Tornadoes while RVing

malexander wrote:
I'm an Okie. We sit out on the porch and watch'em.
The news people were telling where one was a couple years ago. My 19 yo daughter wanted to GO see it, it was only a few mile from our house. So, we went.:)

We do the same here in NE Colorado. :)

Don't know who compiled that list but the Memphis area is the Bermuda triangle for tornadoes and real real bad storms. Been there done that stupidly drove thru there during tornado season twice. :B

Don't scare yourself out of going somewhere:

Get appropriate weather apps AND a weather radio. That weather radio will shriek at you until you get up and listen to it - very important when the storms come in at night.
Watch/listen to local weather forecasts. Use your apps/internet connections to check out the weather forecasts for where you're going that day.
Always know what county you're in and what adjacent counties are, so you'll know if/when you're in a watch/warning area.
Don't drive into a wall cloud. Wait it out.

Just be weather alert. In time, it will become second nature.

I grew up in Tornado Alley. It's not anywhere near as scary as some like to portray - as long as one pays attention.

Wanderlost wrote:
Don't scare yourself out of going somewhere:

Get appropriate weather apps AND a weather radio. That weather radio will shriek at you until you get up and listen to it - very important when the storms come in at night.
Watch/listen to local weather forecasts. Use your apps/internet connections to check out the weather forecasts for where you're going that day.

Always know what county you're in and what adjacent counties are, so you'll know if/when you're in a watch/warning area.

Don't drive into a wall cloud. Wait it out.

Just be weather alert. In time, it will become second nature.

I grew up in Tornado Alley. It's not anywhere near as scary as some like to portray - as long as one pays attention.

X2

The biggest lesson I learned was to map out the counties I will be driving thru on my trip for each day. This should be in all the books for new RV'ers.

Those green interstate signs you are driving under don't tell you what County you are in when the weather station is screaming at you what County the tornado is headed for!!! :E

And the national weather station does give out warnings by Counties. They figure you live in and are familiar which country you are in.

My first tornado newbie experience as a Snowbird, while driving the MH had my shorts in a bunch because I didn't know what County I was in, driving thru, or more importantly headed into. :R

I now "print" out a "County" map of all the states I am planning to be driving thru. Keep it on the console at all times.

I'm so glad that we don't have tornado's in California (ha ha). On Friday, we had 90 mph gusts and it blew over my fireplace stack made of Stucco. The structure is an 11' tall x 7.5' wide x 3.5' stack sticking up from the roof. Neighbor had a plate glass window blow out. My house keeper happened to be there and took a video of the event (I was out of town).

The living room/dining room has a 70 ft. wall of glass and no breakage (thanking my lucky stars). I think the house is angled just right in correlation to which way the wind normally blows. The wind blow 'by' the windows, not 'at' the windows.

These strong winds seem to come through the California desert every few years (at this magnitude). A couple of times a year we get strong winds (40-50 mph gusts).

Making lemonade out of lemons. The workers are there today to clean up the mess and build a new stack.

MM.

malexander wrote:
I'm an Okie. We sit out on the porch and watch'em.
.....

X2

From the Midwest and as a kid when a storm was coming Dad would call us out on the porch and we'd sit on the swing and enjoy the storm as it hit! :C

Fast forward to >Florida.....the minute you know a storm is coming you RUN into the house from where ever you are at because of the most dangerous lightening strikes I have ever seen.

I was standing barefoot "inside" my house on the tile floor when a bolt of lightening hit outside the window, I felt it go thru my whole body.

Yes Florida storms are right here right now.