Take a look at this map.  As you can see, climatology shows us Oklahoma is in the heart of tornado season right now.  The collision of cold air from northern North America and warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico and other parts of southern North America can have tragic results.

If you saw what you thought looked like a rainbow around the sun Saturday afternoon you weren’t alone. 22News received numerous calls and e-mails from people who saw it.

It’s actually what is known as a  sun halo or sometimes called an  icebow.

It’s created when light is  reflected and  refracted by the  ice crystals in the clouds.

The light splits up into different colors forming a ring around the sun.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA

1100 AM EDT FRI MAY 10 2013

…PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY RESULTS INDICATE AN EF0 TORNADO OCCURRED

IN STOUGHTON MA THURSDAY, May 9th…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN TAUNTON MA CONDUCTED A STORM

SURVEY THIS MORNING IN STOUGHTON MA IN NORFOLK COUNTY. RESULTS OF

THE SURVEY INDICATE A HIGH END EF0 TORNADO MOVED THROUGH STOUGHTON

MA ON WASHINGTON STREET THURSDAY AFTERNOON APPROXIMATELY 433 PM.

ON THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE AN EF0 TORNADO HAS WIND SPEEDS THAT

RANGE FROM 65 TO 85 MPH. MORE SPECIFIC DETAILS WILL BE ISSUED BY

EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.

IT WILL ALSO BE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE…WHICH CAN BE FOUND AT

WEATHER.GOV/BOX.

$$

NOCERA

Here’s amateur video of a funnel cloud in Stoughton, from Thursday.

It’s Melanoma Monday!  A day set aside by the American Academy of Dermatology, to raise awareness of Melanoma, and how to prevent it.  The most important thing to keep in mind s that there is no such thing as a “healthy” tan.  Sunscreen & sunblock are essential to skin health.  The American Academy of Dermatoligists has a great Melonoma awareness page.  The Melanoma Foundation of New England is also a great resource.  Melanoma survivor Meghan Rothschild (a Pioneer Valley local!) has a great web site, www.survingskin.org.  Protect your skin this summer, and all year long!

Since 2011, we all know that tornados are a real possibility here in western Massachusetts, and with severe weather season getting closer, it’s a good time to start thinking about  tornado safety.

Infographic: Tornado safety

So, if a tornado approaches, where is the best place to hide? The answer depends on where you are, but generally, if you are in a building, the lower you are and farther away from windows, the better. This means getting in a basement if you have one. Otherwise, an interior room, bathroom, or closet is best.

Ray Harris of Springfield used to live in Florida, and has had to deal with many tornado warnings.

“They gave you warnings, told you to stay in a safe place with no windows, boarded up or whatever you have to do, keep water, things like that,” Harris said.

Once you have found a safe location, you should crouch down on your knees and cover the back of your head with your hands and cover your body with a blanket or a mattress.

If you’re in a mobile home, in a car, or outside, head for sturdy shelter. If none is available, head for somewhere low, like a ditch.

Once a tornado passes, watch out for debris, glass, and other hazards, and remember the 22News storm team will keep you informed ahead of any severe weather.

If you can hear thunder, you’re close enough to a storm to be struck by lightning.

The  safest place to be in a thunderstorm is inside a sturdy building that is enclosed by walls and covered by a ceiling. Once inside during a thunderstorm, the  National Weather Service recommends avoiding contact with corded phones, electrical equipment, or any type of plumbing.

You are also best staying away from windows, doorways, and porches.

Being outside, particularly in an open space like a golf course, puts you at increased risk of a lightning strike during a storm. Tony Strycharz of Oak Ridge Golf Club in Feeding Hills told 22News that they have been fortunate not to have had a human lightning strike incident.

“We’ve been lucky that it’s never hit a person, but we have got some trees that have been hit with lightning and they’ve split down the middle, so we had to clean that up, which wasn’t fun,” Strycharz said.

At Oak Ridge, they sound a horn and check that all golfers are inside during a thunderstorm.

If you’re stuck outside with no place to shelter, you want to get low to the ground and avoid being near tall objects like trees, which are more likely to be struck.

When not in a building you are most likely safe from lightning in a enclosed car. Just don’t lean on the doors as the car’s metal, not the rubber tires, are what protects you from the electricity.

We get the majority of severe weather in western Massachusetts during the late spring and into the summer, so now is the perfect time to prepare, and understand the difference between a watch or warning that can be issued for severe thunderstorms or tornadoes.

A “watch” is more of a caution that severe weather could potentially come within the next few hours.  A watch for tornadoes or severe thunderstorms means you should have a weather safety plan in mind should the weather get worse.

Keeping an eye on 22News on air, online, or on social media is a good way to be aware of bad weather. Anthony Gragowski of Springfield says that he keeps on top of the situation during severe weather.

“We do kind of have a family plan and we also rely on other family members as well. But I’m usually into social media, so I pay attention to all the warnings and alerts and watches as well,” Gragowski said.

If a severe thunderstorm warning or tornado warning is issued for your area, then conditions are much more serious. A “ warning” means dangerous weather is imminent or already occurring, and you should head inside, away from windows immediately.

For a thunderstorm to be severe, it must contain either hail of at least one inch in diameter or wind gusts over 58 mph.

Of course this spring and summer, the  22News Storm Team will keep you safe and let you know of any watches or warnings.

Whoa! I almost missed this! You can see the International Space Station TONIGHT (Thursday) over western Massachusetts. At 8:06pm look to the West/Northwest. The ISS will cross the sky to the South/Southeast for 4 minutes!!!  (Thanks to  National Weather Service Boston MA for the heads up!).  CLICK HERE for details on when and where  to look.

It’s the season for severe weather! That’s why we need your help in spotting severe storms. The National Weather Service SkyWarn program is a network of trained storm spotters. This is a very important part of the severe weather tracking process.
If you’re interested in becoming a SkyWarn Spotter, you must attend a SkyWarn training session. These sessions are educational, entertaining and at times, very funny! There are two opportunities to attend SkyWarn training this year in western Massachusetts. The first is on May 1st in Greenfield, at the Greenfield Transportation Center. The second is on May 9th at the Heath Community Center. CLICK HERE for detailed information on the SkyWarn training dates, times & locations.

It’s that time of year when we watch for severe thunderstorms…not necessarily here in Western Massachusetts just yet…but the Midwest is usually on high alert for bad weather during these warming spring months.On Wednesday we anticipate the potential for some very damaging storms with hail, winds and even tornadoes in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas where they are under a “moderate” or strong risk for severe weather for Wednesday. (as of Tuesday night)

While we don’t anticipate severe weather here in western Massachusetts in the near future, it’s worth keeping an eye to the Midwest to follow the potentially dangerous storms they could see there.

SPC: Severe Risk for Wednesday April 17th, 2013