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Summer Weather

During the summer months, McKenzie County can experience severe weather, including thunderstorms, high winds, hail and extreme heat. To stay prepared, residents should monitor weather forecasts regularly and have a plan for sheltering during storms. It's important to secure outdoor items, stay indoors during severe weather and avoid flooded areas. For extreme heat, keep hydrated, avoid prolonged outdoor activities and check on vulnerable neighbors. By staying informed and taking proactive steps, residents can ensure their safety during summer storms and weather conditions.

StormReady and Community Preparedness

StormReady is a program designed to prepare communities for weather-related hazards by establishing a comprehensive response plan. Local National Weather Service (NWS) forecast offices collaborate with communities through an application and review process to ensure they meet specific criteria to become StormReady. In 2016, McKenzie County and Watford City were officially designated as StormReady, demonstrating their commitment to weather preparedness and public safety.

Requirements for StormReady Designation

  1. 24-Hour Warning Point and Emergency Operations Center: Communities must establish a 24-hour warning point and an emergency operations center to monitor weather conditions and coordinate responses.
  2. Multiple Ways to Receive Weather Forecasts and Alerts: Communities must have more than one method to receive weather forecasts and warnings, ensuring that they can alert the public effectively.
  3. Promoting Public Readiness: Communities are encouraged to promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars and educational initiatives.
  4. Developing a Weather Plan: Communities must develop a weather plan that includes training severe weather spotters to identify and report severe weather events.

Sirens

When you hear the Outdoor Warning Sirens, you are being informed that a threat requires you to take immediate action. When the sirens are sounded, it is important to go inside and listen for important information from local media. The sirens are located throughout the community to alert anyone who is working or recreating outdoors. The outdoor warning sirens are tested the 1st Wednesday of every month, except December, January and February at 1:00 PM CST.

Thunderstorms and Lightning

Thunderstorms are dangerous storms that include lightning and can produce powerful winds exceeding 58 mph; heavy rains, which can cause flash flooding; hail which can cause damage to homes, cars, trees and powerlines; and thunderstorms also can produce tornadoes.

Every thunderstorm produces lightning! Did you know lightning can strike as far as 10 miles away from any rainfall? Also, each year in the United States more than 400 people are struck by lightning. In North Dakota alone, 12 people have died between the years of 1959-2017 from lightning strikes.

How do you stay safe during thunderstorms? Pay attention to the weather, stay informed and monitor forecasts and warnings. For more information...click the links below.

Tornado Safety

Tornadoes are one of nature’s most violent storms and can cause death, injury, and destruction within seconds. Having advanced notice that a tornado is approaching your area can give you the critical time needed to move to a safe place for protection. Sign up for your community’s warning system. The Emergency Alert System (EAS) and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio also provide emergency alerts. If your community has sirens, then become familiar with the warning tone. Pay attention to weather reports. Meteorologists can predict when conditions might be right for a tornado.

While you may not always receive an official tornado alert in your area, there are warning signs that can indicate a tornado is near.

  • A change in the color of the sky;
  • An approaching cloud of debris;
  • A strange quiet occurring within or shortly after a thunderstorm; or
  • A loud roar that sounds similar to a freight train.

Preparing for a Tornado

Some locations don't provide protection from tornadoes, including manufactured (mobile) homes/offices, the open space of open-plan buildings (e.g., malls, big retail stores, and gymnasiums), vehicles and the outdoors. An alternative shelter should be identified prior to a tornado watch or warning.

PRACTICE TORNADO DRILLS!

Identify and practice going to a safe shelter, while following the latest social and physical-distancing and other health safety guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and your local health authorities, in the event of high winds, such as a safe room built using FEMA criteria or a storm shelter built to ICC 500 standards. The next best protection is a small, interior, windowless room on the lowest level of a sturdy building.

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