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Photo by Jim Epperson click image to enlarge

Gearing up for storm season

By FOSS FARRAR
Traveler Staff Writer
reporter@arkcity.net

Kathy Epperson captured her first tornado on film Sunday evening. She and her husband Jim, from Wichita, had spotted the tornado north of Caldwell after they found the leading edge of a storm in Harper County and drove east.

The picture Epperson took was featured on a Web site of the National Weather Service under the heading "March Comes in Like a Lion."

Next week is 2008 Kansas Severe Weather Awareness Week during which tornado sirens will blow statewide to remind people that tornado season is here.

In Arkansas City and elsewhere throughout the state, sirens will blow at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. Residents, workers, students and school personnel are encouraged to take part in the drill.

"We encourage everybody to review safety procedures," said Bob Frazee, emergency management coordinator for Arkansas City.

Frazee said today that like the Epperson couple he had chased storms in his younger years, but he cautioned people untrained to do so to stay off the roads when storms strike.

"We do have quite a problem with people out there chasing storms and blocking traffic," Frazee said. "They create a dangerous situation not only for spotters but for emergency responders.

Kathy Epperson acknowledged she and her husband aren't professional storm spotters. But her husband is self-trained in storm-watching.

"We're not frivolous; we don't take risks we don't need to," she said.

The tornado they spotted touched down for less than a minute. Shortly afterwards, the couple saw telephone poles being ripped out of the ground by strong winds, reported by the NWS as reaching speeds of 70 to 75 miles per hour.

After alerting the authorities of the storm, the Eppersons quickly returned home, she said.

That brief tornado Sunday marks the start of peak season for tornadoes, Frazee said. Peak season continues through the next four months. After the statewide tornado drill this Tuesday, local authorities will continue tornado siren tests each Tuesday at noon through June.

The siren won't blow if the weather is threatening, Frazee said, so that people aren't confused if a real storm were to arrive.

Being ready for possible tornadoes is important since the number of twisters in recent years has been well above average, he said. For instance in 2007, there were 137 tornadoes in Kansas, surpassing the record of 135 set two years prior.

February, March and May of 2007 set new records for the number of tornadoes in each of those months, according to the NWS. The EF5 tornado that struck Greensburg on May 4 was the first F5 tornado in the country since May 3, 1999.

"There is a lot of potential for another busy year," Frazee said.

For the past several weeks, Frazee and other city workers have inspected the city's 22 tornado sirens in preparation for the storm season. Several sirens received needed repairs. A new siren will be installed on East Spruce Street by the end of this month, he said.

Though Kansas is subject to severe weather the year-round, the severe weather awareness week is scheduled each year in the spring when severe thunderstorms are likely to hit, according to information issued by the NWS.

Severe thunderstorms can spawn tornadoes.

Prior to any warning, local residents should have a kit with items they need when they take shelter, emergency management officials say. The items may vary according to the needs of a particular family, but they should include an all-hazards radio or AM-FM radio for weather information and a flashlight with working batteries.

Emergency management officials and NWS recommend having an All Hazards NOAA Radio. The radios can be purchased at several locations in town including Picture This TV & Audio.

Above: This brief tornado north of Caldwell on last Sunday night was spotted by a storm chaser from Wichita.