A flood or a tornado can happen any month of the year. Snow or other winter storms only happen in the winter (or sometimes early in the spring or late in the fall). In a winter storm, usually the snow piles up slow so that you have time to get to a safe place, but not every time.
Once the snow has piled up, strong wind may blow it around, making it even more dangerous outside.
If the weatherman decides that a bad winter storm is going to happen, he or she will tell you that you are inside of a Winter Storm Watch or a Winter Storm Warning where you live. A Watch means that winter weather is on the way soon. A Warning means that it is about to happen or is already happening.
During a Winter Storm Watch, your mom or dad still have time to go to the store and buy extra food, batteries, firewood and other things you may need during the storm.
During a Winter Storm Warning, it is best to stay inside and not go outside until the storm is over. There will be plenty of snow on the ground for you to play in when the storm has moved away and it is more safe to be outside.
If your mom or dad cannot stay inside and have to drive in a winter storm, please tell them to make sure that they have a safety kit ready just in case. If you want to, you can click on this coloring page and print it out so you can color it and show your mom and dad what they may need before the storm:
When you are home during the storm the power may go off. Please make sure that your mom and dad have a way to cook and keep your family warm in case the heater does not work. You can also click on this page and print it out to color it. Show your mom or dad so that you can get ready for the storm:
You do not have to be scared during a winter storm. If you just make sure that you and your family are ready before the storm and stay safe, you will be able to have lots of fun when the storm is over!
Parts of this were taken from Owlie Skywarn's Winter Weather Book. You can click on the blue words (called a link) at the end of this sentence to print out and color all of the pages to show your mom or dad! Owlie Skywarn's Winter Weather Book
A note to parents: My 7 (almost 8 in a few weeks) year old blog moderator, Zack, informed me that he didn't understand what "National Weather Service" was so I changed that to "the weatherman". He also wasn't really sure what to do about clicking on a link, so I added the wording "click on the blue words" to try and help out...
ReplyDeleteRob, I'm shocked that Zack didn't know who the National Weather Service was!!!! In your house????
ReplyDeleteChris V.
Chris, thanks for the comment...good to hear from you!
ReplyDeleteHe's definitely heard the term - he was just having a hard time putting the words together. Besides, he knows who to ask when he wants a weather forecast!
Thanks again, and have a Merry Christmas!
Rob