This week is NC Severe Weather Preparedness Week. Although March in the Carolinas is more commonly associated with the NCAA college basketball tournament, tornado season also begins this month in the Tar Heel State. More than 30 tornadoes are forecasted in the state for the 2025 tornado season. Meteorologists urge North Carolina residents to stay abreast weather forecasts while developing a weather safety plan. While tornadoes are dangerous and occurring more often in the state, North Carolinians shouldn’t overlook strong thunderstorms. Severe thunderstorms are more common and impact more residents. Strong, gusty winds easily topple power lines and snap tree limbs, which can damage property while dangling precariously above.
The North Carolina Statewide Tornado Drill is 9:30 am on Wednesday, March 5.
Carolinas Brace for More Whacky Weather
North Carolinians won’t soon forget the past six months. A destructive Hurricane Helene flooded Western North Carolina, claiming more than 100 lives. Frigid arctic air snapped Charlotte’s snow draught with a fresh powdery coat of the foreign-like substance while Wilmington woke up to more snow than the mountains a few weeks ago – a stark comparison from the mountains to the sea. As if Carolinians needed proof of Climate Change’s pernicious reach, wildfires began to spark this week in Myrtle Beach and Gaston County, with unseasonably dry weather priming leftover Helene debris and providing kindling for pervasive winds. All it took was one errant spark – likely from a carelessly tossed cigarette – to fill the Carolina blue skies with smoke. Forecasters also gave a rude wake-up call to the Southeast of impending severe weather and tornadoes for the midweek, leaving a bitter taste that rivaled their morning cup of joe in the mouths of storm-weary residents.
NC Severe Weather Preparedness Week Raises Acute Safety Concerns
North Carolina is in a veritable Goldilocks zone for severe weather. While the beaches offer warm, tranquil, and breezy weather almost year-round, the Blue Ridge Mountains provide a refreshing escape from hut and muggy Piedmont centers, but that doesn’t mean the state isn’t primed for spoiling. Stunned mountain folk reported tornadoes in Blowing Rock two days before Helene, and severe thunderstorms are now common statewide. NC Severe Weather Preparedness Week allows Carolinians to revisit their emergency preparedness. Although tornado drills are more befitting for duck-and-cover elementary school rehearsals, all institutions and companies should value storm safety.
Are Tornadoes More Dangerous Than Thunder Storms?
Thunderstorms pose greater risks because they occur more often. Moreover, thunderstorms don’t get the same respect as tornadoes because when was the last time Hollywood made a blockbuster hit about April heavy rains or Piedmont lighting strikes splitting heavy oaks at the end of the cul-de-sac? Although the crazy 1989 Winston-Salem tornado outbreak is more memorable than some random thunderstorm years ago, you shouldn’t let down your guard. Most weather fatalities occur from inattentive or underestimating conditions. Furthermore, thunderstorms pack heavy rains, winds rivaling tornadoes, and damaging hail.
North Carolina Experiences 40 to 50 Thunderstorms Annually – Only 10 Percent are Severe
Tips for Storm Preparedness
- Gather emergency supplies, like food, water, and medicine into centralized, readily-accessible location
- Prepare a family “go kit” for state mandated evacuations due to flooding and hurricanes
- Establish an emergency plan for your household. Rehearse often
- Identify centralized meeting and sheltering spot, like bathrooms or basements
- Stock-up on batteries and flashlights
- Secure lawn furniture and park car in garage or under carport
- Enable weather alerts on mobile devices
- Keep extra blankets and warm clothes nearby
- Invest in secondary heat option
- Stock-up on books and board games for extended power outages – your sanity will thank you later.
Safe Room for Perennial Protection
Allow US Safe Room to complement robust severe weather preparedness. Our economical storm shelters offer superior protection from 250 mile-per-hour winds and flying debris. Contractors can quickly install above-ground shelters separate of primary residence near exit. Panelized kits are a sensible option for existing room retrofitting without sacrificing steel durability under duress.
