Kansas = Straight line winds

The severe storm warns are stating up. Welcome to spring in Kansas. This is the time of year that we have to stay on our toes, and be aware of what the weather is doing. If you haven' yet, you should seek out a storm spotters meeting near you.

Micro-bursts and straight line winds are common here in the open prairie. Meteorologist Jeff Haby has a good article about What Are Straight Line Winds. Included in the article is some advice on keeping you and your property safe this time of year.

There are several terms that mean the same as straight-line winds and they are convective wind gusts, outflow and downbursts. Straight-line wind is wind that comes out of a thunderstorm. If these winds meet or exceed 58 miles per hours then the storm is classified as severe by the National Weather Service. These winds are produced by the downward momentum in the downdraft region of a thunderstorm. An environment conducive to strong straight-line wind is one in which the updrafts and thus downdrafts are strong, the air is dry in the middle troposphere and the storm has a fast forward motion. Read entire article here>>

The advice he gives is common sense, pick things up keep things pruned and have a safe room.

Fire Weather Warning

A Fire weather warning is in effect for most of Kansas, and parts of Ok, Co and NE until 7pm central time tonight (Tuesday, March 30th 2010.)


What you should do before a prairie fire.

First you should have a emergency evacuation plan. Your plan should include your

• 72 hour kit or bag.
  
• A list of phone numbers
• 2 ways to escape each room of your home
• at least 2 ways to escape your neighborhood
• A place to stay away from the fire area
• and preps to transport pets and or livestock

Make sure you have all id and other important paper work with you, documentation for your animals, and back up discs for your computers.

During the fire, if you feel that you are in danger, LEAVE.

If caught in your vehicle;

• Stay in your car, don't run on foot.
• roll up all windows and shut the vents
• keep lights on a drive slowly though smoke, however you shouldn't drive through very heavy smoke
• you might have to wait out a fire storm in the car until it passes, this will cause your car to stall and not restart. Make sure your 72 hour kit as water, temperatures inside the car will increase.

If you are caught outside and a fire storm is headed toward you, lay down in the road cut or ditch, belly side down, up hill facing and cover your face. Breath through your shirt. If hiking, find a depression in the earth and lay there. Stay put until the fire passes.

After the fire

• do not cross any official barriers
• watch for flare ups
• burnt poles can fall, watch for them

• Check for structural damage of your home before entering it
• check for embers, in and around your home for several days following a fire
• Check for any gas leaks.

WildfireZone.org has an interactive program to help homeowners learn about reducing the risk of wildfire.

If interested in more disaster preparedness, check here;

It's a Disaster; the book

Severe Winter Storm Watch

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WICHITA KS
346 AM CST SAT FEB 6 2010
...SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL COULD IMPACT THE AREA LATE SUNDAY THROUGH
MONDAY...
.ANOTHER POTENT WINTER STORM WILL AFFECT THE AREA BEGINNING SUNDAY
AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING THROUGH MONDAY. THE MAIN RISK WILL BE
HEAVY SNOWFALL POTENTIAL...WITH A PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN AND SOME
ICE ACCUMULATION ALSO POSSIBLE FOR AREAS CLOSER TO THE OKLAHOMA
BORDER.
KSZ049-051>053-068>072-083-092>096-098>100-061800-
/O.NEW.KICT.WS.A.0002.100208T0000Z-100209T0600Z/
SALINE-MCPHERSON-MARION-CHASE-HARVEY-BUTLER-GREENWOOD-WOODSON-
ALLEN-SEDGWICK-SUMNER-COWLEY-ELK-WILSON-NEOSHO-CHAUTAUQUA-
MONTGOMERY-LABETTE-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...SALINA...MCPHERSON...MARION...
COTTONWOOD FALLS...NEWTON...EL DORADO...AUGUSTA...EUREKA...
YATES CENTER...IOLA...WICHITA...WELLINGTON...WINFIELD...
ARKANSAS CITY...HOWARD...FREDONIA...CHANUTE...ERIE...SEDAN...
COFFEYVILLE...INDEPENDENCE...PARSONS
346 AM CST SAT FEB 6 2010
...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH
MONDAY EVENING...
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN WICHITA HAS ISSUED A WINTER STORM
WATCH...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH MONDAY
EVENING.
* TIMING...ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ACROSS THE
AREA BY SUNDAY EVENING...AND CONTINUE UNTIL MONDAY EVENING. THE
HEAVIEST SNOWFALL IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH
EARLY MONDAY AFTERNOON. THE SNOW MAY BEGIN AS A PERIOD OF
FREEZING RAIN ON SUNDAY EVENING FOR THE OKLAHOMA BORDER
COUNTIES OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST KANSAS.
* SNOW ACCUMULATIONS...OF 6 INCHES OR GREATER ARE POSSIBLE BY
MONDAY EVENING.
* WINDS...GUSTY NORTH WINDS OF 15 TO 25 MPH WILL DEVELOP BY LATE
MONDAY AFTERNOON...WHICH COULD RESULT IN AREAS OF BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW.
* IMPACTS...TRAVEL COULD BECOME VERY DIFFICULT AS SNOW QUICKLY
ACCUMULATES ON ROADWAYS SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A WINTER STORM WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT
WINTER WEATHER THAT MAY IMPACT TRAVEL. CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE
LATEST FORECASTS FOR UPDATED INFORMATION.