Sunday began Maryland Severe Storms Awareness Week, as dubbed by the National Weather Service and Maryland Emergency Management Agency. Each weekday focuses on a different threat – flooding, damaging winds, tornadoes, hail and lightning.
Tornadoes struck Maryland 27 times last year, for example. With the severe weather seen across the nation recently, it can’t hurt to prepare.
Here are some tips the agencies offer for each type of weather threat:
Flooding: Never pass through an area of road where floodwaters are so deep you can't see the pavement.
Damaging winds: They can come from any severe thunderstorm in the form of microbursts, so stay away from windows and remain in a sturdy shelter during strong storms.
Tornadoes: Remain on the lowest floor of a house or other building, and in an interior room away from windows. Mobile homes aren't a safe tornado shelter.
Hail: The larger the hail, the more dangerous the storm, so seek shelter if you see any, however small or large.
Lightning: More than 98 percent of lighting fatalities result from people being outdoors. If you can here thunder, you are at risk of a lightning strike if you remain outside.
