Hampton Roads, Va. – With the threat of severe storms this week in Hampton Roads and Northeastern North Carolina, it’s never too late to refresh ourselves of the criteria that classifies a storm as severe.
Not every thunderstorm that moves through your community is severe. In fact, a storm could produce heavy rainfall, flooding and even frequent lightning. But based on the criteria set by the National Weather Service, that storm would not be classified as severe.
So what are the parameters for a severe thunderstorm? According to the National Weather Service (NWS) Glossary, a severe thunderstorm is a thunderstorm that produces a tornado, winds of at least 58 mph or higher and/or hail at least 1 inch in diameter. The NWS goes on to say that structural damage may imply the occurrence of a severe thunderstorm in a given area.
If a storm reaches this criteria, a warning would be issued.
A thunderstorm with winds equal to or greater than 40 mph and/or hail of at least 1 inch is defined as “approaching” severe.
Stay with News 3 and the First Warning Storm Team for constant weather alerts and updates.
