The National Weather Service (NWS) considers a thunderstorm severe if it produces hail at least three-quarters of an inch in diameter, has winds of 58 miles per hour or higher, or produces a tornado. When a severe thunderstorm warning is issued, review what actions to take under a tornado warning or a flash flood warning.

Thunderstorms may occur singly, in clusters, or in lines. Some of the most severe weather occurs when a single thunderstorm affects one location for an extended time. Lightning is a major threat during a thunderstorm. It is the lightning that produces thunder in a thunderstorm. Lightning is very unpredictable, which increases the risk to individuals and property. In the United States, 75 to 100 people are killed each year by lightning, although most lightning victims do survive. Persons struck by lightning often report a variety of long-term, debilitating symptoms, including memory loss, attention deficits, sleep disorders, numbness, dizziness, stiffness in joints, irritability, fatigue, weakness, muscle spasms, depression, and an inability to sit for long. It is a myth that lightning never strikes the same place twice. In fact, lightning will strike several times in the same place in the course of one discharge.

Learn more about severe thunderstorm risk in your area. Contact the Brownsville Office of Emergency Management, your local emergency management office, National Weather Service (NWS) office, or American Red Cross chapter.