Most of us don't give a lot of thought to severe weather. Afterall, what's going to happen is going to happen right? Granted we can't do much to prevent Mother Nature from whipping up winds, rains, and storms but we can at least have a game plan for our families so that if and when severe weather strikes we can move quickly to a safe haven.

Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms are where having a definite game plan in place can literally save your life. These kinds of storms strike quickly and often with only a few minutes warning. Unlike hurricanes which forecasters are able to give residents as much as a three day heads up.

Louisiana averages just under 40 confirmed tornado touchdowns every year. Our most active months are February, March, April, and October. With October being the most active month with an average of just over five confirmed tornadoes during that month.

LIghtning is another severe weather issue that needs to be considered when discussing severe weather threats with your family. Storms can fire up quickly in the Louisiana summertime and bolts of lightning do millions of dollars in damage every year.

Flooding, flash flooding, in particular, is also a concern for those of us that call Louisiana home. While we do get more than our share of heavy rains our biggest concerns come when a lot of rain falls over a short period of time. Because the topography of the state is so flat that water is slow to drain. Hence the reason for the quickly rising waters even after a pop-up thunderstorm.

As part of the observance of Severe Weather Awareness week, the National Weather Service will be conducting a statewide tornado drill on Wednesday at 9:15 AM. That means that alert messages will sound on radio and television, warning sirens might wail, and you will be encouraged to discuss with your family and co-workers what your plans would be in the event of an actual storm.

It's like they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and having a plan in place is a lot better than making a plan up while the roof is blowing away.

 

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