Like last years deaths in Evansville, IN and the deadly Van Wert, OH tornado two years ago, autumn is just as dangerous as spring when it comes to severe weather.

Why doesn’t this happen? Some reasons are the same as spring severe weather, but unlike spring when people expect tornadoes and severe weather, falls seems like a calm time of year and you don’t expect severe storms. On top of that, autumn severe weather often occurs at night and occurs with little lightning and thunder. This makes our job as forecaster very hard, not only do we have little time to warn you the viewer, but often you are asleep and can’t get the warning. Also strong jet streams in the fall and early winter can lead to severe storms that can keep their intensity even during the cooler night time hours.

What you can do? I would suggest every household buy a NOAA all hazard weather radio, which will alert you automatically when a warning is issued for your county. It will even alert you when you are asleep or away from the TV and when the power goes out. Like smoke detectors, these should become common place in every home to prevent storms from hitting your home unexpectedly.

It’s not that these storms hit without warning, it’s that the warning doesn’t make it to the right people in a timely fashion. So as the holidays approach, take a minute to look for these alert systems at your local store as great gift for family and friends. Let’s try to make this annual occurrence just a nuisance and not a deadly tradition.

If you have question about where to get a weather radio or how to program them, feel free to drop me an e-mail.