A damaged vehicle is seen among debris after a deadly tornado tore through Brunswick County, N.C., Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2021. North Carolina authorities say multiple people are dead and others were injured after a tornado ripped through Brunswick County, leaving a trail of heavy destruction. (Emily Flax/Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — After a long and dreary winter, we’re finally heading into the start of spring. It’s warmer, flowers and trees are blooming, and there’s more sunlight – but all of these delightful happenings come at a cost: severe weather. As generally cold and stable Arctic air from the north retreats, it’s replaced by warmer, more unsettled air from the south. As the sun angle increases, the lower parts of our atmosphere begin to look like a boiling pot of water. Pockets of warm air begin to rise and condense into thunderstorms like bubbles rising to the water’s surface. Depending on how much instability and fuel is available to these storms, severe cells can erupt.
As we tragically learned last month, severe weather can and will occur at any time. That being said, it becomes much more common in the Carolinas during the spring and early summer. On average, North and South Carolina see roughly 54 tornadoes per year combined. 23 of these occur typically in the months of March, April, and May – that’s nearly half!
In order to help prepare us for the oncoming severe weather season, National Weather Service offices are once again launching Severe Weather Awareness Week this March 7-13. Since there are many different kinds of severe weather to prepare for, each day will cover a different topic. This week’s points are as follows:
- Sunday: Introduction to North Carolina’s severe weather preparedness week
- Monday: Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes
- Tuesday: Ways to receive severe weather alerts, and information about the Statewide Tornado Drill
- Wednesday: Staying safe when high winds, hail, and tornadoes strike
- Thursday: Lightning safety
- Friday: Flash flood safety
- Saturday: Make a plan and encourage others to do the same
This coming Wednesday, March 10, both North and South Carolina will hold their statewide tornado drills at 9:30 AM. While not mandatory, businesses, schools, and residences are encouraged to practice tornado safety and preparedness along with their state.
Of course, your favorite weather team at WCCB Charlotte will be right with you along the way. Look for special segments this week on both Rising and the News @ Ten on severe weather preparedness.
