The National Weather Service (NWS) in Memphis said “dangerous weather is expected” for the area Wednesday.
The area woke to thunder and rain Wednesday. The NWS predicted the possibility for severe weather Tuesday and said hazards could include large hail, damaging winds, and tornadoes. Weather officials here doubled down on the prediction Wednesday morning in a tweet saying, “dangerous weather is expected. Stay tuned to the latest watch and warning information and be prepared to head to shelter if a warning is issued.”
The weather threat was enough for city of Memphis officials to cancel all COVID-19 vaccine appointments for Wednesday.
Memphis Light, Gas, and Water (MLGW) said “crews are prepared to handle any outages caused by thunderstorms, damaging winds and a possible tornado headed to the Mid-South.”
For customers to prepare, the utility said they should know where the gas and water shutoff valves are located, how to identify the main electric service panel, and how to turn them off in the event of an emergency. More emergency preparedness information from MLGW can be found here and in this YouTube video.
MLGW contact information for customers:
• outage reporting: (901) 544-6500
• emergencies: (901) 528-4465 (This number should be treated like 911. Use it to report gas leaks and downed electrical lines.)
• customer care center: (901) 544-6549
• online outage center: www.mlgw.com/outagecenter
To prepare for the severe weather, the Shelby County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency issued a list for residents on Tuesday.
• Listen to NOAA radio for weather alerts.
• Know the alerts
– severe thunderstorm watch: Conditions are favorable. Stay alert!
– severe thunderstorm warning: Take shelter! Act now!
– tornado watch: conditions are favorable. Stay alert!
– tornado warning: A tornado has been seen on radar or reported by a spotter. Take shelter!
• Be prepared to evacuate or shelter-in-place.
• Designate a “safe place” to shelter. Underground is best, such as a basement or storm shelter. If not possible, go to the center room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building.
• If you are in a vehicle, try to seek shelter in a sturdy building. If no building is near, pull over, keep seat belt on. Cover head and neck with your arms and cover your body with a coat or blanket.
• Avoid parking under bridges and overpasses.
• Anticipate power outages.
• Charge cell phones and be sure to have fresh batteries for flashlights.
Also, the weekly tornado siren, which sounds every Wednesday at 3:30 p.m., had been cancelled today:
Here’s what Memphis-area Twitter user Brutus thinks about the weather:
