The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the way we prepare for severe weather. We saw changes to tornado shelters and Alabama EMA officials say there will be even more changes for hurricane season. Alabama EMA Director Brian Hastings says new safety precautions will change how to shelter safely. “You need to screen and manage people coming in and then you need…
Hurricane seasons run from June 1 until November 1 each year. One of the most important things you can do now is to put together a hurricane kit. That kit should contain bottled water, a flashlight and the other usual items in case your power and water service go out. But you should also have copies of your important personal…
We’re used to calling hurricanes by their names — Camille, Fredric, Andrew, Opal, Ivan, Katrina, Michael — these are a few memorable storms. But who gets to choose the names? And why are some names reused, while others are retired. Alabama News Network Weather Authority Meteorologist Ryan Stinnett gives us a look at hurricane names, including the ones being used…
Some people may think Montgomery and the rest of Central Alabama is too far inland to get the effects of a hurricane. But Hurricane Opal came right through Montgomery in 1995, leaving behind lasting damage. That storm was one of many that proves that people in our area need to be ready for hurricane season. Bluewater Chief Meteorologist Rich Thomas…
Even before the start of the 2020 hurricane season on June 1, there have been two tropical storms in the Atlantic Ocean. Does that mean we’re in for a busier-than-usual hurricane season? Chief Meteorologist Shane Butler shows us the tropical season outlook, including the factors that will determine whether we’ll have more named storms than usual. Categories: News Video, Safe…
In Alabama, hurricane preparations start long before a storm enters the Gulf of Mexico. Emergency officials have a response plan in place months before a hurricane season starts. The governor and the Alabama Emergency Management Agency routinely go through their hurricane response plan at the state EMA headquarters in Clanton. From the Alabama EMA, county EMAs from the coastal areas…
When severe weather threatens, we are often told to seek shelter if we’re in a mobile home or in a flood-prone area. But Alabama News Network found out that sometimes, shelters are hard to find. In emergencies, some people don’t know where to go, or if a shelter is open for them. Other people have to drive up to 20…
When most of us think of hurricanes, we think first of high winds. But flooding is also a threat, even far inland. When people don’t take the flooding threat seriously, lives and property can be lost. That’s why we should understand the amount of rain that hurricanes can bring, especially the storms that will stall out for several days in…
Hurricanes don’t just bring danger and damage to the coast. Montgomery has felt the impact of Hurricane Opal in 1995, Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and from many other storms — even tropical storms that have dumped rain over Central Alabama. All of us need to be ready for power outages, flooding and other impacts that hurricanes can bring, even hundreds…
Hurricane Michael will forever be remembered on the Gulf Coast. The Category 5 hurricane hit the Panama City, Florida, area in October 2018, bringing devastation that was experienced far inland, including in Alabama. Here is a look at what we’ve learned from that storm, from Alabama News Network Weather Authority Meteorologist Ben Lang. Categories: Safe From the Storm Tags: 2018…
