Waupaca Area

Severe Weather Safety

Severe thunderstorms are an expected part of summer weather in Wisconsin. Every year, thunderstorms cause millions of dollars in damage and most years there are fatalities.

Severe Weather Watches and Warnings

There are three levels of severe weather for which you should be prepared. Weather Watches, Weather Warnings and Actual Events.

Weather Watches

Severe weather watches may include Severe Thunderstorm Watches or Tornado Watches. These forecast messages will be issued by the Weather Office when meteorological conditions exist for severe weather to develop. These are not warnings of imminent danger - rather an early alert to be prepared. Severe thunderstorm watches will normally be issued in the late morning for broadcast on radio and television noon-hour newscasts. Watches are issued for large areas of one or several public forecast regions, covering a large part of the province.

When a watch is issued, severe thunderstorms may not necessarily have developed, and the sky may still be clear. Nevertheless, a Watch should be considered in planning activities for the remainder of the day! Keep alert for developing thunderstorms, and stay tuned to the radio if possible. Better still, check if the Weather Radio Service is available in your area, and monitor it for possible updates to the Watch. When a Severe Weather Watch is issued, there is a good chance that a sever weather event will occur in the listed public forecast region.

Weather Warnings

A Warning message is issued when dangerous severe weather is occurring or considered imminent - based on reports from the National Weather Service, or other reliable sources. Warnings are issued for specific Counties, Municipal Districts, Improvement Districts, Special Areas or Cities. Warnings are updated hourly. Listen to the radio, television or Weather Radio for updated information.

Destructive winds, very large hail, or flooding downpours have occurred or are about to occur somewhere in the Warning area. Keep a lookout for thunderstorms and be prepared to take action. Darkening skies along with thunder and lightening will mark the storm's approach. Children should be kept close by. Vehicles and other equipment should be moved indoors if possible, animals should be moved to shelter and all boats should be moved to shore immediately.

When a Warning is issued for a specific area, there is a chance that a severe weather event will occur somewhere in that area. Not all parts of the area may be affected.

When the Weather Office has reliable evidence that a tornado is occurring, a Tornado Warning is issued. In spite of its destructive intensity, a tornado is generally a small and short-lived event which is usually detected by eyewitness reports. With a Tornado Warning in effect, typically only a single location in an area will suffer damage. The response to a Tornado Warning should be similar to a Severe Thunderstorm Warning. Be prepared to move away from the area or to find shelter in a basement or low-lying area. Keep a close eye on approaching thunderstorms.

Actual Events

When a thunderstorm approaches, the safest place to be is inside a solid building with a basement, which does not have a wide-span roof.

If caught outdoors, keep in mind that the most common killer in thunderstorms is lightning. Be particularly careful with fishing rods and golf clubs, or any metal tubing, as they may attract a lightening bolt. Stay away from fences, metal structures, and farm equipment. Keep away from hills or ridges and do not seek shelter under a tree. A low lying area may be the safest place - however, be alert for flash flooding.

Boating accidents are the second most common cause of fatalities. Any thunderstorm is capable of producing very strong and dangerous winds. Severe thunderstorms often produce extreme winds which could easily capsize even large pleasure boats.

If a tornado is spotted and approaching, danger at this point can be extreme. If the tornado is directly approaching, immediate response is required. Schools and public facilities should activate their Tornado Action Plans.

If you are in or near a building, seek shelter in the basement or in a small room in the building's core. Avoid buildings with a wide-span roof, such as a gymnasium or an arena. Stay away from windows, since flying glass and storm projectiles can be deadly. Leave a mobile home to seek shelter in a nearby permanent structure.