Shawn Jacobs
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service (NWS) encourages everyone to be “Weather-Ready” as this spring season begins. All of the NWS offices serving Nebraska, in conjunction with the Nebraska Emergency Management Agency, aid in this effort by hosting a Severe Weather Awareness Week the last week in March each year.
Individuals, families, businesses, partners, schools, and media are all encouraged to review their severe weather preparedness plans so we can become a “Weather-Ready'' nation. When severe weather is anticipated, follow trusted sources for updated forecast and warning information, such as the National Weather Service and media partners. Here are two key ideas to keep in mind:
• Outside: When severe weather is possible, limit outdoor plans or finish them early. Stay close to a sturdy shelter. If caught outside, find shelter in a sturdy building immediately. If you are caught outside in a tornado and no sturdy shelter is available, find shelter in a ditch and cover your head for protection. If traveling in a car, drive away from the tornado. If you cannot drive away, or if you become trapped, lie in a ditch and cover your head. Do not take shelter under a highway overpass, where wind speeds can increase due to tunneling effect.
• Home or business: Your primary concern is to put as many walls between you and the severe weather as possible and to go to the lowest floor of the building. Remember to stay away from doors, windows, outside walls and protect your head. Bicycle helmets are great at protecting your head. Be sure to plan in advance to store your helmets in your shelter. Blankets and heavy quilts are also great at protecting your head and body. If in a mobile home, leave well in advance of the approaching severe weather and go to a sturdy building.
We encourage media requests for more information about these key points and other topics including the 2024 Nebraska Severe Weather Awareness Week story map
(https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/302617c633544d2b87d032002f15ae8d). Please email [email protected] or contact the NWS North Platte Forecast Office to set up an interview. Your participation is greatly appreciated.
The National Weather Service in North Platte is once again offering severe weather spotter training courses this year. For more information and the training dates, please visit our website at: https://www.weather.gov/lbf/2024StormSpotterSchedule
Further information on weather safety, science, and hazards can be found at: www.weather.gov/safety/. The National Weather Service’s North Platte Forecast Office (www.weather.gov/lbf), located in North Platte, NE, is the primary source of weather data, forecasts, and warnings for 26 counties across western and north central Nebraska.
If you have questions, please respond via email to [email protected]
NOAA's National Weather Service is the primary source of weather data, forecasts and warnings for the United States and its territories. NOAA’s National Weather Service operates the most advanced weather and flood warning and forecast system in the world, helping to protect lives and property and enhance the national economy. Working with partners, NOAA’s National Weather Service is building a Weather-Ready Nation to support community resilience in the face of increasing vulnerability to extreme weather.
NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources.