Greetings to everyone! This week, we’ll continue our focus on severe weather preparedness. With the most active severe weather and tornado months for the USA now beginning, this is the time to prepare. This week’s post contains severe weather infographics with a focus on staying informed with potentially life saving watches and warnings. There are also several new, interesting stories to review, so let’s get started.

• An unfortunate trend of sound scientific data & facts refuted by nefarious, misleading ‘theories.’ “The Antiscience Movement Is Escalating, Going Global & Killing Thousands.”
• This is a very novel and innovative idea that has been a long time coming. Hempcrete, made from cannabis, is a worthy alternative in many scenarios to the traditional concrete.
• A timely read considering the ongoing fire weather across several USA states. “Probing wet fire smoke in clouds: Can water intensify the earth’s warming?”
• Hay fever is something that millions deal with many times a year. Climate change may make their symptoms worse.
• “How will the biggest tropical trees respond to climate change?” The biggest trees store 1/2 of the carbon in tropical forests, but they could be at risk of death due to climate change. As a result, they would be releasing massive amounts of carbon back into the atmosphere.
• Sea level rise goes hand-in-hand with climate change. That also means that many major cities around the world are, with time, in danger of disappearing.
• Recent years have seen unprecedented tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic. This certainly begs the question; Should the Atlantic hurricane season be lengthened?
• In case you missed it, NOAA has released their outlook for the rest of spring 2021 across the USA. Among the details, drought conditions are expected to persist across much of the western contiguous USA.
• The latest US Drought Monitor shows dry and drought conditions worsening across much of the western contiguous USA.

SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY AND DISASTER PREPAREDNESS

• Let’s start with an excellent two-page printable PDF file from NOAA that covers the basics of severe weather safety.

• Tornadoes, Lightning, and Thunderstorms: Nature’s Most Violent Storms (20 Page PDF File).

• This NOAA safety page has a plethora of good information on staying safe during weather and climate issues from air quality to lightning to tornadoes to wildfires.

• This long-standing site has the basics of tornado safety rules.

• Highway overpasses are often mistaken as a safe haven from severe weather and especially tornadoes. NOTHING ABOUT THIS MYTH IS REMOTELY CONNECTED TO THE TRUTH.

• The Online Tornado FAQ…another excellent long-standing site with very important information.

THIS WEEK’S SEVERE WEATHER SAFETY INFOGRAPHICS: STAYING INFORMED!

Where you get your weather forecasts, warnings, and other important information is as important as being informed. Discretion is of the upmost importance when you’re trying to stay weather aware. As of late, it’s been brought to my attention that there have been amateur ‘forecasters’ using graphics with the intention of appearing as professional and official sources of information on Twitter, Facebook, et al. They should NOT be taken as official sources of potentially life-saving warnings and weather forecasts and updates.

Social media is a very useful tool that can be misused for misinformation, disinformation, and hype. While this infographic is geared towards, winter weather, it certainly applies to ALL types of weather year round.

PREPARING AN EMERGENCY KIT FOR HOME, VEHICLE, AND WORK

This handy checklist from the American Red Cross will help you put together an emergency kit for a variety of weather scenarios. A kit like this is very helpful in a variety of other difficult scenarios from wildfires to blizzards to tornadoes and hurricanes.

That’s a wrap for this post! Be sure to check in next week when we’ll review tornado safety. I’d like to extend a big ‘Thank You’ to my followers in social media. I’m glad you’re along for the fun! If you’re on Twitter, Tumblr, or Instagram, let’s connect! As for the COVID-19 pandemic, sport a spiffy mask, practice good hand-washing hygiene, mind your social distancing, stay safe, and stay healthy! See you next Saturday!

Media inquiries: tornadoquest@protonmail.ch Please note: queries regarding promotions, marketing schemes, prizes, or papers that have not been under & approved by scientific peer review WILL NOT be accepted.

Copyright © 1998 – 2021 Tornado Quest, LLC