Spring is approaching, and in Kansas that means severe weather season is approaching along with it. As the chances for wilder weather ramp up, Meteorologist Chance Hayes with the National Weather Service in Wichita said now is the time to prepare for severe weather. With touches of winter still hanging around in early March, it may be tough to think about severe spring weather, but in Kansas, peak severe weather season is only about three short weeks away. 

Typically peak severe weather season in Kansas runs from about the first part of April through late June, with the highest incidences of severe weather often occurring in May.

Severe storms in Kansas have the potential to bring a variety of dangers including tornadoes, dangerous winds in excess of 75 miles per hour, flash flooding, lightning, large hail and more.  But Hayes said even if a storm is not severe, it still has the potential to be dangerous. Lightning, a common occurrence in thunderstorms, can travel as far as 10-15 miles from the center of a storm.

“Every thunderstorm has the potential to hurt someone,” he said.

Also, he said, every storm is different.

Information is key

In being prepared for severe weather, Hayes said access to fast, accurate weather information is key to keeping you and your family safe.

Because access to mobile devices are so prevalent, the first step Hayes recommends to anyone is to download a weather radar app on their smart phone or tablet. Specifically, he recommends weather apps available through local media outlets because the radar information they provide is geolocated, meaning that if the user allows the app to use their location, it will accurately plot it on the radar image, allowing for pinpoint location in relation to an approaching storm at all times, marked often by a blue dot.

“Keep your blue dot out of the red area of the storm,” he said, noting that red on a weather radar indicates where the worst weather in a storm is most likely to occur.

The geolocation feature in those apps are also essential for travelers, because it will allow them to receive relevant watches and warnings in whatever area they happen to be.

In many cases, though, Hayes said a person’s eyes may be the best tool they have to identify impending danger with an approaching storm.

To know what to look for, Hayes recommended attending Storm Fury on the Plains weather spotter training sessions available throughout the state. In Great Bend, this will take place at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 8 at the Crest Theater, 1905 Lakin Ave.

“It gives (people) an opportunity to gain knowledge about storms and what to look for in those storms, to know when it could potentially be a little bit worse than just your generic thunderstorm,” he said. 

Knowing what to look for can not only help you stay safe, he said, but allows you to keep others safe, as well. The NWS often relies heavily on trained eyewitness reports to know exactly where a storm is headed and what it is doing, providing information that weather radar cannot.

It can also help keep your friends and loved ones safe.

But, he said, do not wait until severe weather strikes to act. Severe Weather Preparedness Week is a good time to sit down with family and friends and develop a detailed plan so you’re already prepared when it does. In the information era, he said there is no reason to get caught off guard by severe weather if you’ve prepared properly ahead of time.

As part of that preparation, he said, make sure all apps and weather notification devices are up and functioning properly and that your family has taken other necessary emergency preparedness steps.

When severe weather strikes

When it does strike, Hayes said the first goal should be to get the most accurate information possible, through local media, internet, or visually. The NWS-Wichita provides information on local severe weather events, including watches and warnings, through their social media feeds, for example.

Then, he said, find shelter immediately. 

If you are at home, get as far away from exterior walls as possible, and to a basement if your shelter has it. Even if a storm is not tornadic, storms can still produce gale force winds that can blow out windows, knock down walls, or cause debris blow through roofs and windows. The stronger the winds are, the closer to the center of a structure you need to be to protect yourself.

This is where weather radar apps are most crucial, he said. Most of these apps have detailed information on wind speed and direction, potential for large hail and tornadoes, and rainfall rate and intensity. Again, he stressed seeking detailed, accurate information is key.

If shelter you have is not adequate, make sure you have a backup plan, such as seeking shelter at the home of a neighbor or loved one with a sturdier shelter. If you are outdoors or traveling, do your best to head away from the direction the storm is traveling, find a place of business as quickly as possible, and seek shelter there.

“Prepare first, then you need to make sure that you’re aware, and then you need to act. That’s the bottom line,” Hayes said.