Midwest Summers / Weather / ComPortOne of Rockford Illinois

in the Midwest!

The Midwest is a great place to be however, it has the best and the worst of the weather spectrum. Beautiful, spectacular displays of color in the fall to harsh, cold, bitter winters. Vibrant color exhibitions of gorgeous flowers and plants in the spring to the hot, humid, sweltering summers. And although we sometimes complain - we still love it - well, most of the time.

Along with our hot and humid summers, comes increased risks of unpredictable weather. The sky may start out clear and blue and quickly turn into an "unstable weather condition." That basically means even the weather forecasters don't know what to expect. So midwesterners must be prepared for anything.

"Anything" includes - severe thunderstorms, tornadoes and flash floods. And although we should know what to do in the case of any of these severe conditions, we still hear of people who are busy taking video of the coming tornado instead of seeking shelter. During severe weather a little knowledge can save lives. And since there are times we do not get advance notice, we need to know what signs to watch for ourselves. Below we will present information about thunderstorms, tornadoes and flash floods. [ See also Heat Illnesses - Heat Exhaustion and Heatstroke.]

Thunderstorms form from a combination of moist, rapidly rising warm air and lifting air caused by a warm and cold front. Thunderstorms contain lightning and may occur singly, in clusters or in lines. It is possible for several thunderstorms to affect one location in the course of a few hours. Some of the most severe weather occurs when a single thunderstorm affects one location for an extended time.

Tornadoes are violent windstorms characterized by a twisting, funnel-shaped cloud. The damage from a tornado is a result of the high wind velocity and wind-blown debris. Tornado season is generally March through August, although tornadoes can occur at any time of year. They tend to occur in the afternoons and evenings: over 80 percent of all tornadoes strike between noon and midnight.

Floods and Flash Floods are the most common and widespread of all natural disasters - except fire. Most communities in the United States can experience some kind of flooding after spring rains, heavy thunderstorms, or winter snow thaws. Floods can be slow, or fast rising but generally develop over a period of days. Dam failures are potentially the worst flood events. Flash Floods usually result from intense storms dropping large amounts of rain within a brief period. Flash floods occur with little or no warning and can reach full peak in only a few minutes.

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The majority of the preceding information was reprinted from FEMA http://www.FEMA.gov/tornado.htm [Federal Emergency Medical Assistance]. Government information is public domain.