counties with warnings should seek shelter immediately if they are in or near the path of the storm, officials say. If a warning has been announced, sirens will sound to warn people outside. they should seek shelter immediately and tune into local television or radio stations for further instructions.