000 NOUS44 KOUN 281529 PNSOUN PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NORMAN OK 930 AM CST TUE FEB 28 2006 OKZ004>048-050>052-TXZ083>090-290000- ALFALFA-ARCHER-ATOKA-BAYLOR-BECKHAM-BLAINE-BRYAN-CADDO-CANADIAN- CARTER-CLAY-CLEVELAND-COAL-COMANCHE-COTTON-CUSTER-DEWEY-ELLIS-FOARD- GARFIELD-GARVIN-GRADY-GRANT-GREER-HARDEMAN-HARMON-HARPER-HUGHES- JACKSON-JEFFERSON-JOHNSTON-KAY-KINGFISHER-KIOWA-KNOX-LINCOLN-LOGAN- LOVE-MAJOR-MARSHALL-MCCLAIN-MURRAY-NOBLE-OKLAHOMA-PAYNE-PONTOTOC- POTTAWATOMIE-ROGER MILLS-SEMINOLE-STEPHENS-TILLMAN-WASHITA-WICHITA- WILBARGER-WOODS-WOODWARD- 930 AM TUE FEB 28 2006 ...CONTINUING SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK IN TEXAS... ...DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL... TEXAS IS AFFECTED BY THOUSANDS OF THUNDERSTORMS EVERY YEAR. HOWEVER...THE MOST DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE CLASSIFIED AS SEVERE AND USUALLY OCCUR FROM SPRING THROUGH EARLY FALL. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES. A THUNDERSTORM IS DEFINED AS SEVERE WHEN IT PRODUCES WINDS OF AT LEAST 58 MPH...HAIL 3/4 OF AN INCH IN DIAMETER OR LARGER...OR A TORNADO. IT IS IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT NOT ALL DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS ARE TORNADIC. THUNDERSTORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING EQUALLY DESTRUCTIVE AND LIFE THREATENING WINDS...COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS STRAIGHT LINE WINDS. STRAIGHT LINE WINDS REFER TO WINDS THAT ARE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE ROTATING WINDS IN A TORNADO. RATHER...THEY MOVE FORWARD ALONG THE GROUND IN UNIDIRECTIONAL FASHION. ANOTHER TYPE OF STRAIGHT LINE WIND...THE DOWNBURST...IS A STRONG DOWNDRAFT OF AIR IN A SINGLE THUNDERSTORM THAT ACCELERATES DOWNWARD AND PRODUCES AN OUTRUSH OF DAMAGING WIND ON OR NEAR THE GROUND. TWO TYPES OF DOWNBURSTS EXIST...MICROBURSTS AND MACROBURSTS. THE MICROBURST IS SHORT-LIVED AND OF GREAT CONCERN TO THE AVIATION COMMUNITY. IT PRODUCES STRONG WINDS IN AN AREA LESS THAN 2.5 MILES IN DIAMETER. IN CONTRAST...MACROBURSTS ARE LONGER LIVED AND CAPABLE OF PRODUCING EXTENSIVE WIND DAMAGE ACROSS AREAS LARGER THAN 2.5 MILES IN DIAMETER. STRAIGHT LINE THUNDERSTORM WINDS AND DOWNBURST WINDS CAN OCCASIONALLY REACH SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 100 MPH. THESE TYPES OF WINDS ARE INTENSE ENOUGH TO UPROOT TREES AND PRODUCE SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE...IF NOT COMPLETE DESTRUCTION...TO BUILDINGS. IF THESE WINDS OCCUR IN CONJUNCTION WITH LARGE HAIL...EVEN MORE DAMAGE CAN OCCUR...SUCH AS HOLES IN THE SIDES AND ROOFS OF HOUSES...OR DESTROYING CROPS AND OTHER VEGETATION. HAIL THAT IS PENNY SIZE...3/4 INCH IN DIAMETER...OR LARGER IS CONSIDERED SEVERE. HAIL IS DEFINED AS PRECIPITATION IN THE FORM OF LUMPS OR CHUNKS OF ICE THAT DEVELOP IN SOME THUNDERSTORMS. HAIL CAN RANGE FROM PEA SIZE...1/4 OF AN INCH...TO GREATER THAN SOFTBALL SIZE...4.5 INCHES. HAILSTONES ARE USUALLY OVAL SHAPED OR ROUND...BUT CAN BE SPIKY IN APPEARANCE. THE LARGEST HAILSTONE ON RECORD IN THE UNITED STATES FELL AT AURORA NEBRASKA...ON JUNE 22 2003. THE MASSIVE STONE MEASURED 18.75 INCHES IN CIRCUMFERENCE AND OVER 7 INCHES IN DIAMETER. HAIL FALLS TO EARTH AT SPEEDS APPROACHING 100 MPH AND AS A RESULT...CAN PRODUCE IMMENSE DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS...AUTOMOBILES AND VEGETATION. ANNUALLY...HAIL STORMS CAUSE MORE THAN ONE BILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGE ACROSS THE UNITED STATES. NO PART OF TEXAS IS IMMUNE TO THE DANGERS OF LARGE HAIL...AND ALTHOUGH HAIL IS RARELY FATAL...IT INJURES SEVERAL DOZEN PEOPLE EACH YEAR. THERE ARE THINGS YOU CAN DO TO HELP PROTECT YOURSELF AND YOUR PROPERTY FROM THE DANGERS ASSOCIATED WITH DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS AND HAIL. KEEP ABREAST OF THE LATEST WEATHER CONDITIONS TO AVOID BEING CAUGHT IN A SEVERE STORM. MONITORING WEATHER RADIO FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AS WELL AS TELEVISION...RADIO...AND INTERNET INFORMATION WILL ALSO HELP KEEP YOU INFORMED OF MANY OF THE APPROACHING STRAIGHT LINE WIND OR HAIL EVENTS IN YOUR AREA. TREAT STRAIGHT LINE WIND EVENTS THE SAME AS YOU WOULD AN APPROACHING TORNADO. SEEK SHELTER IN A REINFORCED STRUCTURE...ON THE LOWEST FLOOR...OR IN AN INTERIOR BATHROOM OR CLOSET...AND AWAY FROM ALL WINDOWS. ALWAYS COVER YOUR HEAD TO PROTECT AGAINST THE IMPACT OF FLYING DEBRIS. IF YOU ENCOUNTER HAIL WHILE DRIVING...TURN AROUND. YOU MAY BE DRIVING INTO THE CORE OF A THUNDERSTORM WHERE TORNADOES FORM. REPORT IT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT OR TO YOUR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE AS SOON AS IT IS SAFE TO DO SO...AND SEEK AN ALTERNATE ROUTE. $$