StormReady

Heavy Snow and Disruptive Ice in the Upper Midwest; Severe Thunderstorms in the Southern Plains

A late season winter storm will produce a combination of heavy snow and disruptive ice starting this evening in the Northern Plains and moving into the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes by tonight continuing through Thursday. Severe thunderstorms will likely produce severe wind gusts, large hail, a few tornadoes, and heavy rainfall across the southern and central Plains into the morning. Read More >

in Southeast Texas

Americans live in the most severe weather-prone country on Earth. Each year, Americans cope with an average of 10,000 thunderstorms, 2,500 floods, 1,000 tornadoes, as well as an average of 6 deadly hurricanes. Potentially deadly weather impacts every American. Communities can now rely on the National Weather Service's StormReady program to help them guard against the ravages of Mother Nature.

StormReady, a program started in 1999 in Tulsa, OK, helps arm America's communities with the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property– before and during the event. StormReady helps community leaders and emergency managers strengthen local safety programs. StormReady communities are better prepared to save lives from the onslaught of severe weather through better planning, education, and awareness. No community is storm proof, but StormReady can help communities save lives.

To be certified as StormReady, a StormReady Advisory Board reviews a community's application and inspects the applicant's emergency management operations. A StormReady community must:

Establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center

Have more than one way to receive severe weather forecasts and warnings, and to alert the public

Have a system in place that monitors local weather conditions

Promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars

Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises

For further information, please feel free to contact Dan Reilly (e-mail or phone at 281.337.5074x223).

Lightning Fatalities for 2014 by state (NOAA)