what to do in a tornado situation

What drives a lot of people to bridge overpasses is large hail that is often in the near vicinity of and precedes dangerous tornadoes. It's understandable to want to remain there if you feel or see a tornado or black immense rain skies that could be hiding a tornado heading your way.

But lots of vehicles congregating under overpasses always creates dangerous situations for others who may be in evasion mode or simply trying to proceed. Many people caught in severe storms tend to remain "sheltered" much longer then necessary.

 

Being under the bridge/overpass is the worst thing to do. The constriction cause a speed up of the local windflow, it's like being inside the nozzle of a spray bottle. The chances of a human holding tight as a tornado approaches are very slim. They are even less if they move into the location of highest windspeed.

 

If one gets pelted and sand blasted with dirt and small, sharp gravel particles found on the side of any road, lifted with 80+ MPH winds, they won't do that again, or more than likely will remain in their vehicle next time.

 

You said it. The biggest thing to fear in a tornado is not being picked up. That won't happen unless you are taking a direct hit. But debri can fly several miles around a large tornado.

I walked through a neighborhood in Del City, OK, a couple days after the May 3rd 1999 tornadoes (google it) tore thru there. It wiped houses clean off the concrete slabs, sheared 100 year old trees off at the base, and just made a mess of the place. But the main thing that stuck with me was seeing nails, screws, and other small objects imbedded into the asphalt. I couldn't imagine being pelted like that. Even if you didn't fly away, the small stuff flying around at 300 mph would kill you.

You need to be underground if it's coming directly at you.

With that said, the odds of a direct hit are very slim. I've lived in tornado alley all my life and I've seen several but never a direct hit. Well, not close enough to hurt me anyway.

Around here, when the sirens blow, folks grab a beer and go sit on the porch.

 

I was playing a violent battlefield bad company video game one afternoon, weather was filthy. Anyhow. Tornado formed into a EF2 and rolled across a road that passes by my home taking out about 6 telephone and electric poles roughly 200 yards to my north as I gamed away. Ya know.. computer had battery and the DSL routed went through another street to the city's datacenter and I did not notice much until the heat from the computer's radiator managed to raise the temperature 10 degrees in that home. Cat finally showed up all cringy and hiding hair everywhere. I stopped and took a tour see if there is a eagle, boar or something and there was the poles all gone.

One of these days Im going to be sitting here typing away when a

 

I see what you did there.....LOL

 

Then put your head between your knees and kiss your arse goodbye....

DOGGONE IT! We're sure gonna miss ol' x1Heavy! He could always come up with the good ones. Who knows, maybe he will end up with Toto and Dorothy. (Hope I have the names right here....)

 

I lived in an apartment behind the McDonald's seen at 6:05 in the video above. Note hirschbach stopped on the shoulder of I-59 at about 4:30.

 

They say a tornado sounds like twenty demons. If you happen to be deaf...

 

You will feel them. The ground shakes in addition to air pressure.

The Sirens are loud enough to penetrate where I am. But not asleep. I consider the night time tornados to be the most dangerous, killing people in their beds.

Ive compared them to a freight train.