With severe storms and tornadoes threatening much of the area on Tuesday, safety is taking top priority.
The National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Barjenbruch says before the severe weather hits take a few minutes to remember the safety basics. "Get as low as you can, and put as many walls between you and the outside as you can. It's not the winds that will actually hurt you, but the debris that the winds are throwing around." Barjenbruch suggests an interior, basement closet for optimal protection.
Finding a safe place during a tornado can be very tricky if you are traveling, with many people seeking shelter inside their vehicle under an overpass. Barjenbruch says sheltering under an overpass can be extremely dangerous. "Those overpasses can actually accelerate the wind and are not the best place to be, not to mention you tend to stop up traffic. Everyone behind you has to stop. If you find yourself in a very dangerous situation and in the car, cars are not the best place to be but better than some options."
Barjenbruch says your best options while traveling are to try and find a building for shelter, or to drive away from the storm. Depending on the situation you can also try to find shelter in a roadside ditch.
When it comes to severe weather, Barjenbruch says knowledge is power. "I like to encourage everyone to have at least two ways to receive a severe weather warning, because knowledge is the first step to staying safe." He suggests downloading a few weather apps and see which one you like best, which are helpful in addition to the wireless emergency alerts sent to your phone that let you know that a warning has been issued. Also, pay attention to radio and other media broadcasts throughout the day to stay informed.
Storms are expected to develop after 2:00 Tuesday afternoon, mainly in areas west of the metro. The highest likelihood of storms becoming severe are Tuesday evening and overnight. The Omaha metro can expect storms to arrive between 5:00 and 6:00 Tuesday evening. The tornado threat exists primarily with the early storms then transitioning into threats of hail and straight line wind after sunset. Heavy rain is possible from some of these storms, especially overnight Tuesday night.
Lingering storms will exit early Wednesday morning leaving behind partly cloudy skies. Another round of storms, some of which could easily become severe, are possible along and south of I-80 again Wednesday evening.