Tornado Trouble

Berzerker · May 8, 2003, 18:39

Monkspider, me and a couple more apolytoners I think, are in for a nasty brew of weather tonight. If you don't hear from us for a while after tonight, well, we might be in the land of Oz.

PLATO · May 8, 2003, 18:50

My house got hit pretty hard Sunday night. Took off part of my roof and ripped a storm door off my house. It was pretty scary. Damage turned out to be not that bad. $200 fixed it all. Neighbors across the street lost their chimney. Stop sign at the end of the street was bent in half and trees down everywhere. It was a mess.

If you are in for bad weather then take cover...Momma Nature ain't messin around.

Sava · May 8, 2003, 18:52

good luck guys, I know what tornados can be like...

SlowwHand · May 8, 2003, 18:52

Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas.
The big 3.

SlowwHand · May 8, 2003, 19:17

OKC got their heads handed to them, again.

uh Clem · May 8, 2003, 19:36

I'm about 300 miles downwind from you, Berzerker. Trust me, I don't have the Ruby Slippers, so don't drop your farmhouse on me, okay?

chequita guevara · May 8, 2003, 19:37

I'm so glad not to be livin' near Tornado Alley. I don't think my heart could stand it. I had my standard tornado nightmare again lastnight.

Keep safe guys.

MRT144 · May 8, 2003, 19:42

Be careful berzerker. dont wait till the last second to get into the stormcellar if need be.

SlowwHand · May 8, 2003, 19:52

Just so you're aware Che, Florida is like 5th or 6th in total tornadoes.
The vast majority are "weak", but how much do they have to be ?

Berzerker · May 8, 2003, 19:58

Well, didn't know we had more than 3 or 4 people in tornado alley. I knew Slow as in Texas and one of the Monks is down in Wichita. Sorry to hear that Plato, but sounds like y'all got very lucky considering how close you were. They've reported a mile wide tornado, I think that's an F5, just passing south of us about 12-15 miles. It's a monster!

SlowwHand · May 8, 2003, 20:01

Need to build a a safe room.

Berzerker · May 8, 2003, 20:04

Thx MRT, but we don't have a storm cellar, lol, we like to live dangerously. Fortunately the lower level here is built into a bank so we do have cover if needed. The problem is chasing down all the damn animals.

And our neighbor's cows are in our yard too.

Yeah Slow, looks like Okla City got nailed.

Berzerker · May 8, 2003, 20:08

The irony is that we've lived in tornado alley for about 14 years now and the closest I've been to a tornado is still when I lived in Anaheim, California. That one hit a city block away...

MRT144 · May 8, 2003, 20:08

Holy Jesus, NOW THATS A TORNADO!

well, try and be as careful as possible. otherwise were going to have to all pitch in on the physical therapy when you get injured.

Berzerker · May 8, 2003, 20:10

chequita guevara · May 8, 2003, 20:13

If an F5 where that close to me, I'd be in the basement, instead of on the internet.

chequita guevara · May 8, 2003, 20:15

Sloww, my understanding was that Florida didn't get that many tornados. More than most, but not compared to Tornado Alley. Most of them, I'm led to believe, are spawned in hurracanes, but in my 18 months down here, two have come within 50 miles. Even Nebraska wasn't that bad for me.

Berzerker · May 8, 2003, 20:50

chegitz, trust me, we were keeping a close eye on it.

But it passed to our south heading toward Lawrence and I understand now there are two tornadoes in that vicinity from the same storm, possible one of them is the same tornado.

chequita guevara · May 8, 2003, 21:16

Could you hear it from where you were?

Lincoln · May 8, 2003, 21:22

A bunch of tornados came through here two days ago but they all missed me.

Hope that they miss Berzeker too...

asleepathewheel · May 9, 2003, 00:08

And the air raid horns sound in Columbia Missouri. Luckily the storms that have battered my state for the past week have missed me. Is tonight the night? When this is my second to last night here? Please let me watch tv, i can here the sirens.

Maybe I shouldn't have drunk so much wine tonight....

The Mad Monk · May 9, 2003, 00:36

One passed within three miles of my parents home during the "TornadoFest" a couple days ago. They live in Mission, Kansas.

edit: They live in Shawnee. They used to live in Mission.

Berzerker · May 9, 2003, 01:11

Chegitz, no, too far away.

Yup, Shawnee, Kansas was in the area of Sunday's tornadoes. Compared to Sunday, today was mild (unless you live in Okla City).

Ah, Lincoln, you're in Tennessee. Yeah, they had their share. Glad they missed you...

Gatekeeper · May 9, 2003, 02:02

**sigh** In another two or three weeks, my part of the country will enter its prime tornado season ... what's happening more in the South and Southern Plains will be moving into the Northern Plains shortly.

Gotta love life in the heartland!

Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper · May 9, 2003, 02:05

Quote:

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
If an F5 where that close to me, I'd be in the basement, instead of on the internet.

With an F5 or (the worst!) an F6 tornado bearing down on you, not even a basement could guarantee your safety. The building above might collapse into the basement.

Still, it's definitely better than lying stretched out in some slight depression on the prairie, desperately grasping at grass to keep oneself from being hurtled (or crushed by flying objects) into oblivion.

Gatekeeper

TheStinger · May 9, 2003, 03:42

Interesting trivia- On a per sq mile basis the UK has the most tornadoes of any country in the world, of course they are not exactly bif ones

uh Clem · May 9, 2003, 07:55

With as much coastline as you have, they're probably waterspouts, which usually aren't as strong as twisters on land.

Glad to see you made it through, Berzerker.

SlowwHand · May 9, 2003, 10:09

Which is what I was saying to Che, Clem.

Tornadoes occur in many areas around the world. However, no region experiences more tornadoes than the central United States. Besides this region, portions of western Europe are perhaps most notably at risk. In the British Isles, an average of 10 tornadoes per year are recorded.

WHEN do tornadoes occur?

Most tornadoes in North America occur between March and July, with the month of May normally experiencing the greatest number of tornadoes.

During the spring months, the climate across the United States is in a dramatic transition from winter to summer. That leads to tremendous development of thunderstorms and tornadoes across the Heartland of the United States. There are over 800 Tornadoes per year throughout the United States, and most of them occur in the area known as Tornado Alley. Tornado Alley is an area in the Great Plains portion of the United States that stretches from Nebraska to Texas.

This area sees the bulk of the Tornado Activity between March and July of every year. The month of May is the high point of this annual tornado season where there can be as many as 300 tornadoes. They usually strike during the late afternoon hours between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM. This is because the maximum heating of the day occurs which results in the greatest amount of turbulence in the atmosphere.

devilmunchkin · May 9, 2003, 14:55

i think tornadoes are monstrously beautiful..i have some weird facination with them.
it's odd..here in central texas, we're constantly under tornado watches..like yesterday...but there isn't a cloud in the sky and not even a green dot (let alone sploch or masses of reds/yellow/white) on the radar...
i think we're too paranoid here.

DaShi · May 9, 2003, 15:03

Happy Birthday dm!