Released: May 09, 2003

All Strong Winds Can Be Deadly

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Straight-line winds can be as deadly as a tornado.

"The damage can be incredible. And if you’ve got 100-mile-an-hour winds ripping off roofs and tearing trees out by the roots, you’re going to have debris flying around that could be lethal," said State of Kansas Climatologist Mary Knapp.

Winds in that range are twice the strength needed for a gale warning at sea, she said. And they’re equal to those in a Category 2 hurricane.

During the nation’s recent spate of severe storms, straight-line winds in Tipton, Tenn., blew away the top two floors of an airline terminal. In Pittsburg, Mo., they rolled a trailer home, toppled a TV tower and damaged 20 mature trees – one of which fell into a car.

"Any of those results could have killed people," said Knapp, who heads the Kansas Weather Data Library, housed with Kansas State University Research and Extension. "That’s particularly true since many of us don’t seem to take severe thunderstorm watches and warnings very seriously. I’m always amazed, for example, by how often people seem to worry more about their car than themselves."

Vehicles, roofs and gardens truly are at risk in the hail that often comes with severe storms, she said.

"But you should be seeking shelter when it hails, not running outdoors or driving home to get the car into the garage," Knapp added. "Even better, you should be someone who keeps a ‘weather ear’ tuned to the radio or television, so your car and you both are already protected when a dangerous storm arrives."

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K-State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well-being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K-State campus, Manhattan.

Story by:
Kathleen Ward, Communications Specialist
kward@oznet.ksu.edu
K-State Research& Extension News