Todays forecast does not bode well for a large portion of middle America. A large vertical swath of severe weather to include the very real possibility of tornados is moving from west to east over the next three days. This has my undivided attention as we are planning on leaving on Thursday from Tucson (in our 24' Class C), with our first destination being Asheville North Carolina which takes us right through the danger zone. Hopefully the storms will have passed but we will be watching the extended and local forecasts closely. Our Rand McNally 7720 has the capability to display real time weather charts/radar overlaid upon the map screen. This merely requires an internet connection and the wifi hotspot of our i phones easily provides the connection. I'm sure we will be using this feature extensively throughout our trip. If we need to drive several hundred extra miles to avoid a coming front I will do so without hesitation.However, the very real possibility exists that we could be caught in some severe weather at some point so I would like input from you folks that have dealt with this sort of thing. I know the thunderstorms can produce some hellacious hail so what is the best way to deal with it? Short term I'm guessing hiding under a bridge might work, perhaps a large do it yourself car wash, tall drive up's with overhead protection etc., might also provide some protection. High winds don't concern me as anything under 35 is manageable and anything over will find me hunkered down someplace.I know that ultimately the best advice came from Mr Myagi to Danielsan (in the Karate Kid II),"Best way, no be dere," but alas that may not always be an option. :E

Live interactive RADAR and video from storm chasers.

If you have a weather radio, keep it on. Keep your atlas handy and know what county you are in at all times. Tornadoes usually move from the southwest toward the northeast. In our travels we avoided a tornado by knowing this info and calculating where we would be at the time the tornado crossed the hwy. We stopped for lunch! If you hear a tornado warning it helps to know where you are in relation to where the tornado is located. I would not pull under a bridge in the case of high winds. I would find an RV park and hunker down and use their buildings for shelter if needed. You could also stop at a truck stop and go inside if it gets really bad. We're at a park right in the path so I'm also watching the weather. Be safe out there.

A car wash would offer no protection whatsoever from a Tornado. It has also been shown that an underpass actually increases the chances you will be injured. The underpass actually funnels debris into space underneath it. Your best move in the unlikely event a tornado is actually in your area is to move to a secure structure. A motorhome or other vehicle is the absolute worst place to be. If no structure is available, you should attempt to drive at a right angle to a tornado's path which is generally southwest to northeast. If contact with a tornado is unavoidable, abandon your vehicle and lie flat in a ditch or depression. All that being said, the odds of being actually in a tornado as very, very slight.

Appreciate the tips but I was talking about bridges and car washes to avoid hail, not a tornado. If there is a tornado in the area the only thing I want between me and the twister are miles.:C

Bad weather is one reason why I don't like to travel through the mid-west and south during the spring months, although I made an exception this year (currently in Hickory, NC). A few years ago I was in Demopolis, AL at a beautiful COE park when nasty weather threatened. I drove to town and hunkered down in the check-in area of the motel along with several others. The TV was on and tuned to the local news and sure enough there were tornado warnings. When the storm passed I returned to the COE park and found evidence of damage, such as trees down. However I don't recall any RV's were damaged. That's the nature of these storms; their paths are relatively narrow. While you're traveling across country keep abreast of the weather reports in the locales where you expect to be later in the day. You might find it advantageous to hunker down at an RV park enroute to allow the weather to proceed further east, before you arrive there.

Scary weather across the midwest | Good Sam Community

17 Replies

Crowe
Explorer
Apr 26, 2014
Keep your atlas handy and know what county you are in at all times.

VERY important. Weather warnings are issued by county. I had an experience when a tornado warning was issued and I didn't know what county I was in. Found out the hard way I was in the "right" area. Fortunately it was a fair distance away and moving in the opposite direction but I could still see it quite clearly. I was driving (this was in a car), hubby was sleeping and I couldn't find my voice to wake him up I was so scared. All I could do was blast the horn (which woke him up) and point.

NC got hit hard yesterday in Beaufort County. Stay safe everyone.
Cat_Lady
Explorer
Apr 26, 2014
An insurance adjuster told me that if I get caught in hail to slow way down and keep going. Said one of the worse things I could do would be either stop or speed up.

Can't hurt to try it.

Cat Lady
mr__ed
Explorer
Apr 26, 2014
Bad weather is one reason why I don't like to travel through the mid-west and south during the spring months, although I made an exception this year (currently in Hickory, NC).

A few years ago I was in Demopolis, AL at a beautiful COE park when nasty weather threatened. I drove to town and hunkered down in the check-in area of the motel along with several others. The TV was on and tuned to the local news and sure enough there were tornado warnings.

When the storm passed I returned to the COE park and found evidence of damage, such as trees down. However I don't recall any RV's were damaged. That's the nature of these storms; their paths are relatively narrow.

While you're traveling across country keep abreast of the weather reports in the locales where you expect to be later in the day. You might find it advantageous to hunker down at an RV park enroute to allow the weather to proceed further east, before you arrive there.
Desert_Captain
Explorer III
Apr 26, 2014
Appreciate the tips but I was talking about bridges and car washes to avoid hail, not a tornado. If there is a tornado in the area the only thing I want between me and the twister are miles.

:C
bigdogger
Explorer II
Apr 26, 2014
A car wash would offer no protection whatsoever from a Tornado. It has also been shown that an underpass actually increases the chances you will be injured. The underpass actually funnels debris into space underneath it. Your best move in the unlikely event a tornado is actually in your area is to move to a secure structure. A motorhome or other vehicle is the absolute worst place to be. If no structure is available, you should attempt to drive at a right angle to a tornado's path which is generally southwest to northeast. If contact with a tornado is unavoidable, abandon your vehicle and lie flat in a ditch or depression. All that being said, the odds of being actually in a tornado as very, very slight.
sdianel_-acct_c
Explorer
Apr 26, 2014
If you have a weather radio, keep it on. Keep your atlas handy and know what county you are in at all times. Tornadoes usually move from the southwest toward the northeast. In our travels we avoided a tornado by knowing this info and calculating where we would be at the time the tornado crossed the hwy. We stopped for lunch! If you hear a tornado warning it helps to know where you are in relation to where the tornado is located. I would not pull under a bridge in the case of high winds. I would find an RV park and hunker down and use their buildings for shelter if needed. You could also stop at a truck stop and go inside if it gets really bad. We're at a park right in the path so I'm also watching the weather. Be safe out there.
camperpaul
Explorer
Apr 26, 2014
Live interactive RADAR and video from storm chasers.

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Scary weather across the midwest

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