Hi all,I think this is my first post.This past Memorial Day weekend we boondocked at a southern illinois campground Thursday thru Sunday.Saturday eve the forecast had 80+ MPH winds aloft. The campground was in a heavily wooded area. Didn't feel the wind much and we huddled in the toy hauler until it past. I could see in my three girls eyes they were terrified. Very minor damage to the campground. Mostly small branches and leaves.Has anyone else experienced a severe storm while camping? Not much to do but maybe go somewhere with structure...best to keep eye on weather and plan way ahead is the only option I can think of.

We went through a horrendous storm in Missouri about 20 years ago. It was night and I had a hard time deciding whether to leave or not. One could easily drive straight into a tornado driving in the dark. Rain was coming down horizontally with such force that it was driving around the seals in the trailers window and coming through. We braced ourselves and put stuff on the wall to cushion us if the trailer flipped.We stayed in our little 22' swaying TT and watched the large group of tent campers across from us flee in their vehicles in the dark - leaving everything behind. I watched their loaded coolers tumble away and their staked tents tear loose and go aloft. They had totes of food and other things that just disappeared into the night.In the morning there was almost nothing left of their camp. It was truly terrifying.

"Has anyone else experienced a severe storm while camping?"Many, many times! Never terrified though... always fascinated at it! That's why we keep insurance on the trailer. Actually, thunderstorms, even violent ones, are a part of nature. I think it's equally important to experience the rain as much as the sunshine! We've been camping on at least 3 different occasions when tornados were in the immediate area. The first, we were in our pop-up. Like you, we were under a heavy wooded area, and the trees broke all the high wind. The pop-up sides shook a little, but no so violent anything even came close to breaking. I thought the experience was exhilarating! Another time, in our DutchmenSport TT, a tornado came thorugh and the winds were incredible. We were caught outside and the dust and fine particle of dirt, leaves, small twigs picked up in the wind were hitting us like a zillion ice picks stabbing us all at the same time. It hurt and stung. We ended up in a concrete shower house with a bunch of other people and everyone's pets (including our dog). Everyone was freeking out! My wife and I had a blast! We laughed, joked, looked out the door, and our antics actually helped put everyone else at ease. We kept reminding everyone that our camper was insured, as I was sure there's was too, we were safe, and if their campers blew away, it was a great opportunity to purchase a brand new camper! Somehow, I think, before we left that shower house, everyone actually WANTED their campers to get blown away!Another time we at Port St. Joe State Park in Florida. A water spout was just off the peninsula heading for the town of St Joe. But we were behind the sand dunes and the brunt of the wind blew over the top of us. Next morning, the place looked like this. We made the best of it, and just enjoyed what Mother Nature threw at us.We sleep in our camper almost every night at home (driveway camp). We stay in the camper during some of the most horrific thunderstorms. Our trailer is parked facing West to East. We get 35-55 mph winds where we live (on a sunny day), so the winds hit the front of the camper, just like when traveling down the road. We've never felt uncomfortable or uneasy. Thunderstorms are simply awesome when your right there in them.

This past weekend we went through a severe storm. Power lines were torn down due to wind and debris. Campground really didn't have a place to shelter. We were parked in the only area with no trees. During the height of the storm 3 young people from Germany came running by and asked what to do. My wife told them to shelter in the shower.

Year before last we were camped at the Coast in November,Rained all four days, last night the wind picked up to 35-40 mph sustained winds, gust to 60 mph. Well, it had the trailer rocking! At around 3 in the morning it was so loud with the rain pounding on the trailer! Wind really picked up, it was hitting the west side of the trailer so hard it was blowing water thru the weep holes in the windows, Got up to check things out and when I stepped out of bed my socks got wet! We decided to leave at first light! at 6 A.M. a park Ranger drove by and told us to seek higher ground as the high tide was expected to flood lower camp sites! We broke camp and were leaving as the surf was washing through the camp.. Wow,, that was a close one!

Went through a bad thunderstorm with big hail at Half Moon campground north of Big Timber WY, in the Gallatin National Forest. The lightning was amazing and the thunder was deafening as it echoed in the canyon. We kept hearing a big roaring sound beforehand and finally figured out it was the waterfall 1/2 mile upstream, as the storm moved through it. That water quickly appeared in the campground, and I was glad to be in a higher-level site. Not so much wind but torrential rain and hail.We were in a Cabela's Alaskan Guide tent and it did not leak a drop.

Survived a severe thunderstorm | Good Sam Community

Tvov
Explorer II
Jun 02, 2017
Sounds like we've not been in as bad storms as others are describing. The worst was probably a thunderstorm at the KOA on the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls. There were tornado warnings if I remember correctly. We put all outside stuff in the truck or under the camper, then watched a movie on a laptop. My son (preteen at the time) kept his rubber boots on, just in case our camper tipped over...

Turned out the worst parts of the storm missed us, and the campground and other campers were all fine, so it was fun more than anything.
jake2250
Explorer
Jun 03, 2017
Something a little different! We were camping at a local lake, it was a Friday night and were planning on leaving in the Morn. Sitting out side enjoying a fire and we start to hear sirens close by,, then allot of sirens close by. A few minutes later the sirens are getting closer then a loud crash bang! We could see flashing lights and headlights out on the main road.
Then a Sheriffs car comes thru the camp ground announcing on his PA to retreat indoors and lock our doors and stay inside until further notice! Just as we get inside our cell phone lights up with an emergency notice to shelter in place and lock our doors and windows, Police activity in the area!
Talk about scary!! Felony man hunt turned into a hot pursuit, Bad guy crashes right in front of the campground entrance and took off on foot into the woods surrounding the camp ground!
Two hours later we can hear the helicopter giving the bad guy orders to surrender! They nab the guy next to the river that was directly across from our site! It was like COPS Live! Cop cars,Cops with rifles, cop dogs,helicopters, fireman ambulances, and what not! They arrest him and with in an half hour later,,,,,they are gone,, no word if it was safe to come out or not,,just left us sheltered in place!!
NYCgrrl
Explorer
Jun 04, 2017
Tenting during hurricane season in the NE is always interesting for us weather-wise.
We've learned (the hard way) that staking and guy-lining the tent properly is paramount to surviving extreme weather.
brant_c
Explorer
Jun 06, 2017
Jebby14 wrote:
...on a side note is boondocking at a campground not kind of an oxymoron?

well, yes. it was memorial day weekend and no reservations at this campground. first come first served.
when we arrived thursday morning, only primitive camping available. so we boondocked (no electric, water or sewer).
brant_c
Explorer
Jun 06, 2017
NYCgrrl wrote:
Tenting during hurricane season in the NE is always interesting for us weather-wise.
We've learned (the hard way) that staking and guy-lining the tent properly is paramount to surviving extreme weather.

we did tent camping a few years ago with my brother and his family.

the morning we left, he and his family had decided to get up early and go to town for breakfast.

a freak storm came through. when they got back to camp, a huge limb had fallen on their tent. if they had slept in it would have been horrific!

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