Are You Ready For Severe Weather? A Recap of Michigan's 2025 Preparedness Week
- Jonah Drake (WMIWX Owner & Co-Founder)
- Mar 25
- 9 min read
Introduction:
Michigan Severe Weather Awareness Week occurred from March 16th through March 22nd this year. This blog post contains all the relevant material we discussed during this week!
We hope that you can use this material to be better prepared for the upcoming severe weather season!
Part 1: What Is A Severe Thunderstorm?
Severe weather is the common name for weather phenomena that occurs when a thunderstorm becomes a Severe Thunderstorm after it produces one or more of the following 3 hazards: tornadoes, damaging winds of at least 58 MPH, or large hail of at least 1 inch in diameter.
Part 2: Watch Vs. Warning
What is the difference between a WATCH and a WARNING?
The National Weather Service issues lots of "products" which can be easily misunderstood (yes, they are working on this understanding, but for now, it's important to know the difference!)
For Severe Weather in particular the NWS most commonly issues either Tornado Watches and Warnings or Severe Thunderstorm Watches and Warnings. The difference between the two is the action you need to take when they are issued.
Severe Thunderstorm & Tornado Watches
If the NWS issues a Tornado Watch, that means that conditions over the next several hours are FAVORABLE for the development of severe weather, including large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes. No immediate threat, but Weather conditions may rapidly become hazardous, so you need to be prepared and remain alert for possible warnings!
If the NWS issues a Severe Thunderstorm Watch, that means that conditions over the next several hours are favorable for the development of severe weather, including large hail and damaging winds, and perhaps a low chance for a tornado or two. Similar to a Tornado Watch, a Severe Thunderstorm Watch means that there is no immediate threat, but that weather conditions could rapidly become hazardous so you need to be prepared and remain alert for possible warnings!
PDS (Particularly Dangerous Situation) Watch: This PDS tag can be added to either a Tornado Watch or a Severe Thunderstorm Watch. This tag means that this is a heightened threat.
If this tag is applied to a Tornado Watch, then the conditions that may be favorable for the development of severe weather and tornadoes is also favorable for the development of strong to violent and/or long-track tornadoes!
If this tag is applied to a Severe Thunderstorm Watch, then this means that the conditions that are favorable for large hail and damaging winds are also favorable for widespread, destructive, hurricane-force wind gusts, possibly exceeding 100 MPH!
Severe Thunderstorm & Tornado Warnings
A Tornado Warning means that a Severe Thunderstorm is producing a tornado that has been confirmed to be on the ground by weather spotters or by Doppler radar, or that radar is indicating rotation in a storm that could result in imminent tornado development! Take immediate life-saving actions if you are under a tornado warning!
There are 4 tags that can be added to a Tornado Warning indicating the level of severity, but more on that tomorrow. For now, focus on the fact that a tornado warning means your life and property are at risk! Take cover!
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning means that a thunderstorm is producing damaging winds in excess of 58 MPH or large hail in excess of 1 inch in diameter. Both of these hazards have the potential to cause damage to property, trees, and power lines, injuries, and death! When a Severe Thunderstorm Warning is issued, you should move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building for shelter.
Similar to Tornado Warnings, there are 4 tags that can be added to a Severe Thunderstorm Warning to indicate the level of severity, but more on that tomorrow.
Part 3: Warnings & Warning Tags
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings are issued when a thunderstorm strengthens to the point where it has the potential to produce, or already is producing, either damaging winds of at least 58 MPH or large hail of at least 1" in diameter. These Severe Thunderstorm Warnings have 4 tags that can be applied to the warning to indicate the type and severity of the threat.
Level 1 Warning (Base Tag): A Level 1 severe warning is your first level of Severe Thunderstorm Warnings. This tag is applied to the vast majority of warnings and indicates a baseline threat to life and property. At this level, damaging winds of 58-70 MPH and or large hail of 1 inch up to a half-dollar coin size in diameter.
Level 2 Warning (Considerable Tag): A Considerable Tag is applied to any warning when the severe storm has the potential to produce considerable damage as a result of damaging winds of 70-80 MPH or large hail of up to tennis ball size. Winds and hail of this magnitude have the potential to cause more significant/considerable damage to trees, windows, vehicles, roofs, crops, etc., and have the potential to more easily cause injury or death.
Level 3 Warning (Destructive Tag): A Destructive Tag is the most dangerous type of Severe Thunderstorm Warning and should be treated as a Tornado Warning for all intents and purposes. These storms account for 10% of all Severe Thunderstorm Warnings and are extremely life-threatening. Within these severe storms, damaging winds can be of tornado-like strength over 80 MPH, and/or can contain hail over baseball size in diameter. Winds and hail of these magnitudes are extremely dangerous and often result in widespread destruction of trees, power lines, mobile homes, crops, vehicles, roofs, and windows. These storms can be deadly! Flying debris and hail falling to the ground at over 100 MPH can cause serious injury or death just as easily as a tornado. Take immediate tornado precautions if you are under a Destructive Warning. These warnings will activate Emergency Alerts on your phone and often prompt outdoor warning siren activation. Again, we cannot stress enough how dangerous these storms are!
In addition to the above severity tags, Severe Thunderstorm Warnings can have an additional tag added to them. Known as the "Tornado Possible" tag, this tag is added to warnings when the parent thunderstorm is showing signs of rotation/tornadic behavior, but not to the point that a Tornado Warning is warranted. When this tag is added to a warning, you should remain alert for a possible tornado and be prepared to take immediate shelter!
Tornado Warnings
Tornado Warnings are issued when a Severe Thunderstorm is producing or has the potential to produce a tornado. There are 4 tags that can be added to a Tornado Warning to indicate the severity of the threat.
Level 1 (Radar Indicated): The first level of a Tornado Warning is known as a Radar Indicated Tornado Warning. This means that Doppler weather radar has indicated rotation inside a thunderstorm that has the potential to produce a tornado! Take immediate shelter to protect your life! A tornado may be imminent!
Level 2 (Confirmed): The next level of Warning is issued when a tornado is CONFIRMED to be on the ground either by Doppler weather radar via a "Tornado Debris Signature (evidence of debris being lofted in the air) or by sources on the ground such as law enforcement, trained spotters, storm chasers, or even members of the general public. Again, a Confirmed Tornado Warning means that a tornado IS ON THE GROUND RIGHT NOW! Take immediate shelter to protect your life!!!
Level 3 (PDS - Particularly Dangerous Situation): A PDS Tornado Warning is issued when a tornado is CONFIRMED to be on the ground and producing SIGNIFICANT damage! A warning of this magnitude likely means that a Significant (EF-2+) strength is on the ground. DO NOT WAIT! Take immediate shelter! Get underground if possible!!!!
Level 4 (TORNADO EMERGENCY): A Tornado Emergency is issued when a CONFIRMED, large, violent, and potentially deadly tornado is on the ground! Damage and life safety impacts from a tornado of this magnitude could be CATASTROPHIC! Get to a storm shelter or basement NOW! A Tornado Emergency means that there is likely an EF-3+ tornado on the ground!
Part 4: What is a Significant Severe Risk?
You'll often hear us referring to the severe weather threats in the spring and summer, and posting the Storm Prediction Center Outlooks for a particular day and we've discussed what those outlooks mean, but one thing we haven't really touched on is what is known as Significant Severe Weather.
On some of our more potent severe weather days, you'll hear us refer to the risk for significant severe weather. But what does that mean exactly?
Well, severe weather is generally defined as tornadoes, damaging winds over 58 MPH, or large hail of at least 1 inch in diameter. These all have the potential to cause damage and injuries, but they are fairly run-of-the-mill events.
Significant severe weather on the other hand, is any tornado of over EF-2 intensity, damaging winds over 75 MPH, or hail larger than 2 inches in diameter. Severe weather of this magnitude has a much higher potential to cause damage, injuries, and even death.
In the graphic below, we see an example Day 1 Damaging Wind Risk.
The graphic displays 3 houses. House #1 is located in the brown shaded region and is therefore under a 5-14% overall risk for at least 1 damaging wind gust of at least 58 MPH within 25 miles of any point in that area. House #2 is in an upgraded risk with a 15-29% overall chance of at least 1 damaging wind of at least 58 MPH within 25 miles of any point in the yellow shaded region. House #3 is also in the yellow shaded area and based on what we just talked about, we know that the yellow shaded area has a 15-29% chance for seeing at least one damaging wind gust of 58 MPH or higher; however, the third house is also overlayed with black hatch marks. Those black hatch marks indicate the threat of a significant wind risk, otherwise known as SIGWIND. Within the area overlayed by those hatch marks, there is also a risk for any wind gust that occurs in that region to be Significant, at least 75 MPH.
Part 5: Don't Park Under A Bridge
Have you ever been driving down the road when suddenly hail begins to fall or your car's radio alerts you to a Tornado Warning for your area?
What do you do? Many times when we are storm chasing, we see hundreds of cars parked underneath every available overpass with their hazards on. This is NOT what you should do and is extremely dangerous; in fact, it puts you at much higher risk than if you were to keep driving! Parking under a bridge during severe weather will not protect you!
Increased airflow, or "wind-tunneling" (the process of a large amount of wind being focused through a small area, such as a bridge), strengthens winds under these structures! These winds have sucked cars and people out from underneath the bridge many times during tornadoes.
Even if this increased airflow doesn't suck you or your car out from under the bridge it will probably funnel debris and/or large hail from the storm into your makeshift shelter.
Parking on the side of the highway during blinding wind, rain, and hail creates additional hazards for other motorists around you and greatly increases the risk of collision! Ever been rear-ended while you are stopped, and the car hitting you is doing 40+ MPH? It hurts!
These structures will NOT protect you from a tornado, debris, or wind-blown hail!
If you are driving and you encounter large hail or a tornado warning is issued for your area, the best thing you can do is to get off the road at the nearest safe exit and find shelter such as a gas station, parking garage, or restaurant and wait for the storm to pass.
If you are unable to safely exit the roadway and you are out of time, then you should pull over in the lowest-lying area, a ditch is great, remain buckled, and duck below the windows.
If you must abandon your vehicle then find a low-lying area like a ditch, lie face down, and cover your head with your arms!
Part 6: Dealing With Storm Anxiety
Determine what about thunderstorms worries you! Is it the sound of thunder? The darkness? The direct fear of damage or injury?
Learn about thunderstorms! Understand the risks and how those risks are communicated from the NWS to you!
Download weather radar apps like Radarscope or RadarOmega, learn to use them, and track storms as they come in!
Find a group of family, friends, or neighbors who relate to your fears to communicate with!
Our Discord Community is a great place for this! Join at https://discord.gg/WMIWX
Make a severe weather safety plan and survival kit, and keep it in your storm shelter. Just knowing it is there can help!
Stay #WeatherAware always! Follow your local NWS on social media, get a weather radio, and download weather alert apps!
Learn your local geography! Nearby roads, cities, and towns can help you better understand where threats are in relation to you.
Know what county you're in at least, as most alerts are issued by county. Know where you're located on a map!
Part 7: Reminders For Outdoor Warning Sirens
Outdoor Warning Sirens, or what most people know as Tornado Sirens:
After a community experiences a Tornado Warning, we get many questions about why tornado sirens did not go off in a specific area. Here are some important things to consider when we talk about Outdoor Warning Sirens
Not every community has outdoor warning (tornado) sirens.
Outdoor warning sirens are just that: OUTDOOR warning sirens, and are designed to warn people outdoors of a potential hazard and the need to seek immediate shelter and additional information.
These sirens should NOT be considered a reliable way to receive warnings whilst indoors!
Each community has different criteria for activating their sirens. Just because the NWS issues a warning doesn't mean that a community will activate its sirens.
Sirens could be activated but may not be heard over the sound of wind, hail, rain, and/or tornado.
Power may be out in the area, preventing sirens from activating.
The Bottom Line Is: Don't rely on these sirens to alert you to severe weather or other hazards! Have multiple ways to receive warnings!
Conclusion:
Please use these materials to make sure that you aren't caught off guard! Michigan is not immune to severe weather or significant severe weather! Severe weather can happen at any time, during any month, to any person, anywhere in the state!
Additional severe weather safety material can be viewed at:
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