AccuWeather Provided Critical Advance Warning Before an EF3 Tornado in Illinois, Helping Nucor Steel Take Action, Protect Workers and Avoid Disaster

An AccuWeather SkyGuard® Severe Weather Warning gave plant employees a critical 10 minutes of advance lead time to seek safety

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When an EF3 tornado headed toward Kankakee, Illinois on March 10, sirens at the Nucor Steel plant had not gone off.

But employees received an AccuWeather SkyGuard® Severe Weather Warning, alerting them of the threat of a tornado.

Steps were taken immediately to shut down plant operations and move employees to a safe shelter, said Nucor Environmental Manager Aaron Rowland. Two minutes after they were safe in the shelter, the site’s tornado sirens finally sounded. 

That 10 minutes of advance notice from AccuWeather gave the Nucor facility critical lead time to protect people and shut down operations. 

“We got the notification from AccuWeather that our facility was under the threat of a tornado warning 10 full minutes before our on-site tornado sirens went off,” Rowland said. “Our team immediately began following protocols to get the facility in a safe state so our team could shelter. We achieved that safe state 2 minutes before the tornado sirens went off. So that extra head’s up from AccuWeather was very significant.”

>> AccuWeather SkyGuard® Severe Weather Warnings better protect people and property when severe weather threatens. Each warning is communicated instantly with AccuWeather’s proven Superior Accuracy™ through multiple channels and dissemination methods, all customized to your specific needs. >> 

The Nurcor plant only recently started using AccuWeather For Business SkyGuard® products, and Rowland said in the past the facility would have waited to be alerted to severe weather from the on-site tornado sirens.

Rowland said forecasts called for the possibility of severe weather for several days before the March 10 tornado, and the facility started that Tuesday with a safety meeting to go over severe weather and tornado protocols. 

When the SkyGuard® alert came in, Rowland and others were able to shut down operations and usher employees to safety. No one was injured at the plant, he said. 

Rowland said the facility, which recycles scrap metal to make rebar, prides itself on safety. 

“Our mission is to become the world’s safest steel company, and that ties into protecting our team when it comes to severe weather events,” he said.

The EF3 tornado was part of a severe weather outbreak across Illinois that left one person dead in Aroma Park, a short distance from Kankakee. 

“I wanted to praise the AccuWeather for Business SkyGuard product…it has already paid itself off many times over by preventing unnecessary shutdowns. This partnership has shown it is a blessing to us, and I just wanted to pass along a heartfelt sentiment for your team watching over us that day,” Rowland said. 

AccuWeather site-specific warnings better protect your business and keep your people safer when it matters most. SkyGuard® delivers more accurate, proactive warnings and notifications for your specific locations, all customized to your criteria and risks. Warnings are issued by AccuWeather’s team of Certified Storm Warning Meteorologists and backed by live expert consultation. 

Manufacturing leaders use AccuWeather to prevent unnecessary shutdowns, protect their workforce, ensure business continuity and optimize logistics to keep people safe and reduce delays and financial losses. 

AccuWeather’s SkyGuard® Severe Weather Warnings

Be proactive with AccuWeather SkyGuard® Severe Weather Warnings with proven Superior Accuracy™ AccuWeather’s SkyGuard warnings deliver hyperlocal, site-specific alerts and warnings with often more advance notice, before severe weather hits, giving you more time to prepare. 

As an example of AccuWeather’s proven Superior Accuracy™, for tornadoes, on average, AccuWeather provides 16 minutes of advance notice compared to an average of only eight minutes from the National Weather Service. In some cases, we often provide much more advance notice. 

Businesses that invest in AccuWeather’s SkyGuard Severe Weather Warnings also get access to a team of expert severe weather meteorologists, 24x7x365. AccuWeather does not just send you a warning; we confirm that you have received it, so you can make the best weather-impacted decisions for your business every time. 

<<Why take unnecessary risks? Contact AccuWeather today to get AccuWeather's SkyGuard® Severe Weather Warnings to better prepare your business and keep your employees safer for all severe weather threats.>>

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