119 NOUS44 KTSA 211447 PNSTSA PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TULSA OK 845 AM CST FRI NOV 21 2008 ARZ001-002-010-011-019-020-029-211800- BENTON-CARROLL-WASHINGTON AR-MADISON-CRAWFORD-FRANKLIN-SEBASTIAN- 845 AM CST FRI NOV 21 2008 ...WINTER WEATHER AWARENESS IN ARKANSAS... GOVERNOR MIKE BEEBE HAS PROCLAIMED NOVEMBER 17TH THROUGH 21ST AS WINTER WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IN ARKANSAS. PEOPLE ARE ASKED TO TAKE SOME TIME AND PREPARE FOR THE UPCOMING WINTER SEASON. TODAYS TOPIC IS SEVERE WEATHER IN THE WINTER. WHEN ARKANSANS THINK OF WINTER...USUALLY A PICTURE OF FALLING SNOW OR FREEZING RAIN AND TEMPERATURES IN THE 20S AND 30S COMES TO MIND. HOWEVER...IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT SEVERE WEATHER CAN AND DOES FREQUENTLY OCCUR ACROSS ARKANSAS IN THE FALL AND WINTER MONTHS. IN FACT...A SECONDARY SEVERE WEATHER SEASON IS EVIDENT IN THE STATE TWO OUT OF EVERY THREE YEARS. IN 2001...2002...2004...AND 2005...FALL AND EARLY WINTER TORNADO OUTBREAKS WERE MORE IMPACTFUL THAN SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS THE PREVIOUS SPRING. IN 2008...NORTHWEST ARKANSAS EXPERIENCED SEVERAL TORNADOES ON JANUARY 7TH AND THE STATE WAS IMPACTED BY A TORNADO OUTBREAK ON FEBRUARY 5TH THAT CLAIMED THE LIVES OF 14 PEOPLE. THE THREATS FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS INCLUDE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL...AS WELL AS TORNADOES...VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND FLASH FLOODS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS DAMAGE HOMES AND BUSINESSES...AND IN SOME CASES...CAUSE INJURY OR LOSS OF LIFE. THEY CAN FORM AT ANY TIME AND ANYWHERE CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE. AS A RESIDENT...IT IS BEST TO BE PREPARED AHEAD OF TIME. ALL THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE LIGHTNING AND ON AVERAGE... LIGHTNING IS THE NUMBER TWO WEATHER RELATED KILLER ANNUALLY ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IF YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO A THUNDERSTORM TO HEAR THUNDER THEN YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. WIND GUSTS FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN EXCEED 100 MPH AND PRODUCE TORNADO-LIKE DAMAGE. THIS SEVERE WIND CAN OVERTURN TRAILERS...UNROOF HOMES...TOPPLE TREES...BLOW DOWN POWER LINES...AND CAUSE INJURIES AND SOMETIMES DEATH. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE HAIL THAT CAN OCCASIONALLY GROW TO SIZES LARGER THAN SOFTBALLS. HAILSTONES FALL AT SPEEDS EXCEEDING 100 MPH AND ARE VERY DESTRUCTIVE. IN FACT...HAIL CAUSES NEARLY ONE BILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGE TO PROPERTY AND TO CROPS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES EACH YEAR. INJURIES OFTEN RESULT FROM LARGE HAIL BUT FATALITIES ARE RELATIVELY RARE. FLASH FLOODS ARE ANOTHER HAZARD THAT THUNDERSTORMS POSE. ON AVERAGE...FLOODS ARE THE NUMBER ONE WEATHER RELATED KILLER ACROSS THE COUNTRY EACH YEAR. MOST FLASH FLOOD FATALITIES OCCUR AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO SEE AND ARE A RESULT OF VICTIMS DRIVING THEIR VEHICLES INTO FLOOD WATERS. FINALLY...TORNADOES ARE SPAWNED BY SOME SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. ON AVERAGE...ARKANSAS CAN EXPECT 26 TORNADOES EACH YEAR AND THE STATE AVERAGES FOUR TORNADO RELATED FATALITIES A YEAR. THERE ARE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A WATCH AND A WARNING AND HAVE A SOURCE OF WEATHER INFORMATION THAT WORKS...EVEN IF YOU LOSE POWER DURING A STORM. HAVE A SEVERE WEATHER ACTION PLAN THAT EVERYONE IN YOUR FAMILY USES DURING SEVERE WEATHER EVENTS. HAVE A DESIGNATED SAFE PLACE THAT IS IN THE INTERIOR OF YOUR HOME AND IS AWAY FROM WINDOWS. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...CONTACT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN TULSA AT 918-838-7838 OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/TULSA $$