Severe weather awareness week in North Carolina
March 13 - 19, 2005

This week has been declared North Carolina's severe weather Awareness week for 2005.  All week long the national weather service Will be issuing informative messages to help you prepare for severe Weather.

Each day we will cover a different topic.  Today's topic cover Exactly what is a severe thunderstorm?

Severe thunderstorms produce millions of dollars in damage in North Carolina every year also resulting in injuries and sometimes deaths.  Most thunderstorm damage in North Carolina comes from large hail and
Strong winds.  Severe thunderstorms typically start to develop in Early march.  North Carolina's peak season for severe thunderstorms will run through the entire spring and into early summer.

...severe thunderstorms...
The national weather service considers a thunderstorm severe if it Produces hail at least the size of a penny in diameter and or wind 58 mph or greater.  This is the national weather service's warning Criteria for severe thunderstorms.

...large hail...
In the past several years severe thunderstorms in North Carolina Have produce hail as large as tennis balls and even baseballs.  In The last 10 years there have been over 1000 reports of hail at least One inch in diameter. This is large enough to ding your car and Damage your roof. Large hailstones the size of baseballs have Occurred in the state. Hail stones this size fall to the ground at Nearly 200 mph.  While hail is not usually life threatening, these Large chucks of ice when driven by strong winds cause serious damage To roofs, automobiles, and crops.

Hailstones grow in thunderstorms with strong updrafts.  These strong Upward moving currents of air keep the hail suspended inside the Thunderstorm...allowing the chunk of ice to grow larger and larger. 
One they become too heavy for the updrafts to keep suspended...they Fall to earth as hail.

...damaging wind…
Strong gusts of wind from a thunderstorm called straight line wind, Is another danger.  These brief gusts of wind rush down from the sky And can reach speed in excess of 100 mph.  Thunderstorm wind such as
This can impact large areas and create widespread damage.  One Type of straight line wind called a downburst can cause damage Equivalent to a tornado.

Lines of well organized thunderstorms...called squall lines...also Frequently move across North Carolina.  These dangerous storm Systems can be very explosive and race across the area at over 50 Mph creating a lot of wind damage over entire counties. You can Protect yourself by hiding from the wind. Stay away from windows When storms approach and seek shelter in an interior bathroom or Closet when the wind really starts to blow.

...safety...
Your best line of defense against severe thunderstorms...is to stay Informed.  There are so many great outdoor activities across the State of North Carolina and severe weather can bring a quick end to
A days pleasure.  Listen to noaa weather radio, television or local Radio for the latest forecasts and possible threat of thunderstorms And severe weather.  If warnings are issued...take action and Protect your family and property.  Remember being safe is a lot Better than being sorry.