Tornadoes in the Southeast

[pasusan]

We've been planning a leisurely trip down the Natchez Trace, to New Orleans, and back up through Alabama towards I-81. Got it all worked out for this spring - end of March into April.

It just came to mind that that is tornado season. :E

Looking at some sites that talk about average tornadoes by month Mississippi and Alabama look pretty bad for those months.

What do you think? Would it stop you?

[RoyB]

Having lived in the Wichita Falls area in the 60s I have seen my share of pink and green skies every three days during the so called Tornoado season... Seems like this is sort of moving more east now with the changing climates...

Two of the houses we lived in Wichita falls during the 60s both have been blown down due to Tornaodes...

Being aware is the way to go. Need one of those NOAH Weather alert radios... You can skirt the areas that are affected most of the times...

WX maps on our Sirius Radio in our truck really is a neat thing to have when traveling...

Roy Ken

[DutchmenSport]

No, would not stop us at all. We live in Indiana, another tornado alley. If you stop and fret over something that may never happen, you'll probably never go camping.

We've been through 2 tornadoes while camping over the last 30 years of camping, from tent to trailers. And both times, we were relatively safe. And actually, if a tornado comes, you really do not give a hoot about your RV at that point. That's what insurance is for. You get to a safe place (not inside the RV), and join everyone else who is panicking. Last time this happened to us, we gathered in the women's restroom (block building), and we all started sing-along songs to bid the time! Funny, the dogs in attendance started howling. I think we all had a marvelous party. So you know ... tornadoes are really not all THAT bad!

[BB_TX]

Would not change my plans. But then I have lived in the southern end of "tornado alley" all my 70 years. Last time our house was hit by a tornado was 1948 when I was 2! Have only seen two in the years since.

Be alert to weather forecast. Know where shelter is in case of the rare event of one in your area. Enjoy your trip.

[coolmom42]

Scottiemom wrote:
Having lived in tornado territory all my life, I can say we never altered our plans to do anything or go anywhere. Those storms are so darn unpredictable there is just no telling when you might run into problems or not. Best advice, be aware of your surroundings, keep a good weather radio, and know where the safest place is to go in the event of a problem.

I would always opt for safety. Watch the weather. . .if you see something coming up, avoid it. One year we were headed across Ohio to family in Indiana. Storms all around us. We had the weather radar up on the laptop with our navigation. We snaked around the roads and highways avoiding the most dangerous cells. Made it fine.

Dale

For sure.

This is the nicest time of year in the South, so don't change your trip. But DO make sure you have a plan to get to shelter. Side roads with exits off the trace are fairly plentiful. Know where you are in relation to one of them so you can get off and seek shelter.

Keep track on a map and know what county you are in, so you can keep up with weather alerts on a radio. Also an app like Weather Underground is very useful. If you see heavy storms on the radar, it's a good time to get off anyway. Those are no fun to drive in.

[dwayneb236]

I have lived in North Texas all my 54 years. I have never even seen an actual tornado in person and we do get our share here. Have had some fairly close to me but not close enough to really worry.

[JWRoberts]

DownTheAvenue wrote:
Not only are they unpredictable, they are pin point in where they strike. Take a map of the southeast. They are of no concern whatsoever. The likelihood of being affected by a tornado while traveling the Southeast is extremely minimal.

+1

[Sam_Spade]

pasusan wrote:

What do you think? Would it stop you?

No. But cold weather might.

[DownTheAvenue]

Not only are they unpredictable, they are pin point in where they strike. Take a map of the southeast. They are of no concern whatsoever. The likelihood of being affected by a tornado while traveling the Southeast is extremely minimal.

[Scottiemom]

Having lived in tornado territory all my life, I can say we never altered our plans to do anything or go anywhere. Those storms are so darn unpredictable there is just no telling when you might run into problems or not. Best advice, be aware of your surroundings, keep a good weather radio, and know where the safest place is to go in the event of a problem.

I would always opt for safety. Watch the weather. . .if you see something coming up, avoid it. One year we were headed across Ohio to family in Indiana. Storms all around us. We had the weather radar up on the laptop with our navigation. We snaked around the roads and highways avoiding the most dangerous cells. Made it fine.

Dale

[PghBob]

No, but make sure to have a good weather radio with an all alerts feature. If you are towing, have a good radio in the tow vehicle. Sometimes these nasty storms hit in the middle of the night, so keep the radio on all night. Most weather alerts are by County, so know the county in which you are camped or driving through. Further, when you check into a campground, make sure to identify the storm shelters, often the restrooms or camp office. Hopefully, you won't need any of the info. here. Have a great trip.

[JW_of_Opechee_S]

No here. we did that trip last year when we left Florida and had a great time with good weather the entire trip. New Orleans, Vicksburg, Memphis, Nashville, Lexington KY, Smokes, Virginia and then on home to NH.

[Mfan]

Nope