Oklahoma is currently dealing with bad weather, including clouds, high winds, and the chance of tornadoes. Thousands of people have already been affected by the harsh weather. Power cuts, harmful hail, and strong winds are all major dangers.
The National Weather Service (NWS) has sent out several warnings, telling people to take instant safety measures as the storms continue to form overnight. A lot of people have lost power because of the severe storms that are moving across Oklahoma.
At first, more than 99,000 homes and businesses lost power. By midday, that number had dropped to about 34,000. These storms happen less than two weeks after wind chills below zero in the state.
This shows that Oklahoma’s weather is very unpredictable. Now, people in the area need to get ready for severe winds of 60 to 80 mph, golf ball-sized hail, and a slight chance of storms.
The NWS office in Norman has warned that there is a medium chance of tornadoes in central and southern Oklahoma, which includes the metro area of Oklahoma City.
These storms are mostly dangerous because of quasi-linear convective system (QLCS) tornadoes, not standard supercell tornadoes. Most of the time, these kinds of tornadoes happen inside lines of strong thunderstorms.
This makes them hard to spot and gives people less time to get ready. Even though QLCS storms usually don’t last long, you shouldn’t underestimate how damaging they can be.
Strong straight-line winds could also do a lot of damage to homes, cars, and utilities, in addition to the risk of tornadoes. Emergency management teams are still keeping an eye on things and are telling people to stay alert.
Understanding Severe Thunderstorm Warnings
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is sent out when radar or reliable reports show that a dangerous thunderstorm is present. Usually, these warnings cover parts of one or two counties and only last for an hour or less.
People should pay as much attention to these warnings as they would to tornado alerts, since heavy thunderstorms can cause big lightning, strong winds, and even tornadoes in some cases.
Tips for Staying Safe in Bad Weather:
The best way to stay safe during a severe thunderstorm is to seek shelter in a sturdy building:
- People who live inside should stay away from windows, doors, and outside walls.
- Do not use any electricity or water tools.
- To keep your dogs safe, bring them inside.
- Outside, tie down any loose items that could fly off in strong winds.
If there is a tornado threat, people should go to a room inside their home that is on the lowest level, like the basement or a storm shelter. People who are stuck outside should go to a strong, protected building or a hard-top car right away to get safety.
You should stay away from open areas, trees that are far apart, and high ground because they make it more likely that lightning will strike you. People who are on the water need to get away from lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water right away.
Lightning is very dangerous for boats and people who like being outside because it can happen even if the storm looks like it’s miles away. Meteorologists say that the situation is still unstable as Oklahoma continues to fight these storms.
As the night goes on and new storm cells form, more warnings and alerts may be sent out. People should stay up to date by listening to local news stations, weather radios, and official NWS reports.
