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PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY 
600 AM EDT TUE APR 23 2024

...This Is Severe Weather Awareness Week...

This statement covers severe thunderstorms.

High winds produced by severe thunderstorms cause deaths and 
injuries across the Tri-State annually. Although hail can damage 
property and injure people and animals, it rarely kills.

Severe thunderstorms in our region occur most frequently during the 
late afternoon to early evening, between May and early September. An 
example of severe weather would be rapidly developing severe 
thunderstorms forming ahead of a quick moving cold front. Damage 
would result from strong wind gusts along the leading edge of a line 
of severe thunderstorms. Winds that blow from one direction are 
called straight line winds. The strongest severe thunderstorms can 
produce damaging wind gusts from 80 to over 100 mph. A complex of 
thunderstorms producing such strong winds over a large area for 
several hours is called a Derecho.

Severe weather outlooks are issued by the NWS Storm Prediction 
Center up to 8 days before a potential event and by NWS New York NY 
up to 7 days beforehand in our Hazardous Weather Outlook.

Severe Thunderstorm Watches are issued by the NWS Storm Prediction 
Center with lead times of up to 8 hours. A Watch means that weather 
conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms 
in and around an area, usually covering an area of several thousand 
square miles, at least the size of New Jersey.

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings are issued by your National Weather 
Service Forecast Office on Long Island, using a combination of 
Doppler Radar and volunteer Skywarn Spotter observations.  

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings are Impact-Based. This means that these 
warnings and follow-up statements include machine-readable tags 
which will appear at the bottom of the messages. Among these tags 
will be the Thunderstorm Damage Threat. The highest threat level 
category will be the Destructive tag, issued by NWS forecasters when 
there is a threat for 80 mph or greater winds and/or baseball or 
larger size hail. Only these Destructive tagged warnings will be 
disseminated as a Wireless Emergency Alert, in addition to the 
standard dissemination methods.

When a warning is issued, take protective action to save your life 
and or minimize damage to your property. If there is time, secure 
outdoor objects that could blow away or cause damage. Remember the 
lightning safety rule, if thunder roars go indoors. Once indoors 
stay indoors for 30 minutes after last seeing lightning or hearing 
the last clap of thunder. Get inside a home, building, or hard top 
automobile - not a convertible. Although you may be injured if 
lightning strikes your car, you are much safer inside a hard top 
vehicle than outside. 

The next statement covers severe weather preparedness and safety.

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