Public Information Statement
Issued by NWS Paducah, KY
Issued by NWS Paducah, KY
Versions:
1
2
891 NOUS43 KPAH 251812 PNSPAH ILZ075>078-080>094-INZ081-082-085>088-KYZ001>022-MOZ076-086-087- 100-107>112-114-260615- Public Information Statement National Weather Service Paducah, KY 112 PM CDT Wed Sep 25 2024 /212 PM EDT Wed Sep 25 2024/ ...The Fall Season Marks an Increased Chance of Severe Weather... September 30th through October 4th, 2024, is Fall Severe Weather Awareness Week. Daily graphics will be shared via social media during this week to promote severe weather awareness and safety. These graphics will also be available at the following website: https://www.weather.gov/pah/fallsevereweathercampaign2024. The months of October and November, particularly from mid-October through mid-November, are a time when our region can experience an increase in severe thunderstorm activity, including tornadoes, large hail, and damaging thunderstorm winds. In mid to late October 2021, four tornadoes impacted parts of southeast Missouri and southwest Indiana. On November 18, 2017, a line of thunderstorms with damaging winds along with five tornadoes occurred. On Halloween night in 2013, a record-breaking 19 tornadoes occurred across southeast Missouri, western Kentucky, and southern Illinois. Later on that year, on November 17th, 12 tornadoes struck the area, including eight strong tornadoes, one of which killed three people in Brookport, IL. On October 18, 2007, 16 tornadoes ravaged our region, causing 20 injuries and $20 million in damages. A total of 17 tornadoes occurred across the region in November 2005, including the November 6th Evansville area tornado, which claimed 25 lives, and the November 15th Madisonville, KY, tornado, which was rated as a violent EF-4 tornado. Why do we see an increase in severe thunderstorms and tornadoes in the fall? Wind fields, on average, become progressively stronger in the atmosphere as we transition through the fall season. These wind fields are often enhanced by storm systems from the Plains states. This, coupled with favorable temperature and moisture profiles in the atmosphere, particularly ahead of low pressure systems and their associated frontal systems, can provide the necessary atmospheric instability for severe thunderstorms, including tornadoes. Preparation and response are the keys to ensuring you and your loved ones stay safe this fall. First, ensure that you have a plan that includes a safe sheltering location when severe weather threatens. Second, be sure that you have a means to receive weather warnings, particularly for severe thunderstorms that occur at night. Nighttime tornadoes are twice as likely to be deadly than tornadoes that occur during the daytime hours. A weather radio is the perfect solution for being alerted of dangerous weather. Third, go to your predetermined safe location promptly when a warning is issued for your area or when severe weather is observed. A Facebook Live event will be held via the National Weather Service Paducah KY Facebook page on Monday, September 30th, 2024, at 7 p.m. CDT to discuss fall severe weather preparedness. Questions, comments, or concerns may be directed to: Christine Wielgos Warning Coordination Meteorologist National Weather Service Paducah, KY Email: christine.wielgos@noaa.gov $$ CW/DWS