JACKSONVILLE, Florida — During the summer months here on the First Coast it’s almost a guarantee that when the afternoon hours roll around, so will thunderstorms. But, what does it take for a thunderstorm to become severe?
Let’s start with what parameters are NOT on the list. Seemingly endless thunder and lightning, though very dangerous and noisy, do not make a storm severe. Neither does heavy, sometimes blinding, rainfall. Even though these parameters don't cause a storm to be labeled as severe, lightning and heavy rainfall can be life threatening and should still be take seriously!
For a storm to become severe we need hail that is at least one inch in diameter AND/OR winds of 58 mph or greater. Only one of those criteria need to be met for a severe thunderstorm warning to be issued by the local National Weather Service Office.
If a warning is issued in your area, it’s best to head indoors and wait for the storm to pass. A great way to know if there is a storm in your area is by downloading the First Coast News app. The app has an interactive radar so you can track the storms right along with us and if you enable location and notification services you can get alerts for the weather in your exact area.