Ellsworth stresses understanding severe weather notifications

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Kimberly Moore Limrick
  • 28th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. --  Newcomers to Ellsworth may have noticed the fluctuating temperatures and seemingly daily rain and wonder, "What is up with the weather here?" This randomness in weather can potentially be dangerous; personnel should be aware of the threats and procedures to follow in their occurrence.

"Thunderstorms can be a daily problem May through September," said Tech Sgt. Gary Brooks, 28th Operations Support Squadron Airfield Management NCO in charge. "Generally they tend to dissipate as they leave the Black Hills, but on occasion they move off the hills and become severe, producing tornadoes, hail and strong winds. As these storms approach the base, lightning, however, becomes the greatest concern."

Ellsworth has policies in place to notify the base populace of these hazards as they arise.

Ellsworth's policy for notifying personnel of lightning within five nautical miles is sending a base-wide e-mail as well as a giant voice notification, said Tech Sgt. Zac Cole, 28th Bomb Wing Command Post superintendent. The giant voice verbiage is, 'Attention: A lightning warning has been issued for Ellsworth Air Force Base. Seek appropriate shelter.'

At this time, personnel should immediately seek shelter inside buildings, said Senior Airman Bond Aulik, 28th Civil Engineer Squadron Readiness and Emergency Management journeyman.

Get off the golf course, ball fields and away from bodies of water, Airman Aulik said. Get inside a home, a large building or an automobile and do not use the telephone. Additionally, he warned, stay away from open doors and windows, stoves, metal pipes, sinks and plugged-in electrical appliances.

Airman Aulik also said, "If you are caught away from a shelter and feel your hair stand on end, lightning may be about to strike. Crouch down, put your feet together, put your head between your knees and cover your ears with your hands."

Although lightning is the greatest concern, other severe weather conditions are possible.

"Tornadoes are infrequent," Sergeant Brooks said. They tend to occur east of the base where the terrain is more favorable for development.

However, if a tornado has been observed, a three- to five-minute steady tone will sound from the giant voice and the following instructions will be, 'Attention: A tornado warning has been issued, take shelter immediately,' stated twice, Sergeant Cole said.

"When sirens sound, do not run outside to see what is happening," Airman Aulik said. "The sirens mean that you are in danger, take shelter immediately and turn on your radio or TV for information."

Stay away from windows, doors and exterior walls. In houses and small buildings, go to the basement or to an interior part of the building such as a closet, bathroom or interior hallway, he said. Get under something sturdy and protect your head.

In high-rise buildings such as dormitories, go to interior small rooms or hallways on the lowest floor as possible. If you are caught in a mobile home or vehicle, leave them and go to a substantial structure, Airman Aulik said. If there is no shelter nearby, lie flat in the nearest ditch, ravine or culvert with your hands shielding your head.

Sergeant Cole said, "Once the tornado threat is cleared, the following verbiage will be announced over the giant voice, 'Attention: The tornado warning has been canceled.'"

In addition to tornadoes, large hail is unlikely, but possible.

In the Black Hills, hail greater than three-fourths of an inch is common. However here at Ellsworth we do not see many occurrences of it, mainly due to elevation differences, Sergeant Brooks said. However, small hail is not uncommon.

Severe weather has occurred in other forms at Ellsworth as well.

Flash flooding is also a rare occurrence, but as recent as June 6, flooding on base occurred after 3.42 inches of rain fell in a 13-hour period, breaking our 24-hour rainfall record for the base, Sergeant Brooks said.

Wind is another severe weather condition to be aware of, Sergeant Brooks said. Strong winds frequently occur from thunderstorms; the maximum convective wind recorded at Ellsworth was 129 miles per hour.

The final and rarest type of sever weather threat throughout the summer season is snowfall.

Snowfall during the summer is a possibility Ellsworth personnel should not count out. Snowfall of 6.1 inches was once recorded in the month of June, Sergeant Brooks said.

Ellsworth personnel are encouraged to get out and enjoy the summer, but be aware of potential threats and the actions they should take to protect themselves.