Storms and Tornados

[magnusfide]

Since it's the season, thought I'd remind everyone that even if it isn't THAT season, be sure to locate where the storm shelters are in each place you camp. Don't try to ride out a bad storm in your RV. Get to a solid shelter with your family and pets.

[K_and_I]

Ivylog wrote:


The best weather app I have found is “Zoom weather”, cost five dollars and well worth it... picture below. Paid for itself when I was able to shoot the gap between two huge thunderstorms in Nebraska one evening...slight rain for 30 seconds. When you click on the box it expands and gives you the speed and intensity of the thunderstorms cell...2nd picture. The underlying map is as good as any Google map and I use it as a moving navigation tool.

This looks interesting. Is this for Apple only?

[doxiemom11]

Our weather radio automatically knows what county we are in. Easy to use.

[johnhicks]

Don't be up in Dixie Alley before June 1; stay south of I-10 and east of I-95. And the same goes for the classic Tornado Alley. If an outbreak is forecast, go south and/or east. In the past two outbreaks _three days_ warning was given, plenty of time to move to avoid the weather. This of course applies to travelers, not stationary people. Stationary RVers might want to rethink where they are.

If you can move, there's really no excuse.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Ivylog wrote:
These things have wheels under them for a reason. Only once have I put in the slides and unhooked in the campground so I could start up and move away from a tornado storm...

OK - now I'll go full-blown Weather Geek:

It takes a radar dome 4-1/2 minutes to do one scan. Some states, like Florida and Michigan, tend to have "pop-up" tornadoes that can show up on radar as a pixel - but in the course of the potentially 8 minutes it was on the ground, can do a LOT of damage. They aren't like the Great Plains tornadoes that tend to be highly visible and long-tracked.

So yes, we are all very mobile - but trying to outrun a tornado when you don't really know exactly where it is, is very risky business, depending on where you are. If leading tornado researchers (Tim and his son Paul Samaras, and Carl Young R.I.P.) can be trapped and killed by a tornado - we lesser humans shouldn't really try that 😞

[vermilye]

For those that want to know what county they are in, and have an internet connection, This Link to the GIS Geography County Map of the US had individual state county maps. Individual states can be downloaded ahead of time.

[Ivylog]

These things have wheels under them for a reason. Only once have I put in the slides and unhooked in the campground so I could start up and move away from a tornado storm... Interstate was close by and ran right angles to the movement of the storm. Watched it on a local TV station as it went by 10 miles away from us. Even if the campground has an underground shelter I’ll probably move before I go to the shelter.

The best weather app I have found is “Zoom weather”, cost five dollars and well worth it... picture below. Paid for itself when I was able to shoot the gap between two huge thunderstorms in Nebraska one evening...slight rain for 30 seconds. When you click on the box it expands and gives you the speed and intensity of the thunderstorms cell...2nd picture. The underlying map is as good as any Google map and I use it as a moving navigation tool.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

These are all great tips - I just want to add one:
The National Weather Service offers free Skywarn classes to the public every spring. The class is designed for the average person to be able to recognize (and hopefully report) severe weather and tornadoes. I feel pretty certain, that even devoid of all electronics, that I could tell when to take shelter because something ugly is about to happen; and if I DO have my electronic stuff available, I know how to recognize a tornado (or potential tornado) on radar.

To find a class near you, go to your local NWS page and look up "Skywarn". (Chances are that most areas have already held their training classes for this year)

Here's a link to the Nat'l Skywarn page
Skywarn

[colliehauler]

rk911 wrote:

colliehauler wrote:
I'm I missing something here? I receive weather alerts on my phone which uses GPS to track what area I'm in.

so do we but what happens when you're in a 'no service' area?

Very seldom do I not have cell service at a camoground. Before I travel I check the weather to the area I plan on going. I do not travel if sever weather is forecasted. I also have two weather radios that are seldom used. I try not to put myself in a bad situation but understand sometimes it's unavoidable.

[Crowe]

Thom02099 wrote:

Reader1 wrote:

Crowe wrote:
Also, know what county you are in. Many areas, if not most, post warnings by county.

That is the best advice! We have been in areas where we do not know the county and there are weather watches, never warnings so far.

However....don't rely on technology alone. You could be an area with spotty (or no) service when you arrive, never mind if a storm is approaching.

Carry a good old fashioned map book. I've always had a Rand McNally map book of the USA in my tow vehicle as a backup. It will show the counties and their borders. Also, train yourself to be an observer. Most counties do have border marker signs when you're entering a new county, some will also have a "leaving" sign on their side of the "enter" sign of the other county.

Good advice. We are all too dependent upon technology and forget the good "old fashioned" ways. I should have remembered that-for our honeymoon in May, 1984 we packed up all of our camping gear (yes, camping on my honeymoon, in a tent!) and drove from MA to SD, CO and WY. We hit multiple tornado advisories and one warning. If it wasn't for the map book we would not know what county we were in.

[Scottiemom]

On most of the campground brochures (if they have one), they will include emergency information and many times that includes the county name and the emergency radio stations.

Not all campgrounds provide brochures, but if they do, check for this info.

Dale

[magnusfide]

The low/no service issue is important and there are campgrounds where this is a problem. We have a weather radio that also can be cranked to keep us up to date and that helps.

Where there’s a good cell service signal you can also track storms using the interactive VIPIR radar of local television stations. Make sure your smart phone has its location turned on so you can see where you are on the VIPIR map.

[rk911]

colliehauler wrote:
I'm I missing something here? I receive weather alerts on my phone which uses GPS to track what area I'm in.

so do we but what happens when you're in a 'no service' area?

[atreis]

colliehauler wrote:
I'm I missing something here? I receive weather alerts on my phone which uses GPS to track what area I'm in.

You'll only get the weather alerts on your phone if you have a signal. Many remote campgrounds (NF, COE, dispersed sites, and even some NP) don't have good, or sometimes any, cellular reception, but will still be able to receive weather alerts by radio broadcasts. It's good to have both.

[stickdog]

If you have a Rand Mcnally road atlas the county's are on the maps. The one in front of me they are a bold print.