A sample display from GRLevel3 radar software.

One of the most useful situational awareness tools for a SKYWARN storm spotter is a good view of radar data. For several years, I’ve used a program called, “GRLevel3,” from Gibson Ridge Software. It runs on a computer, receives raw data from National Weather Service (NWS) Doppler radar stations via the Internet and then displays that data on the computer screen. With software like GRLevel3, you can see much more than the various radar websites display. For example, I have GRLevel3 configured on my computer to display the outline of the county warning area of my local NWS weather forecast office. It also displays the locations of spotters who are registered with spotternetwork.org, the locations of ham radio repeaters, and lots of other data.

I just learned that tomorrow evening, March 18, a ham radio leader who is a user of GRLevel3 will conduct a webinar (online presentation) titled, “An Introduction to GRLevel3, Version 2.” Below is an email message that gives the details. If you have a copy of GRLevel3 or if you’re thinking about acquiring radar software, this could be a good webinar to attend.

Severe weather could happen at any time, anywhere, so being prepared to act quickly when it strikes could be a matter of survival. The Moore, Oklahoma tornado is estimated to have caused about $2 billion in property damage. In November 2013 alone, at least 70 tornadoes spanned seven Midwestern states, including one in Kokomo, Ind.

Even though the 2013 Oklahoma tornado outbreak was forecasted for days in advance, and warning lead times for the outbreak’s tornadoes averaged nearly 20 minutes, there were still many people in the impacted areas who stated they were unprepared.

Here is what we can do to prepare:

Knowing your risk, taking action and being an example by sharing your knowledge and actions with your social network are just a few steps you can take to be better prepared and save your life and others.

• Know Your Risk: Tornadoes and damaging severe thunderstorms are not uncommon in northeastern Indiana, southern lower Michigan and northwestern Ohio. See the chart below and follow this link to see additional information about the severe weather risk in this area.
  
• Take Action: Take the next step in severe weather preparedness by creating a family communications plan, putting an emergency kit together, keeping important papers and valuables in a safe place, and learning about Wireless Emergency Alerts. To learn more about taking action, participate in a local event on April 30 through America’s PrepareAthon.
• Be an Example: Once you have taken action to prepare for severe weather, share your story with family and friends on Facebook or Twitter. Your preparedness story will inspire others to do the same.

Learn more at www.weather.gov and www.ready.gov/severe-weather or the Spanish­ language website www.listo.gov. Follow the northern Indiana office of the National Weather Service @nwsiwx and FEMA @readygov.

In support of Indiana’s Severe Weather Preparedness Week (March 16 – 22), I plan to post a series of articles on this blog. Some will be targeted at my readers who are members of the general public and others will be intended for trained SKYWARN storm spotters.

This first instalment in the series is for everyone; especially everyone who thinks tornado sirens will keep them safe from severe weather.

Tornado sirens are something of a tradition in the Midwest. For many of us, the very sound of a tornado siren creates an emotional response – which is why some NFL teams play recordings of tornado sirens during games. These sirens are so woven into our culture that many Midwesterners dangerously assume that if a tornado threatens their town/city/neighborhood, they’ll hear a tornado siren. Just as dangerously, many believe that if they don’t hear a siren, there’s no real danger.

In fact, very few communities have enough tornado sirens to protect all residents. And no sirens are intended to be heard indoors. So, if you rely solely on sirens to keep you safe, chances are very high that even if a tornado is bearing down on you and even if it has been spotted, warnings have been issued and sirens activated, you won’t know about it!

Just to give you an idea of how sporadic tornado sirens can be, the area of Allen County, Indiana is 660 square miles. According to the Allen County Office of Homeland Security, only 175 square miles are within range of tornado sirens (“within range” meaning the sirens can be heard by people who are outdoors). That means only 26.5 percent of Allen County’s geography is within range of a tornado siren!

There are other issues with tornado sirens, but I’ll omit them for now. The bottom line is this: Stop believing in tornado sirens. Find other ways to know if you and your family are in danger, even late at night when you’re all asleep. A good start is to buy a weather alert radio, put fresh batteries in it, and program it to sound off when warnings are issued for your county.

Read more about weather alert radios and other alternatives to tornado sirens.

If you think this blog post is helpful, use the buttons below to share it on your Facebook page, Twitter, etc. You might save someone’s life!

The Allen County Board of Commissioners wants residents to know that it’s never too soon to begin preparing for the spring storm season.

The Commissioners have proclaimed March 16-22 as “Severe Weather Preparedness Week” in Allen County and are encouraging the public to learn what to do if a thunderstorm, tornado or flooding incident threatens their homes.

Read more »

The Allen County Office of Homeland Security has reduced the county’s travel status level from “watch” to “advisory.” An advisory means that routine travel or activities may be restricted in areas because of a hazardous situation, and individuals should use caution or avoid those areas. In a news release, Allen County Commissioners also reported that County Highway Department crews will plow and treat county roads until 6 p.m. They will resume work on road surfaces at 4 a.m. tomorrow.

Read the complete news release.