Fall Severe Weather Awareness Week Sept 28 - Oct 2, 2020

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Paducah, KY
149 PM CDT Wed Sep 23 2020

...Fall marks an increase in severe weather...

September 28th through October 2nd, 2020 is fall severe weather
awareness week. Daily graphics will be sent out on social media
during this week to promote severe weather awareness and safety.

The months of October and November, particularly from mid-October
through mid-November, bring an increase in severe thunderstorm
activity, including tornadoes, large hail and damaging thunderstorm
winds across our area. Recent years provide several examples of this
annual increase in severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.

On November 18, 2017, a line of thunderstorms with damaging winds
along with 5 tornadoes occurred. On Halloween night in 2013, a
record breaking 19 tornadoes occurred across southeast MO, west KY
and southern IL. Later on that year on November 17th, twelve
tornadoes impacted the area, including 8 strong tornadoes, one of
which killed three people in Brookport, IL. On October 18, 2007,
sixteen tornadoes ravaged our region causing 20 injuries and 20
million dollars damage. A total of 27 tornadoes occurred across the
region in November 2005, including the November 6 Evansville area
tornado, which caused 25 fatalities and the November 15 Madisonville
KY area violent EF4 tornado.

So why do we see an increase in tornadoes and other severe
thunderstorm activity 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 approaching from the Plains states. This coupled with
sometimes favorable temperature and moisture profiles in the
atmosphere, particularly ahead of low pressure systems and their
attendant frontal systems, can provide the favorable atmospheric
instability for severe thunderstorms, including tornadoes.

Preparation and response are the keys to ensure you and your loved
ones stay safe this fall. First, ensure you have a plan that
includes a safe sheltering location when severe weather threatens.
Second, be sure you have a means to receive weather warnings,
particularly for overnight storms, which are more than twice as
likely to kill. A weather radio is a perfect solution for being
alerted of dangerous weather. Third, go to your pre-determined safe
locations promptly when a warning is issued for your area or when
severe weather is observed.

A Facebook Live session will be conducted via the National Weather
Service Paducah Facebook page on Monday September 28, 2020 at 700 pm
CDT.

Questions or concerns may be directed to:

Rick Shanklin   Ricky.Shanklin@noaa.gov
Christine Wielgos   Christine.Wielgos@noaa.gov

https://www.weather.gov/wrn/fall-safety