Weather Center | Casey Billings

Weather Center

Live Radar, Safety Resources, and Official Links for Storm Chasers & Rescue

NWS (National Weather Service)
NOAA
Storm Prediction Center
National Hurricane Center
River Flood Info
Weather Safety Portal

Tornado Safety

What to do before, during, and after a tornado:

Identify a safe place in your home, such as a basement or interior room on the lowest floor, away from windows.
Keep emergency supplies (flashlight, water, first aid kit, sturdy shoes) in your safe place.
Monitor weather alerts using a NOAA Weather Radio or trusted app.
If outside or in a vehicle, seek shelter in a sturdy building immediately. Do not try to outrun a tornado in a car.
If caught outdoors with no shelter, lie flat in a low spot and cover your head.
After the tornado, watch out for debris, downed power lines, and check for injuries.

Signs of a tornado: Dark, often greenish sky; large, low-lying clouds; hail; loud roar similar to a freight train.

Tip: Know your local warning sirens and signals. Practice tornado drills regularly.

Flood Safety

How to stay safe before, during, and after floods:

Turn Around, Don’t Drown: Never drive through flooded roads, even if they look shallow.
Move to higher ground immediately if flooding is possible in your area.
Listen to local alerts and warnings for evacuation instructions.
Prepare an emergency kit with food, water, medications, and important documents.
Know your community’s evacuation routes and have a plan for pets.
After a flood, avoid walking or driving through floodwaters, which may be contaminated or hide hazards.

Tip: Floods can happen quickly. Stay informed and act fast if a warning is issued.

Hurricane Safety

Steps to take before, during, and after a hurricane:

Know your evacuation zone and plan your route in advance.
Stock up on emergency supplies: water, non-perishable food, medications, batteries, and cash.
Secure your home: board up windows, bring in outdoor items, and reinforce doors.
Monitor official forecasts and warnings from the National Hurricane Center and local authorities.
Follow evacuation orders immediately when issued.
After the hurricane, avoid flooded areas, watch for downed power lines, and check for structural damage before re-entering buildings.

Tip: Hurricanes can cause flooding far inland. Stay alert for flood warnings even after the storm passes.

More Weather Resources

Local Weather & Alerts

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Weather Glossary

Advisory: Less severe weather event, but may cause inconvenience.
Anemometer: Instrument for measuring wind speed.
Atmosphere: The layer of gases surrounding Earth.
Barometer: Instrument for measuring atmospheric pressure.
Blizzard: Severe snowstorm with strong winds and low visibility.
Cold Front: Boundary where cold air replaces warmer air.
Convection: Upward movement of warm air, often leading to cloud formation.
Cumulonimbus: Large, towering thunderstorm cloud.
Dew Point: Temperature at which air becomes saturated and dew forms.
Derecho: Widespread, long-lived windstorm associated with a band of rapidly moving showers or thunderstorms.
Doppler Radar: Radar that measures precipitation and wind movement.
Drizzle: Light rain with very small droplets.
El Niño: Periodic warming of Pacific Ocean waters affecting global weather.
Eye (of hurricane): Calm center of a tropical cyclone.
Flash Flood: Rapid flooding due to heavy rain, dam break, or levee failure.
Flood Watch: Conditions are favorable for flooding; be alert.
Flood Warning: Flooding is occurring or imminent; take action.
Forecast: Prediction of future weather conditions.
Funnel Cloud: Rotating, funnel-shaped cloud not in contact with the ground.
Green Sky: Often associated with severe thunderstorms and hail.
Gust Front: Boundary where cool air from a thunderstorm meets warm air.
Hail: Frozen precipitation in the form of balls or irregular lumps.
Heat Index: How hot it feels when humidity is factored in with temperature.
High Pressure: Area where air is descending, usually brings fair weather.
Humidity: Amount of water vapor in the air.
Hurricane: Intense tropical cyclone with winds over 74 mph.
Jet Stream: Fast flowing air currents high in the atmosphere.
Lightning: Discharge of electricity during a thunderstorm.
Low Pressure: Area where air is rising, often brings clouds and precipitation.
Mesocyclone: Rotating updraft within a thunderstorm, precursor to tornadoes.
Microburst: Sudden, powerful downdraft of wind from a thunderstorm.
Nor’easter: Powerful storm along the East Coast of North America.
Occluded Front: Boundary formed when a cold front overtakes a warm front.
Outflow Boundary: Gusty winds from a thunderstorm spreading out ahead of the storm.
Precipitation: Any form of water (rain, snow, sleet, hail) falling from the sky.
Radar: Device that detects precipitation and movement of storms.
Relative Humidity: Percentage of moisture in the air compared to maximum possible.
Severe Thunderstorm: Thunderstorm producing hail, damaging winds, or tornadoes.
Squall Line: A line of severe thunderstorms that can produce strong winds and hail.
Storm Surge: Abnormal rise of water from a hurricane or tropical storm.
Supercell: A powerful thunderstorm with rotating updraft, often produces tornadoes.
Sleet: Frozen raindrops that bounce on impact.
Temperature: Measure of how hot or cold the air is.
Thunder: Sound caused by lightning heating the air.
Thunderstorm: Storm with lightning, thunder, and usually heavy rain or hail.
Tornado: Violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and a thunderstorm.
Tornado Watch: Conditions are favorable for tornadoes; stay alert.
Tornado Warning: Tornado is occurring or imminent; take action immediately.
Trade Winds: Steady winds that blow toward the equator.
Typhoon: Term for hurricane in the western Pacific Ocean.
Updraft: Rising air within a thunderstorm.
UV Index: Measure of ultraviolet radiation from the sun.
Warm Front: Boundary where warm air replaces cooler air.
Warning: Severe weather is occurring or imminent. Take action now.
Watch: Conditions are favorable for severe weather. Stay alert.
Wind Chill: How cold it feels due to wind and temperature.
Winter Storm: Storm with snow, ice, and/or freezing rain.