Living in Tornado Alley

[Lisa]

So, being Canadian...I hear of Tornado Alley quite often on TV. I have watched storm chaser programs with a look of awe and terror on my face. My jaw is usually in my lap as well.

Although we do get tornados up here in Manitoba, they rarely touch down and to my recollection are not nearly as violent as the ones in the states, nor as big. I can't recall a death caused by a tornado in all my years.

Just yesterday, tornadoes ripped through parts of the midwest. See news article here.

For those of you who live in the "tornado alley", how much preparation do you make for such an event. Is it prevalent on your mind and are you always ready, especially when storms are approaching? How many tornadoes have you actually ever seen or been in? Does your town/community have a warning system in place for such an event?

 

[7starmantis]

Well, I'm not sure I'm really in Tornado alley, maybe on the cusp but we have plenty of them here and when I lived in Dallas. We have the sirens and all here that go off. I personally love that weather right before a tornado, its surprisingly green outside, quite, spooky even. Everyone generally knows to get to saftey and wait it out. I know there are places that have alot more of them than here.

7sm

 

[TigerWoman]

I grew up in Nebraska. Not as quite as bad as Kansas and Oklahoma but still "in there". I remember some hair raising events as a child. One was when we were down in the basement and the sky was all yellow and glary, then really dark and thunderous. Well the huge oak tree that grew right next to our house literally within a few inches, was ripped out and thrown on our next door neighbor's house. That's all the damage..our house was fine except for blown out windows and roof tiles.

After I had left Nebraska and several years later, our town of 50,000 nearly got wiped out. There were seven tornadoes in town for that event. My mom didn't have a basement and being the stubborn German that she is, she stayed in her house in the hallway, despite the neighbors pounding on her door to come to theirs. And one of my brothers was going across town during this to get to my mom's. Quite a few of her neighbors houses were severely damaged or just gone. One house that I lived in before (rented then) a few blocks away was blown away, it didn't have a basement either. My moms...well she had blown out windows, her roofing tiles, her shed and a tree. Neither of my brother's houses were damaged as one was out of town. I didn't recognize the town when I saw it later. They published a book about that one.

We get tornadoes here in M'sota. Since the 13 yrs. here, I've only seen one around town actually out our front window. Our town seems to be blessed and protected, God willing. But several close by ones that have ripped the outskirts. TW

 

[Makalakumu]

I grew up in St. Cloud MN. One of my first memories was of a tornado that ripped through our neighborhood in 1980. I remember sitting on the front porch with my dad and my little baby brother. The sky was sickly green and smelled heavy. There was no rain and no wind and when the tornado touched ground it was like watching this twirling fist shape cloud extend a finger. My dad grabbed both of us and ran to the basement. I slipped out of his grasp about halfway down the stairs watched him take my brother into the crawlspace. Instead of following my father, I went to the basement window to see more of the storm (not smart). Before my dad grabbed me, I watched a church roll down my street as if tossed like a game die.

Now I live a bit further north. We don't get very many tornados up here in the Twin Ports. The cold water of Lake Superior tends to dampen the strength of violent summer weather. I believe the stats are that we have had 2 tornadoes in the last 50 years.

This will change as world warms up. Global warming is changing the Earth's climate and more heat is going to add up to more severe weather. The tornadoes that just occured were located in an area that is outside the borders typically known as Tornado Alley. This zone is increasing in size.

 

[Lisa]

TW and UpNorth...all I can say is wow...just wow. I read your posts and I am filled with amazement and fear all at once. I have an unnatural fear of them, truly I do. Probably too much television. I find your stories truly fascinating and just couldn't imagine living through something like that. Not every having seen it first hand leaves my imagination running wild.

We have some pretty amazing thunderstorms up hear but I have yet to see a tornado and truthfully I hope I never do.

Do you keep your cellars/basments/crawl spaces stocked with candles, radio, etc just in case during the tornado season?

 

[Makalakumu]

We have some pretty amazing thunderstorms up hear but I have yet to see a tornado and truthfully I hope I never do.

Tornados are pretty neat to see from far away. I've seen a bunch in my life...mostly because I've been a little foolhardy. I've been too close a few times...like the one time I was watching a waterspout on Pelican Lake near Brainerd. I was watching it as it split into three separate tornados that danced around each other...then suddenly, the storm broke my way and I found myself running for cover.

Anyway, I suppose you could get actual tornados up there.

Lake of the Woods is on the border between MN, Manitoba, and Ontario. I was out on the water fishing walleyes with my grandfather when a bad storm blew up. We were heading in when a waterspout dropped right next to the boat and nearly capsized us. Thank God it wasn't that big!

Do you keep your cellars/basments/crawl spaces stocked with candles, radio, etc just in case during the tornado season?

My father kept a fully stocked emergency kit, complete with a pistol, in order to fend off looters.

 

[TigerWoman]

Lisa, not to worry! Actually I don't know which is worse, the fires, mudslides and earthquakes that we left in California or the possibility of tornadoes. Just three months before the move, the Northridge earthquake happened too. Before that there was a fire ringing the valley where we used to live. There is no "safe" place in the world.

Even Arizona. My daughter had scorpions in her bedroom. Windstorms. And if she doesn't stop being a sun worshipper and tanning, she will be in danger of developing skin cancer. Now in Winnepeg, maybe its more like frostbite! TW

 

[Lisa]

Tornados are pretty neat to see from far away. I've seen a bunch in my life...mostly because I've been a little foolhardy. I've been too close a few times...like the one time I was watching a waterspout on Pelican Lake near Brainerd. I was watching it as it split into three separate tornados that danced around each other...then suddenly, the storm broke my way and I found myself running for cover.

Anyway, I suppose you could get actual tornados up there.

Lake of the Woods is on the border between MN, Manitoba, and Ontario. I was out on the water fishing walleyes with my grandfather when a bad storm blew up. We were heading in when a waterspout dropped right next to the boat and nearly capsized us. Thank God it wasn't that big!



My father kept a fully stocked emergency kit, complete with a pistol, in order to fend off looters.

The spent a couple of summers in my younger years working at a resort in the province. During one huge storm some of us drove our cars out onto the dock to watch the water spouts. They were amazing and scary all at the same time. Being a city girl, I had never seen them before. I remember being really freaked out when the wind was blowing the water so hard it was coming up onto the dock and splashing hard against the vehicles. I swear I thought we were moving. Needless to say we got out of there really quick!

So yeah, we can get them. They are reported every year but few actually touch down.

 

[Sapper6]

So, being Canadian...I hear of Tornado Alley quite often on TV. I have watched storm chaser programs with a look of awe and terror on my face. My jaw is usually in my lap as well.

Although we do get tornados up here in Manitoba, they rarely touch down and to my recollection are not nearly as violent as the ones in the states, nor as big. I can't recall a death caused by a tornado in all my years.

Just yesterday, tornadoes ripped through parts of the midwest. See news article here.

For those of you who live in the "tornado alley", how much preparation do you make for such an event. Is it prevalent on your mind and are you always ready, especially when storms are approaching? How many tornadoes have you actually ever seen or been in? Does your town/community have a warning system in place for such an event?

being born and raised in Tulsa, OK, i've experienced my fair share. i use the term "experienced" very seriously. whether it be on the horizon or down the road from your house, you truly experience the storm, not just see it. it's awe inspiring and frightful at the same time. growing up and living in a tornadic prone area, the terms convection, shear, mesocyclone, multivortex, supercell, mesoscale discussions, echo top, bow echo, dry-line, squall line, and tornadic emergency are household words.

i've been chasing tornadoes for about 4 years now. unlike my more professional counterpart, i don't roam the midwest looking for them. i'll stay within 100 miles of home when i scout a supercell.

as far as preparation goes, that all depends how much time your local weather man gives you. from what i've known, the meteorologists in my area pretty damn good. you really got to know what you are looking for on doppler, and those guys do it well. we have a storm siren 3 blocks from the house. we don't rely on them to sound off before taking evasive measures. like 7* stated above, there are certainly signs to look for when preparing. we kinda "play it by ear" around here. we've had to seek shelter 3 times just this year alone. we won't seek shelter most times unless a tornado warning has been issued for our county. i have several different programs i use to display up-to-the-minute doppler images to determine if my family is in danger. so in short, 3 close calls this year. on march 12th, we had an F2 pass 6 miles from my home across the northern part of town. 1 person was killed and over 375 homes and buildings were demolished. the last big one we had here in extreme SW Missouri was in May 2003 in which an F3 leveled the entire business district of Pierce City, Missouri in less than 15 seconds. that was less than 10 miles from my home. being a full-time member of the Missouri Army National Guard on active duty, our unit was on the scene less than 1 hour after the storm hit. at the time, my wife and girls were out of town visiting family and and friend of mine and i were chasing that storm. we started chasing it when i passed north of Aurora and filmed it until it reached Battlefield, Missouri. we had no idea it had leveled Pierce City until my commander called me and my cell and advised me to report in to the unit for State Emergency Duty. we spent 14 days in the town providing force protection. every minute of it was traumatic and depressing.

i have experienced over 100 tornadic storms in my lifetime. i am 27 years old. i have recorded over 48 hours of tornadoes on video and literally stacks of photo albums documenting each chase i go on.

you gotta always be ready when you live around these parts. a nice summer sprinkle could easily turn to hell in a matter of minutes. i frequent the NWS SPC (National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center) website about 3-4 times weekly, constantly reading mesoscale discussions and forecasts within the upcoming 36 hours. most times, they are right on target.

we have a storm shelter stocked with food and water for 72 hours, radio, batteries, flashlights, copies of vital family records, and 3 days of clothing. you just never know. life can change in a matter of minutes.

i've often pondered the idea of moving out of the "alley". but this is where i call home. just gotta be prepared and possess common sense and intuition.

www.stormtrack.org
www.tornadoproject.com
http://www.noaa.gov/tornadoes.html

check out the above links for helpful information on tornadoes. i'll try to compress and edit some of the photos i've got and post them soon.

cheers

 

[Lisa]

Sapper6,

I read your reply to my husband. What you wrote is so surreal to us, it is almost too much to comprehend. I am sitting here in awe and disbelief.

Thank you for sharing your experiences with me. As to moving away, well...home is where your heart is and yes, being prepared is definitely a must. Stay safe. Please.

 

[Sapper6]

Sapper6,

I read your reply to my husband. What you wrote is so surreal to us, it is almost too much to comprehend. I am sitting here in awe and disbelief.

Thank you for sharing your experiences with me. As to moving away, well...home is where your heart is and yes, being prepared is definitely a must. Stay safe. Please.

thank you for the kind words.

sure, storms here suck pretty bad. years ago, "tornado season" was most active from May through September. now, it's February through who knows when. we had 2 reported twisters 20 miles from here on November 17th. before long, i imagine tornados year round. who knows.

everyone has bad whether, regardless of where you live. blizzards, typhoons, hurricanes, heat waves and severe droughts, earthquakes. the list goes on. i would have to say that earthquakes and tornadoes are the ultimate wrath of mother nature, providing no warning, regardless of human technology.

in most instances, the average warning time for tornado victims is 15 minutes. in rural areas, that can be reduced to five minutes.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/2006-03-22-tornado-survivor_x.htm

the above linked story is of a kid that survived a vortex ride during the March 12th tornado this year and was thrown over 1300 feet in the air with only minor scratches as a result. his family lives down the road from me. the only warning they had was a debris cloud and the sound of wind over 100 mph.

truely, a very lucky individual.

 

[Lisa]

By warnings you mean sirens, right? Does every county/town have these in the area? Who mans them? Or are you talking radio and t.v. Sorry for all the questions but I am just trying to get all the information set straight.

 

[Sapper6]

sure, one method of warning is a siren. those don't exist in rural areas. most common method is the television. when severe weather strikes, all stations here recognize and broadcast this, cutting into programming every 5 minutes or so. most people in the country won't have cable television because of the lack of service that far out. these people have to rely on satellite, which most lacks local stations (ABC,NBC, or CBS), or just plain old bunny ear antennas, with shoddy reception.

the sirens are purchased by the city or county. not all towns have them. the protocol for sounding them is determined by local code. they tend to differ.most towns sound them when a tornado warning is issued by the NWS for that particular county. it operates on remote activation from city hall, the police department, or fire department

in our county, the fire department deploys "spotters" to the far reaching edges of town to radio in visual confirmation of funnel clouds, large hail, horizontal rain, and low-level cloud rotation; all signs of tornadic formation. these spotters will sometimes see tornadic activity even before storm sirens are sounded. they are volunteers with training through the NWS on looking for the tell-tale signs of tornadic activity.

 

[Sapper6]

below are the maps of affected areas on March 12th of this year and the April 2nd storms.

 

[Flatlander]

We have some pretty amazing thunderstorms up hear but I have yet to see a tornado and truthfully I hope I never do.

Serious? We get them here occasionally. In fact, I had one fly right overhead when I was at my parents' acreage. We evacuated the house, drove a mile up the road, and watched it go by. It had been touched down, but lifted to cross the valley, and stayed up.

I'm surprised that you've not seen one, the 'Peg is so damn windy all the time....

 

[Lisa]

Serious? We get them here occasionally. In fact, I had one fly right overhead when I was at my parents' acreage. We evacuated the house, drove a mile up the road, and watched it go by. It had been touched down, but lifted to cross the valley, and stayed up.

I'm surprised that you've not seen one, the 'Peg is so damn windy all the time....

LOL, yes it is damn windy here all the time.

Seriously...never...not one...maybe it has to do with the fact that I am hiding in the basement with a blanket over my head...

But no...I have never seen one and I don't wanna either. I know they happen here but not to the extent they do in the states.

 

[Cujo]

Tornados are fairly common in my area, NW Ohio. We have warning sirens and classes are offered twice a year for "spotters". My son and I are both NOAA certified spotters and are on a call up list in case of severe weather. The more informed you are, the less scared you are when it comes to tornados. The only time they really scare me is if I am sleeping because then you get very little or no notice, and thats bad.
Pax
Cujo

 

[lonecoyote]

I was in Midwest City, Oklahoma when that horrible tornado hit , killed forty people in Moore, Midwest City, My wife was going to a scheduled womens club meeting at the Baptist Church, instead came to get me, I was in class at Rose State College. We went down into the boiler room, about a hundred of us, Loud boilers rattling, and then they stopped and the lights went out. I heard a woman scream, and heard someone say "I smell gas!" I put my wife against the wall and covered her with my body cause I knew the worst danger was a panic. Lights came back on, and we walked out into, well, a different world, like a giant monster had grabbed a bunch of houses and shook them over a parking lot. Lumber, shingles, also bedding, clothes and personal effects, some heartbreaking, like kids stuffed animals. I picked up a baseball card and still have it to this day. My wife became hysterical, she needed to get back to our house. I found our car, it was a little Dodge, it was covered in housing insulation and trash. A kind woman told my wife it was okay, we were alive, and god bless us, I threw the trash off our car, and it started, and we drove home, and we still had a home, thank god. It hit Tinker AFB too, so we had a kind of martial law, roads blocked with humvees and men w/rifles. I'll never forget it as long as I live.

 

[lonecoyote]

And the baptist church, the one my wife was going to, was knocked down, big brick building,like a giant child had knocked down a toy made of legos. I could have lost my wife.

 

[Hand Sword]

Thankfully you didn't! My suggestion would be to move. The tornadoes come every yr. What you rebuild will probably be destroyed again, at some point. I applaud the determination of those that live in those regions, but, when is enough enough?