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000
NOUS43 KABR 231444
PNSABR
MNZ039-046-SDZ003>011-015>023-033>037-045-048-051-240245-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABERDEEN SD
944 AM CDT TUE APR 23 2013 /844 AM MDT TUE APR 23 2013/

...SOUTH DAKOTA SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK...DAY TWO
...SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES AND WARNINGS...

WATCHES...
ARE ISSUED WHEN CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES... SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS OR FLASH FLOODS. IF YOU ARE IN A WATCH AREA...CONTINUE
WITH NORMAL ACTIVITIES...BUT ALSO MAKE PLANS TO SEEK SHELTER IF NECESSARY.

WARNINGS...
ARE ISSUED WHEN SEVERE WEATHER HAS BEEN REPORTED OR IS IMMINENT.
SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU ARE IN OR NEAR THE PATH OF THE STORM.
WARNINGS ARE ISSUED BY COUNTY AND CITY NAMES.  MAKE SURE YOU KNOW
THE NAME OF THE COUNTY IN WHICH YOU LIVE AND THE CITIES THAT SURROUND YOU.

ADVANCE INFORMATION...
THE FORECAST AND WARNING PROCESS BEGINS ONE OR MORE DAYS AHEAD OF
TIME...WHEN THE THREAT AREA IS DETERMINED. HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOKS
ARE ISSUED EARLY EVERY MORNING...AND ARE UPDATED AS CONDITIONS WARRANT.

IF A WATCH IS ISSUED...
LOCAL WEATHER OFFICES ARE STAFFED WITH EXTRA PERSONNEL. STATE OFFICIALS
ARE NOTIFIED...AND THEY PASS INFORMATION TO THE COUNTY AND LOCAL LEVEL.
COUNTIES AND CITIES ACTIVATE THEIR SPOTTER GROUPS AS THE THREAT INCREASES.

TV AND RADIO STATIONS PASS THE WORD TO THE PUBLIC.

IF A WARNING IS ISSUED...
WARNINGS ARE DISSEMINATED SWIFTLY IN A MULTITUDE OF WAYS...INCLUDING TV...
RADIO
AND OVER THE INTERNET.  ADVANCES IN TECHNOLOGY HAVE ALLOWED PEOPLE TO
RECEIVE
WARNINGS VIA CELL PHONE...PAGERS...AND NUMEROUS OTHER METHODS.  SPOTTERS
PROVIDE
IMPORTANT REPORTS ON THE STORM...AND EMERGENCY OFFICIALS CARRY OUT THE
PLANS
THAT THE EMERGENCY MANAGERS HAVE DEVELOPED. UPDATES ARE ISSUED FREQUENTLY
UNTIL THE IMMEDIATE THREAT HAS ENDED.

SIRENS...
COUNTIES AND CITIES OWN THE SIRENS AND THEREFORE DECIDE HOW AND
WHEN TO ACTIVATE THEM. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOES NOT
SOUND THEM. THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT POLICIES BY COUNTIES AND
CITIES. SOME WILL ACTIVATE SIRENS ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTY FOR A
TORNADO WARNING ONLY. OTHERS WILL ACTIVATE SIRENS COUNTYWIDE FOR
TORNADO WARNINGS AND ALL SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS. SOME WILL
ACTIVATE SIRENS ACROSS THE ENTIRE COUNTY FOR TORNADO WARNINGS AND
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS THAT HAVE WINDS OF AT LEAST 70 OR 75 MPH.
OTHERS WILL ACTIVATE SIRENS ONLY FOR PORTIONS OF COUNTIES. ALSO
LOCAL OFFICIALS MAY SOUND THE SIRENS ANYTIME THEY BELIEVE SEVERE
WEATHER IS A THREAT...EVEN IF THERE IS NO WARNING FROM THE NATIONAL
WEATHER SERVICE.

SIRENS NORMALLY SOUND ABOUT THREE MINUTES THEN GO SILENT. IT IS VERY
RARE TO KEEP THE SIRENS SOUNDING FOR THE ENTIRE WARNING SINCE THAT WILL
CAUSE THE BACKUP BATTERY TO RUN OUT...WHICH WOULD BE CRITICAL IN THE EVENT
POWER GOES OUT. FURTHERMORE...THE SIREN MOTOR WILL FAIL MUCH MORE QUICKLY
IF THE SIREN SOUNDS CONTINUOUSLY. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY REPEAT SIREN
ACTIVATION EVERY FEW MINUTES. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN ALL CLEAR
FOR STORMS.

A QUICK WAY OF REACHING MANY PEOPLE IS THROUGH THE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM.
MEDIA OUTLETS RECEIVE THE WARNING INFORMATION AND DISSEMINATE IT TO YOU...
OFTEN
BY INTERRUPTING PROGRAMMING. MANY TELEVISION STATIONS USE A CRAWL AND
OTHER VISUAL MEANS.

FINALLY...THE TONE ALERT FEATURE OF NOAA WEATHER RADIO WILL ALSO ACTIVATE
SPECIALLY BUILT RECEIVERS...SOUNDING AN ALARM TO ALERT YOU TO THE DANGER.
IT SOUNDS ITS ALERT ANYTIME THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES A
WARNING...EVEN
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A NOAA WEATHER RADIO...AS
YOU CAN NOT ALWAYS DEPEND ON SIRENS...PHONE CALLS OR SEEING THE WARNINGS
ON TELEVISION.

NOTE...TOMORROW...WEDNESDAY APRIL 24...IS THE TORNADO DRILL DAY. A
SIMULATED
WATCH FOR SOUTH DAKOTA WILL BE ISSUED AT 1000 AM CDT900 AM MDT.  A
SIMULATED
TORNADO WARNING WILL BE ISSUED AT 1015 AM CDT915 AM MDT.

$$