How to prepare for severe spring storms
Ahead of the stormy weather, here are the different types of severe weather to help you prepare for the storm.
Mid-Southerners are no strangers to severe weather and tornadoes are atop the list for dangers.
Tornadoes are responsible for death and destruction in the Mid-South almost every spring. For safety, go to the lowest room of your home and put as many walls between you and the outside as possible.
WREG Memphis Weather Saturday Morning 3/8/25
However, severe storms can bring multiple dangers.
'Knowing that those severe thunderstorms can bring lightning, flash flooding, possibly tornadic activity,' said Melissa Egan, the Community Relations Officer for TEMA.
'Just because you have a tree down doesn't mean it's necessarily a tornado,' said Caroline Adcock of NWS Memphis. 'We can get some very strong winds and a lot of hail.'
Even non-severe storms bring lightning.
It helps to remember the saying, 'When thunder roars, go indoors.'
xAI purchases 1 million-square-foot property in Memphis
Behind the lightning comes heavy rain; it pours and pours on already saturated soil.
Now you have a flood.
'We really want people to check to make sure that they have homeowners insurance, flooding insurance, and also know where they live,' Egan said.
Putting together a kit with some basic items like water and a flashlight is a great idea, too.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
6 hours ago
- The Hill
Erin becomes a Category 4 hurricane in the Caribbean as region braces for flooding
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Erin strengthened into a powerful Category 4 hurricane in the Caribbean on Saturday and continues to intensify, the National Hurricane Center said. The storm is currently 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Anguilla with maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (230 kph). It is moving west-northwest at 20 mph (31 kph). It is currently not forecast to hit land, but strong winds are affecting nearby islands, prompting forecasters to warn of possible flooding, landslides and mudslides. The Hurricane Center said it will eventually swerve away from the continental United States. Tropical storm watches are in place for St. Martin, St. Barts and St. Maarten. 'The outer bands of Erin are expected to produce areas of heavy rainfall through Sunday across the northern Leeward Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico,' the center said. The currently 'compact' storm is expected to grow in size in the coming days, resulting in rough ocean waters over the western Atlantic. Hurricane specialist and storm surge expert Michael Lowry said Erin is forecast to eventually take a sharp turn northeast that would put it on a path between the U.S. and Bermuda. 'All of our best consensus aids show Erin turning safely east of the United States next week, but it'll be a much closer call for Bermuda, which could land on the stronger eastern side of Erin,' he said. Protruding U.S. coastal areas — such as North Carolina's Outer Banks, Long Island, New York, and Cape Cod, Massachusetts — face a higher risk of direct and potentially severe tropical storm or hurricane conditions than much of the southern Atlantic, mid-Atlantic and northern New England coasts, Accuweather said. Erin is the fifth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, but the first to reach hurricane status. This year's season is once again expected to be unusually busy. The forecast calls for six to 10 hurricanes, with three to five reaching major status with winds of more than 110 mph (177 kph). The U.S. government has deployed more than 200 employees from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies to Puerto Rico as a precaution as forecasters issued a flood watch for the entire U.S. territory from late Friday into Monday. Puerto Rico Housing Secretary Ciary Pérez Peña said 367 shelters have been inspected and could be opened if needed. The U.S. Coast Guard said Friday that it closed six seaports in Puerto Rico and two in the U.S. Virgin Islands to all incoming vessels unless they had received prior authorization. Meanwhile, officials in the Bahamas said they prepared some public shelters as a precaution as they urged people to track the hurricane. 'These storms are very volatile and can make sudden shifts in movement,' said Aarone Sargent, managing director for the Bahamas' disaster risk management authority.
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Yahoo
Deadly flooding slams Southeast as region faces dayslong tropical downpour threat
Millions of people across the Southeast are being told to prepare for possible flooding as the region faces a dayslong tropical downpour threat thanks to a stalled-out cold front that led to the development of Tropical Storm Dexter off the U.s. East Coast. This comes as Alabama faced deadly flooding on Sunday. How To Watch Fox Weather According to the Cleburne County Sheriff's Office, one person was killed and others needed to be rescued after floodwaters rushed over roads and washed away vehicles. The Turkey Heaven Volunteer Fire Department said emergency crews were dispatched twice in the span of about two hours to help those who attempted to cross water-covered roads. The fire department said the first rescue operation took place around 4:44 a.m. local time after a vehicle was overtaken by floodwaters on County Road 10 near County Road 635. One person was in that vehicle, and they were successfully rescued. The second incident took place around 6:20 a.m. local time after a vehicle attempted to navigate a flooded roadway in the 3000 block of County Road 41. Download The Free Fox Weather App Officials said there were two people inside that vehicle at the time. One was rescued without major injuries, but the second person wasn't located until a short time later. That person was pronounced dead at the scene by Cleburne County Coroner Adam Downs. "These incidents serve as a sobering reminder of just how powerful floodwaters can be," Fire Chief Patrick Nolen said in a statement. "The safety of our community is our top priority, and while we're grateful that we were able to safely rescue the individuals involved, we urge everyone to take Flood Warnings seriously." How Heavy Is It Really Going To Rain? The same stalled cold front that helped lead to the development of Tropical Storm Dexter off the mid-Atlantic coast is also bringing a separate flood threat to the Southeast through this week, possibly into the weekend. The FOX Forecast Center said that while Tropical Storm Dexter remains offshore and won't pose a direct threat to the U.S., much of Florida, Alabama and Georgia are facing several days of heavy rain and flash flooding. Why It Rained When Your Weather App Said There Was Only A 20% Chance Of Precipitation The main driver for the threat is due to the stalled-out front draped across the region with no clear path to move out of the area. The FOX Forecast Center said that the front will act as a trigger for rounds of tropical downpours, and wherever the front lingers will likely determine where the worst flooding will occur. A broad area of low-level spin has developed higher in the atmosphere and is expected to linger around the front. That spin is helping to funnel deep tropical moisture northward into the Southeast, creating a moisture-rich environment. And because of that spin, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) highlighted an area off the Southeast coast for possible tropical development this week. Why Cruise Control Is Bad During Heavy Rainfall The chances of development at this point are low, but that could change if conditions become more favorable. Regardless of tropical development, major cities in the Southeast like Atlanta and Tallahassee, Florida, will need to be on alert for urban flooding. The flash flood hotspot is shaping up in central Georgia, including areas near Macon and Albany, where rainfall totals could exceed 5-8 inches by article source: Deadly flooding slams Southeast as region faces dayslong tropical downpour threat
Hamilton Spectator
01-08-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
Boy, 13, dies after getting trapped in a storm drain during East Coast flooding
MOUNT AIRY, Md. (AP) — A 13-year-old boy died after he was trapped in a storm drain in Maryland during heavy rainfall and flooding on the East Coast, officials said. Kids were playing in the rain Thursday in a common area between apartment buildings in Mount Airy, a town of about 10,000 people about 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Baltimore, but floodwaters rushed in and the boy was swept into the pipe, according to Mount Airy Volunteer Fire Company spokesman Doug Alexander. People tried to rescue the boy, but the water pressure was too strong and kept pushing him further into the pipe, he said. After the rain slowed, they were able to free him, but it was too late, Alexander said. More storms might bring flash and urban flooding to the northern mid-Atlantic and southern New England through Friday night, the National Weather Service warned. Parts of the Baltimore area received 2.5 to 4 inches (6 to 10 centimeters) Thursday, according to the weather service, but isolated areas received more, including 5 inches (nearly 13 centimeters) in Mount Airy and 6 inches (15 centimeters) in Joppatowne northeast of Baltimore, where people were rescued from flooded cars. A few areas in New York and New Jersey saw 3 inches (nearly 8 centimeters) or more of rain and one part of central Long Island reported more than 4 inches (10 centimeters), according to the weather service. By Friday morning, subways and commuter rail routes in the New York area were running on normal schedules after some sections were inundated by floodwaters. The city's Department of Transportation also reported that roads and highways that had been shut down due to high water Thursday were reopened. A few dozen flights were delayed or canceled at major airports in the New York, Boston and Washington regions Friday morning, but most were running on time, according to the FlightAware tracking service. Power remained out to thousands of homes and businesses along the Eastern Seaboard on Friday morning, including nearly 5,000 in New York, 3,800 in Virginia, 2,500 in Maryland and 2,500 in Pennsylvania, according to . Amtrak trains between Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware, were stopped Thursday evening because of high water over the tracks, but Amtrak announced a few hours later that service had been restored and water was receding from the tracks. New York City Mayor Eric Adams and other local officials pleaded with people Thursday to stay off the roads and urged residents in basement apartments to move to higher locations as rain was expected to fall through Friday afternoon.
