B_Rock's Blog

A major springtime-like severe storms outbreak has occurred over the last 18 hours in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, and parts of Georgia and Alabama. As I'm posting this, the numbers continue to grow. 337 severe weather reports with 68 of those being tornado reports. At least 44 people have been killed and that number is likely to rise. 

The dead included 24 people in Tennessee, 13 in Arkansas, and seven in Kentucky, NBC News said. Among those killed were Arkansas parents who died with their 11-year-old in Atkins, about 60 miles northwest of Little Rock.

The severe potential for our area seems to have lessened and this storm system is slowing down a bit more than previously anticipated, and while a widespread outbreak here in central North Carolina is unlikely, we could still see an isolated wind gust of over 50 - 60 mph. The best advice I can give is for everyone to simply keep monitoring this rapidly-changing system and go ahead and have a plan in place of what to do and where to go should severe weather threaten. It looks like the timing of these storms will be around the 4pm to 11pm time frame, but even that could change. Listen to your weather radios, radio stations in your car (101.1FM is very good for putting weather warnings out over the air) and of course our good friends at WGHP will keep us informed. On a side note, those of you with weather alert radios (which should be everyone) Here is a statement regarding the tests normally done on Wednesdays.

.... Routine weekly test postponed until Thursday...
Due to the threat of severe weather today the routine weekly test of the
NOAA Weather Radio tone alert feature has been postponed. Instead... the test will be conducted tomorrow between 11 am and noon.

Everyone please keep safe out there and remember and lift up a prayer for those suffering and for those who have lost loved ones in this unusual wintertime severe weather outbreak.