What do you do in a tornado warning when in the RV?

[LangsRV2]

I have been undertaking a big rebuild on my 5th wheel and yesterday had the whole front end torn off when we got the tornado warning. We did our best to frame it up and tarp it for the upcoming storm. Then decided that if the wind trashed the trailer we could just take the insurance check and run! However, later in the middle of the night when we were awakened by the tornado sirens during the actual storm it got me thinking... What do you do if you are at a campground in the RV and a big storm comes up? What if they have a tornado warning? What if you happen to be close enough to town to hear the tornado sirens and they go off? What do you do? Where do you go? At what point to do take action? Do the park rangers tell you what to do or where to go? Or are you on your own to fend for yourselves? Do you have a plan? Has anyone had any experience with this kind of thing?

[bsbeedub]

In April of last year we were at a campground and the weather was supposed to be pretty unsettled but I had no idea it would get like it did.
The rains started slowly then the wind picked up. The awning was stowed immediately. Then it absolutely poured for quite a while. Thankfully it stopped... Only to be replaced by a pretty brutal hail storm. It was so loud in the TT that we could barely hear each other talk. I was imagining what the truck and TT were going to look like after it was over.
It finally stopped and we went outside to survey any possible damage and there was none! The hail was marble sized or smaller so I guess it just wasn't big enough to do any damage. Then the tornado sirens started!! Really? When we checked in the woman at the desk told me if there is threatening weather head to the shower house. So we did. There was probably 40 sites that were occupied and there were only five people that showed up at the shower house. I was pretty surprised that this threat was taken so lightly. The weather passed without incident and we went back to the TT. We stayed outside talking and looking around and one loop over I saw some owners trying to make sense of their destroyed awning. I guess they learned the lesson that when the wind whips up like that, the awning should be your first concern.

[Chock_Full_o__N]

CincyGus wrote:
Three years ago, the week prior to Memorial day, I was at a state park in my first voyage in our new to us, used popup camper. The sirens came up, I tuned in the local news radio station and discovered a tornado watch was out. I watched the skies until it started to rain so bad I couldn't and then all hell broke loose. The wind was blowing the tenting on my dinette slide out into the camper like a sail on a ship. It was covering about 1/4-1/3 of the dinette, tight as a drum and I really thought it was going to rip to shreads.

The popup had four stab jacks all down but it was rocking pretty bad. Never felt it come up off the ground but felt like it could at any minute. I finally got scared enough to lay in the floor of the popup with the dinette cushions on top of me, and praying so quickly I'm certain the Lord was ignoring my pronunciation and reading my mind.

Lasted about 20-25 minutes and found out later a Tornado has in fact passed near us and touched down about 2 miles away, damaging some stick and brinks pretty severly.

Now, I make notice of where the bath houses or shelters are at when I enter a campground and at the first sign of severe weather, we move.

The one and only good thing about the storm, the popup did not leak a drop and I was thrilled that if it could withstand that kind of wind and rain, I had made a good purchase.

Wow! we had a similar experience with our pop-up at a COE campground. We had our handicapped son with us at the time, when a storm just ran up out of nowhere. The sky went black and the wind whipped up. I could see the bathhouse from the front door and my plan was to walk the approx. 100 yards to the bathhouse. Well, about that time the sky opened up and poured down walnut-size hail and lightening. My son can't walk fast so I decided to stay put rather than put ourselves out there in the midst of it. To say it was a frightening experience would be the understatement of the year. When the storm cleared we stepped out of the pop-up and found a small tree that was about 12 feet from the camper--split completely down the middle, obviously struck by lightening. and our awning was torn all to pieces.

In retrospect, I'm sure there were warnings up--if we had only been attuned to them. Since then we have upgraded our phones so we can get weather updates anywhere we happen to be.

[Horsedoc]

We were in Amarillo one year and had just pulled in and checking in when a warning was announced. The guy at the desk told us where our site was and said it would be the safest place if we all went to the shower house. We got hooked up and waited for a siren - none came. I checked the shower house and looked at the RVs in the park. Averaging 2 people for each unit, that would have been one tight accomodation. I hope there was another some place because there was really no where near enough space for everyone in a concrete block building.

[mlts22]

The reason people pull jacks up in a very high wind is that the vehicle can move/turn in a wind, as opposed to outright flipping over.

Had a tornado warning last night over in Fredricksburg, so even in central TX hill country, they can happen.

[JoeChiOhki]

Pray if there's no place to go, if there's a place to go, go there and pray, if yer not a person of faith, drink the expensive scotch.

[Mr_Mark1]

We have never been caught in a really bad storm, yet! We have a nice trip planned from California to TN then to Michigan and back during the summer. So, there is a good chance that we might have severe weather somewhere along the way.

I have to say that is one of my biggest fears, a tornado. I've never seen one in person even living in the south nearly all of my life.

MM.

[gotsmart]

I sometimes have this dream - especially during the heavy winter wind/rain storms that we get in the PNW, west of Cascades:

I'm boondocking out in the middle of "You can't get there from here" and a tornado/'huricane force wind' warning comes over the weather radio. I grab a Klondike Bar from the fridge for a last meal, go outside, plant my face in the nearest ditch or swail, and play this over and over in my head until the storm passed or I passed.

It's always the same dream.

[woodworker414]

As was said in an earlier post: PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE. Know where the shelter or bath house is from your site. Or the lowest spot around your site. Listen to NOAA. Know your location, which county, the nearest town, so you can pinpoint the storm in relation to your location. The bug out bag is a really good idea, be ready to go, NOW.
I have seen the damage a tornado can do first hand, what it can do to a stick built house. I do not want to ride out a server storm in my mh. EVER. I usually look at the map when getting to a cg so I know my loacation. Did't do that many years ago in MN and just about got blown away. I was mistaken of my location, and nearly paid for it. I was about 50 off the spot I thought i was really at. Never again. I have the portable NOAA radio, walkie talkies with NOAA, and portabel ham radio with NOAA, and the CB has NOAA alert also. PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE.
Bill

[Roads_Less_Trav]

We experienced a tornado warning in Chanute Kansas. We were in the the free municipal RV park in the center of town. A cop knocked on our door and told us to go across the street to a motel.

We stood there with everyone else from the RV park and watched the news until the storm was over.

A town 15 miles away was hit really badly, but we were okay.

[LangsRV2]

Some have said they put the slides in and jacks up during a big storm. I would think the jacks would help stabilize the RV against the wind. Is this just to be ready to drive off if necessary or some other reason?

[CincyGus]

Three years ago, the week prior to Memorial day, I was at a state park in my first voyage in our new to us, used popup camper. The sirens came up, I tuned in the local news radio station and discovered a tornado watch was out. I watched the skies until it started to rain so bad I couldn't and then all hell broke loose. The wind was blowing the tenting on my dinette slide out into the camper like a sail on a ship. It was covering about 1/4-1/3 of the dinette, tight as a drum and I really thought it was going to rip to shreads.

The popup had four stab jacks all down but it was rocking pretty bad. Never felt it come up off the ground but felt like it could at any minute. I finally got scared enough to lay in the floor of the popup with the dinette cushions on top of me, and praying so quickly I'm certain the Lord was ignoring my pronunciation and reading my mind.

Lasted about 20-25 minutes and found out later a Tornado has in fact passed near us and touched down about 2 miles away, damaging some stick and brinks pretty severly.

Now, I make notice of where the bath houses or shelters are at when I enter a campground and at the first sign of severe weather, we move.

The one and only good thing about the storm, the popup did not leak a drop and I was thrilled that if it could withstand that kind of wind and rain, I had made a good purchase.

[dcason]

As a northerner, those warnings and watches even freak me out. I have spent hours in a few bathhouses in Florida...hubby was going down with the ship!

Donna

[magnusfide]

Mocoondo wrote:
This is probably one of the best topics I have seen on this site. Inside an RV, regardless of size, is the last place you want to be during a tornado.

I am fortunate to have significant training in meteorology so I keep track both of longer range forecasts and shorter, up to the minute weather information while camping. I always try to camp at places with WiFi so as to have access to solid weather information. I set up an alert for hazardous weather based upon where I am. I also monitor the radar watching the weather in comparison to where I am and I know from years of experience what hazardous weather looks like and what tornadic cells look like.

The bottom line is this: PREPARE. PREPARE. PREPARE. Know what you are going to do in the event of severe weather and take action early. If you wait until things get hairy before making your move, you might as well ride it out.

Also, if you are in a park without a severe weather/tornado shelter, you can take shelter in the lowest lying area you can find.

You're a good neighbor to have at camp.

[Mocoondo]

This is probably one of the best topics I have seen on this site. Inside an RV, regardless of size, is the last place you want to be during a tornado.

I am fortunate to have significant training in meteorology so I keep track both of longer range forecasts and shorter, up to the minute weather information while camping. I always try to camp at places with WiFi so as to have access to solid weather information. I set up an alert for hazardous weather based upon where I am. I also monitor the radar watching the weather in comparison to where I am and I know from years of experience what hazardous weather looks like and what tornadic cells look like.

The bottom line is this: PREPARE. PREPARE. PREPARE. Know what you are going to do in the event of severe weather and take action early. If you wait until things get hairy before making your move, you might as well ride it out.

Also, if you are in a park without a severe weather/tornado shelter, you can take shelter in the lowest lying area you can find.