From WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY
The National Weather Service (NWS) Storm Prediction Center has Wood County in a Slight Risk for severe weather today. While thunderstorms are possible between 8am and 10pm today, the most severe weather is expected between 1pm and 8pm.
As with all severe weather, strong winds will be of great concern. This system has the potential to produce hail with wind gusts up to 60 mph. The greatest potential for an isolated tornado will be south of US 6. Rainfall is expected to be around one-half inch.
Due to the timing of this weather event, travel during the afternoon rush hour could be slower than normal.
Please make sure all loose outdoor items are secured and prepare for the loss of power due to downed electric lines.
Severe Weather Awareness Week
We would like to take this opportunity to remind everyone NWS issues these bulletins and alerts to help us prepare for the potential for severe weather. Take time today think about what you will do should severe weather occur. If you are driving, at home, or at work, where will you go should weather hit? How will you respond? Is your family together or in separate locations? How will you communicate? Studies have shown that thinking these scenarios through ahead of time may allow you to respond quicker and more appropriately.
We recommend to always have multiple ways to receive emergency notifications. If you have not done so, please register for CodeRED at:https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/BFAB7B074BCD . If you have problems registering, you can call our office at 419-354-9269. There are many good free weather apps you can download as well. For most of these, they use location-based alerts, so these apps will follow you as you travel out of Wood County. NOAA weather radios are also a great way to get alerts for Wood County. The Wood County EMA also works well with local media and during severe weather, they will focus on areas currently experiencing severe weather.
Outdoor warning sirens have been relied upon and present in Wood County for many years. Please remember these sirens are only meant to be heard outdoors and not inside of buildings. Due to the way buildings are now constructed, wind direction, and other variables, it is likely that they will be unable to be heard inside of many buildings within the county. The sounding of these sirens should prompt you to move indoors and seek additional information. Please make sure you have multiple, redundant methods to ensure you get emergency information.
The Wood County EMA will continue to monitor and provide updates as appropriate.
