Tornado safety

I can't think of anything I need to see during tornado season in tornado alley.

Raften wrote:
I have to say after reading that I think I prefer earth quake country.

Oh heavens no. Tornadoes just hit a limited area. Earthquakes destroy everything for miles and miles.

You can hide from a tornado and there is a good chance you will survive. There is no hiding from a earthquake. Nowhere is safe.

Come to Arizona and all you'll have to endure is heat in the summer. :)

I have to say after reading that I think I prefer earth quake country.

This thread is very appropriate to me tonight. It is 12:45 am and there is a line of thunderstorms just west of me near Kilgore TX. They should be here at 2:00. I am watching the weather very closely.

I live in northwest Arkansas so tornadoes are a normal part of spring, but this is my first time in an RV.

What a way to end our first week of a six month trip on the road. I hope to still be here in the morning... LOL

As an aside: every Spring, the National Weather Service offers FREE Storm Spotter training. Usually (around here, at least) it's offered in each county and is a 3-hour class. It will give you a good basic education regarding severe storms, and how to recognize a true tornado (as opposed to something called a Scud cloud). They also give you some basic radar-reading skills and introduce you to terms like CAPE, helicity, and shear. Once you know where to find the meteorologists' forecast discussions and can decipher the velocity radar images, you'll have a MUCH better attitude towards scary weather.

The NWS doesn't expect anyone to "chase" storms - all they want is for you to report what you are either seeing; or if you had to take cover, what you see for damage. They call this "Ground Truth": they know what the radar is showing. Confirmation from a trained Spotter lets them know that a warning is needed.

BB_TX wrote:
In the rare event you happen to find yourself in the line of an approaching tornado or supercell thunderstorm, go to proper shelter. Know where it is in advance. Don't wait until there is a need. Many RV parks have designated shelter areas.

RV park tornado in OKC

If you need tornado "help" - you are genuinely in trouble!

Been on here every year during "tornado time".

Most RV parks do *NOT* have "proper shelter".

The best you will get is the bathroom facilities.
(check for cinder block walls!).

Best plan for camping in RV parks - is to avoid "Tornado Alley" during the tornado season..;)

Yeah - been there, done (experienced) that "up close and personal" - thanks to Uncle Sugar. & Wichita Falls, TX.

Back to "best plan".

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There were injuries some critical from people at Roadrunner RV Park in OKC.
The 30 that were in the parks's storm shelter were all unharmed.

As far as what county you are in I always ask what county we are in when we check into a RV park or campground.

If you have an IPhone, you can ask Siri what county you are in. Any smart phone has plenty of options for tornado safety. I prefer the Weather Channel app's tornado alert feature. Their lightning alert will tell you that lightning struck .2 miles from you (or whatever distance). Counties are usually named when there is a tornado watch, but tornado warnings are much more specific. Modern technology has made it much safer for us in Tornado Alley.

Well today there is a 60% chance of tornados in western Kansas and 40% chance in the rest of Kansas Oklahoma and Texas.

Travelers in the midwest beware! Not just for tornados but straight line winds from the thunderstorms.