Tornadoes and You :)

I don’t know about that. What you should do is figure out where the nearest trailer parks are and make sure you are not between the nader and the trailer park. Because it’s sort of a rule all tornadoes always go straight for them.

 

It's very consistent here in Arkansas.

Once in a while things really get going when they go straight north from the dead south. We had one dissipate half a mile from our place once. I caught another on video passing over head as a wedge in the sky.

As far as the trailer parks, they are in the bottomland, where it floods regularly. In land with no value. Everyone generally knows to GTFO of those death traps before the storm gets there. But there is always one or two who do not.

Even the mightest building can be totaled by a tornado big enough. We had a school near Vilonia made of steel and concrete destroyed about a month before it was due to open. A EF4 had a direct hit on it. It's flattened as if God stepped on it one time.

I can go on, but rather not. I don't worry about these things much anymore. I think Ive witnessed a dozen or so in the last 20 years or so, chased by 4 before that and until my 20's only heard of one. I rather deal with hurricanes than tornadoes. We have had dozens of those.

The one tornado they tell stories about and have a memorial for the killed drivers while they were asleep in the bunks, happened at Bruces Texaco in Oklahoma near east tulsa. It showed up, crossed the freeway and directly impact the building (Two stories of cinder block) it managed to lift the building a little bit and twist it just before feasting on the truck parking in the back killing I think 15 I'll have to double check that figure. It was the 80's I believe. The cracks sustained by the building are still there as a witness.

 

So your telling me to leave my equipment that can move twice as fast as a tornado and jump in the ditch and let it hit me? No way

 

People die trying to drive away from tornadoes.. and in the night you might very well just drive straight into it! Your biggest risk is going to be flying debre. A ditch will protect you but your truck probably won’t. It’s unlikely a tornado will happen to end up right on top of you in a ditch. A tornado will not be able to pick you up in a pit very well and most debre will fly right over your head.

Don’t let fear take over and remember advice from the experts. Stop and take cover. No overpasses and don’t try to flee if it’s close.

 

Here is what I found:

DO NOT TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO IN YOUR CAR. ... Tornadowinds can blow large objects, including cars, hundreds of feet away. Tornadoes can change direction quickly and can lift up a car or truck and toss it through the air. Never try to out-drive a tornado.“

 

The best approach is to be aware of your area surroundings with a good radar app [when you know you're in a risky area]. No reason to be "surprised" by one if mobile and with today's technology. And yes, if I'm mobile, and I see a Tor signature, I'm using my mobility to remain out of it's likely path by stopping, continuing, or deviating.

Being ran over by a Tor while in a truck stop or stopped in freeway traffic is another discussion

 

That's what that advice is for, those stuck in the freeway or a truck stop because one touched down close by. Or you are night driving and just didn't see it and it hasn't been reported yet.

If its off in the distance, then yeah, pull over and wait it out. Tornadoes last at most an hour. One hour for guaranteed safety is worth it.

 

As a former chaser, I've seen 4 tornadoes pass within 5 miles of a given point over the course of 6 hours. These long-duration-area setups are rare but they do happen. They are a chaser's dream setup. You just sit in a prime corridor and wait for them to come to you as cells train along a stationary dry line or triple point.

My point is to be aware of the situation. If you find the area you're parked at in under a tornado watch for the next 4 hours or more, maybe you should think about moving to a less hazardous area [if you can] rather than remain a sitting duck with no means of propulsion once you discover you're being immediately targeted when you hear those sirens.

 

I like how people in that clip are just like, eh, whatever.

So, if you are coming up on a county that's under a tornado watch, would you truck through it, or pull over and wait?