The National Weather Service in Paducah is warning the western Kentucky region that increased severe weather conditions often follow autumn temperatures. NWS meteorologist Rick Shanklin says tornado watches should be treated as warnings during the fall season because of the increased risk.
“The key thing is to have a location you can go to that is shelter, especially if you live in a mobile home, because we know most of the fatalities in our region in tornadoes have occurred in mobile homes.” Shanklin said.
Second guessing could prove fatal during evening warnings and “big picture” thinking is absolutely necessary, according to Shanklin.
“A lady in northern Christian County, a tornado watch was issued, she made the decision to leave her mobile home and go to a nearby relative's house, they spent the night there and sure enough the tornado came through and it did major damage at her home site and all around and that was a very wise decision on her part," Shanklin said.
Statistics show fatalities are two-and-a-half times as likely to occur during a tornado between midnight and 6 a.m. Shanklin advises everyone in the region to set a radio, phone or other device to receive weather alerts.
“Listen to the forecast, know if there is a chance of thunderstorms in the forecast and certainly have a means to get weather watches and warnings,” said Shanklin.