Wichita Kansas and tornados

This question will show my lack of knowledge about tornados. The closest I've been to one is watching them on TV. If you were in an RV park, at your MH, wouldn't you have some hint from the weather that one was coming? If it looked like it was headed directly for you, couldn't you just raise your levelers, disconnect, and drive away from it? If you can see it commng directly for you and you know you're going to get hit, but it's still a couple miles away, couldn't you try to get out of the way? Isn't a tornado fairly slow moving? Has anyone tried to dodge a tornado from being parked in an RV park?

PS. no tornadoes, hurricanes, poisonous snakes, droughts, poisonous spiders, or other such things like income taxes in Alaska. We do have earth quakes and volcanoes – we have one going off again out on the Aleutian Chain.

Bill

IIRC, May isn't a big tornado month in the midwest. During the 2 yrs I lived in Wichita, I ducked into a gas station once to avoid hail. I never ducked to avoid a tornado.

We live in part of tornado alley. Im 68 and I've seen 2 just out in the fields. I remember as a kid standing and looking out kitchen window with Mom and watched one go by. Mother also had been there all her life and it did not disturb her.

Wichita is no different than any other city in Tornado Alley. Just listen/watch weather reports and be prepared to take cover if that's the instruction. So FAR this year storms have been quite sparce and even on a HEAVY year, your odds of being IN one are minimal. Conside the fact that there are THOUSANDS of 100 + year old homes, many very old trees etc in Wichita and surrounding area and they can neither take cover or even MOVE and still they stand. (Just to put a different prospective on the issue.)
Good luck / Skip

If anyone is really worried about tornadoes, they probably shouldn't be anywhere in the midwest from may to april (in other words, any month.) They happen, but somehow people still live in the midwest. Just saw the outcome of the tornado in Joplin MO. For those people in it's path, really bad. For the other 90 percent no destruction.
We have been within 10 or 20 miles of a few of tornadoes in our travels over 15 years. A year ago, we were within miles of tornadoes in Ala, Tenn, and KY. What is the choice, never travel, never go to the midwest?
A couple of years ago, one hit the north side of Minneapolis, and we were within one mile of it when it happened. There are no absolute save places.

Deb and Ed M wrote:
You can deal with tornadoes almost anywhere east of the Rockies. Own a good weather radio; know what county you're in, since most warnings go by counties. ...

a good point which makes local forecasting sort of worthless to an outsider. I mean "tornado hitting dry gulch county" is totally meaningless unless you are a local.
bumpy

Golly Gee!And so many are afraid to come to CA because we have earthquakes. Lets see......last one causing damage was??????? Oh! several years ago. Last tornado causing damage was????? Yesterday!
Since I am a California boy, tornado's scare me. I guess insurance in tornado country is similar to earthquake insurance here. So expensive you can't afford it.
Have I endured a tornado? No. However a couple of years ago, I hunkered down in a Sam's Club parking lot in Omaha and watched the local news warn of several in my area. Was I scared. You bet! This was the same day that a tornado took out an entire town in Iowa as we were driving west on I-80.
No thanks, I like my earthquakes.

You can deal with tornadoes almost anywhere east of the Rockies. Own a good weather radio; know what county you're in, since most warnings go by counties. If you can get on your computer - check the radar on websites like NOAA, The Weather Channel; or one of my favorites, Intellicast.com whose radar also shows storm paths and whether the storm contains hail (it will also show "rotation" - but don't freak out since most storms have rotation: hail will show how much of an updraft the storm has).

And *IF* a storm is headed your way - get out of the RV - they are the most unsafe place of all. Head for the bathrooms or anything with as little glass and stout walls as possible. Laying in a ditch is safer than your RV....

be aware, but not overly concerned.
as stated, know where the campground shelter is and if the weather looks threatening, tune in to the local news station where it will no doubt be giving you frequent weather updates.
note: a "tornado watch" means weather can/might produce a tornado, hail, high winds, etc.
"tornado warning" means there is a tornado and you should take cover if you are in the projected path of a tornado.
finally, if you are parked under or very close to a big tree, you might want to move your rig as far away as you can to avoid tree damage. but this is only if it is really convenient to do so. otherwise, let your insurance do what you pay for.

well I went thru one on the South side of Wichita a bunch of years back. had a heck of a rainstorm buffeting around near the cessna (IIRC) plant and shortly thereafter heard on my radio that a tornado had in fact just hit that area.
but as said, one can hit but the probability is not high that you will synchronize your stay with one. be sure to locate the place of shelter at the campgrounds.
bumpy