The fourth topic for Severe Weather Awareness Week (SWAW) in Iowa is preparedness. This topic encourages folks to formulate and test plans for various weather threats. For example, if a tornado approaches your home, do you know where in your house you would go? Would it fit all your family members and pets? Does that place have supplies and extra things to help protect your head from debris? Many folks in Iowa last summer suffered week plus long power outages due to the August 10th Derecho. Have you made purchases / new preparations in case a similar event happens this year? Once you have a plan, it is good to know when you may need to start thinking of implementing that plan and that is where many of the NWS issued watches come into play. These watches are hopefully issued ahead of the upcoming threat with enough lead time for you to start executing your prepared plans in case the threat does materialize into damaging weather. The featured chart looks into watches issued by the Storm Prediction Center and the frequency of those touching some part of Iowa for the year to date period. Data since 1997 shows that typically few watches for the year to date period touch the state, which is why the awareness week is now as severe weather business starts to pick up into April.

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