National Weather Service Text Product Display

Public Information Statement
Issued by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI
Versions: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
000
NOUS43 KMKX 181923
PNSMKX
WIZ046-047-051-052-056>060-062>072-191200-

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MILWAUKEE/SULLIVAN WI
223 PM CDT THU APR 18 2013

...TORNADO AND SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IS APRIL 15-19...
...TODAY/S TOPIC IS...PART 7...TORNADO CLASSIFICATION AND SAFETY...
---------------------------------------------------------------------

...TORNADO CHARACTERISTICS...
TORNADOES CAN OCCUR IN MANY DIFFERENT SHAPES AND SIZES RANGING FROM
A FEW YARDS TO OVER A MILE IN WIDTH.  THEY CAN MOVE VERY SLOWLY...
ALMOST STATIONARY...TO AS FAST AS 60 MILES PER HOUR.

REMEMBER THE SIZE AND SHAPE OF A TORNADO DOES NOT NECESSARILY SAY
ANYTHING ABOUT ITS STRENGTH OR ITS CAPABILITY TO INFLICT DAMAGE.
SINCE TORNADOES CAN CHANGE INTENSITY QUICKLY...ALL OF THEM SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED DANGEROUS.

THE VERTICAL WINDS IN THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF TEMPORARILY
LIFTING HEAVY OBJECTS SUCH PEOPLE OR EVEN VEHICLES A HUNDRED FEET
ABOVE THE GROUND. THEY ARE ALSO STRONG ENOUGH TO CARRY LIGHTWEIGHT
OBJECTS A FEW MILES AWAY FROM THEIR ORIGINAL LOCATIONS.

...TORNADO CLASSIFICATIONS...
TORNADOES ARE CLASSIFIED INTO THREE MAIN GROUPS BASED ON THEIR
ESTIMATED WIND SPEEDS...

     ...WEAK /EF0 AND EF1/...WIND SPEEDS OF 65 TO 110 MPH. CAN EXIST
        FOR 1 TO 10 OR MORE MINUTES.

     ...STRONG /EF2 AND EF3/...WIND SPEEDS OF 111 TO 165 MPH. CAN
        EXIST FOR 10 TO 20 MINUTES OR MORE.

     ...VIOLENT /EF4 AND EF5/...WIND SPEEDS OF 166 TO OVER 200 MPH.
        CAN EXIST FOR 20 MINUTES TO OVER 1 HOUR.

  NOTE...THE OLD F-SCALE RATING SYSTEM WAS REPLACED BY THE NEW
ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE RATING SYSTEM IN FEBRUARY 2007.  NEW RESEARCH
SUGGESTED LOWER WIND SPEEDS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING MORE DAMAGE
THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS NEW RATING
SYSTEM...PLEASE VISIT...

  HTTP://WWW.SPC.NOAA.GOV/EFSCALE/           /ALL LOWER CASE/

...RECENT VIOLENT WISCONSIN TORNADOES...
EVEN THOUGH 80 PERCENT OF WISCONSIN/S TORNADOES HAVE BEEN RATED WEAK
IN INTENSITY...WISCONSIN HAS SEEN 6 VIOLENT TORNADOES THAT WERE
RATED AS F4 OR F5 SINCE 1982.  ONE OF THESE VIOLENT TORNADOES
OCCURRED AS RECENTLY AS 1996...PEAKING IN STRENGTH EAST OF THE
VILLAGE OF OAKFIELD IN FOND DU LAC COUNTY.  A F4 VIOLENT TORNADO
OCCURRED IN 1984 NEAR WALES /WAUKESHA CO./ AND A F5 TORNADO RAKED
BARNEVELD /IOWA CO./.  VIOLENT TORNADOES ACCOUNT FOR 70 PERCENT OF
ALL TORNADO DEATHS IN THE UNITED STATES.

...SAFETY TIPS...
THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE IF A TORNADO APPROACHES IS IN A PERMANENT
STRUCTURE ON THE LOWEST LEVEL /PREFERABLY A BASEMENT OR CELLAR/ IN AN
INTERIOR ROOM WITH NO WINDOWS SUCH AS A CLOSET OR BATHROOM.

DO NOT WASTE PRECIOUS TIME BY OPENING WINDOWS IN YOUR HOME.
INSTEAD...IMMEDIATELY HEAD FOR SHELTER AND AVOID FLYING GLASS OR
DEBRIS THAT COULD SERIOUSLY INJURE YOU.

A BICYCLE HELMET MAY OFFER ADDITIONAL PROTECTION...BUT DON/T WASTE
TIME LOOKING FOR IT.

...MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES...
MOBILE HOMES AND VEHICLES ARE THE WORST PLACES TO BE WHEN A TORNADO
APPROACHES. BOTH CAN BE EASILY TOSSED BY A TORNADO/S VIOLENT WINDS.
TAKE SHELTER IN A STURDY NEARBY STRUCTURE OR LIE DOWN IN A ROADSIDE
DITCH AND PROTECT YOUR HEAD FROM AIRBORNE DEBRIS THAT CAN BECOME
DEADLY PROJECTILES.

TORNADOES CAN BE VERY UNPREDICTABLE AND CAN CHANGE DIRECTION AND
SPEED VERY QUICKLY. MANY TORNADO DEATHS HAVE OCCURRED BY MOTORISTS
ATTEMPTING TO OUTRUN TORNADOES.

MOST IMPORTANTLY...ALWAYS MONITOR THE WEATHER CONDITIONS IN YOUR
AREA. IF SEVERE WEATHER IS A THREAT STAY TUNED TO YOUR NOAA ALL
HAZARDS WEATHER RADIO AND LOCAL TV AND RADIO STATIONS FOR THE LATEST
INFORMATION ON WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN YOUR AREA.

FOR ADDITIONAL SEVERE WEATHER INFORMATION...UP TO DATE FORECASTS...
AND ANY WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES PLEASE VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT:

HTTP://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MKX/            /ALL LOWER CASE/

$$

KAPELA
National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office
