Dear Educator,

The Normandy Landings, Operation Neptune, Operation Overlord -- all refer to the same event – D-Day. "D-Day" was a general term used for the day of a significant event. But because D-Day of Operation Overlord was the largest amphibious assault in military history and because it was the beginning of the end for Hitler's reign of terror – it became the popular expression for June 6, 1944, when the Allied invasion of German-occupied France began in World War II.

But what does D-Day have to do with weather? Well the short answer is...everything. You see, weather conditions had to be just right for such a large-scale operation to take place and there were only a few days each month this could occur. Join Meteorologist Rachel Peterson in this month's RWI Video as she delves more into D-Day Weather. View Quick Time version.

When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors!

June 20th is the start of "Lightning Safety Awareness Week" sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The agency's message is "When Thunder Roars, Go Indoors." The awareness program is launched to coincide with the beginning of summer; the deadliest season for lightning strikes because of the frequency of thunderstorms and the fact that more people are outdoors. Lightning claims more lives than tornadoes and hundreds of people are permanently injured each year. Knowing what do can help to keep you, your family and friends safe. Here are some tips from NOAA on how to stay safe:

• Have a lightning safety plan. Know where you’ll go for safety and how much time it will take to get there. Make sure your plan allows enough time to reach safety.

• Postpone activities. Before going outdoors, check the forecast for thunderstorms. Consider postponing activities to avoid being caught in a dangerous situation.

• Monitor the weather. Look for signs of a developing thunderstorm such as darkening skies, flashes of lightning or increasing wind.

• Get to a safe place. If you hear thunder, even a distant rumble, immediately move to a safe place. Fully enclosed buildings with wiring and plumbing provide the best protection. Sheds, picnic shelters, tents or covered porches do NOT protect you from lightning. If a sturdy building is not nearby, get into a hard-topped metal vehicle and close all the windows. Stay inside until 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder.

• If you hear thunder, don’t use a corded phone except in an emergency. Cordless phones and cell phones are safe to use.

• Keep away from electrical equipment and wiring.

• Water pipes conduct electricity. Don’t take a bath or shower or use other plumbing during a storm.

• Visit the National Weather Service Lightning Safety website for more info on lightning and how to stay safe.

Congratulations to the 2010 SunWise with SHADE National Poster Contest Winner Kayla from Vermont! The 5th grade winner got the message exactly right: you can enjoy being outdoors in the sun and still be safe. Thanks to all the schools that participated this year and to everyone who voted. We know through the voting portion of this contest that at least 119,000 viewers learned more about sun safety messages!

Thanks for reading the penultimate issue of Classroom Connections. We have one more issue next month and then we are off for a couple of months for summer. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled for the August issue when we open registration for the September 2010 Hurricane Webinars!!

Regards,

The WeatherBug Schools Team

Phone: 800-544-4429, Ext. 2
Email: edsales@aws.com
Web: weatherbugschools.com