March is Severe Weather Preparedness Month

[EBuff75]

... at least in many states.  And the week of March 16th is Severe Weather Awareness Week for some of them as well.

Last week in Michigan, we had some early-season tornadoes which resulted in four deaths and a dozen people being hospitalized.  Four tornadoes, ranging from EF0 to EF3 popped up somewhat unexpectedly in southwest Michigan, near the Indiana border.  Many people didn't get alerts and the tornado sirens in the area didn't go off.  

Tonight, we've got a similar storm system coming through and I've already started notifying neighbors and friends in the area.  We're expecting rain, hail, high winds, and possibly tornadoes.  I'm making sure that batteries and power stations are topped off, things are secured / put away outside, and I'm caught up on things like laundry in the event that I lose power for a few days.  

So this is just a reminder for you to check on your preps as we enter spring and the risk of severe weather goes up.  Have you done anything lately to get ready?

[wolf_from_wv]

We're supposed to have potentially severe thunderstorms tomorrow...  Rain, hail, maybe tornado...

Guess I'll need to plug the weather radio into the car.

[EBuff75]

I've been listening on and off to a weather livestream this evening and there have been reports of hail up to quarter-size in northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan.  There is a possibility that there could be MUCH larger hail though - golf ball or even up to baseball-sized!   

Glad that my cars are both in the garage!

Oh, and our CERT meeting is tomorrow night.  This month's topic: severe weather preparedness! 

Edited to add:  Someone just posted a picture of a 2.5-inch hailstone!  And they had several others in the picture which were about 1.5-inch.  Makes me think I should keep one of my hard hats in the house instead of the detached garage!  

[EBuff75]

Go home, Mother Nature.  You're drunk!

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Right now, the wind here in the Detroit area is around 30 mph, with gusts 70+ mph!  In northern Michigan there's going to be a bunch of snow / ice from Sunday into Monday.  I've seen some maps showing 2 ft or more in the upper peninsula!