Warning: Tornado Alley Videos Ahead!
I live in the middle of tornado alley. Every spring the radar lights up almost nightly it seems! This year so far I have dodged 4 tornadoes, with 3 of those being deadly. The furthest tornado from my home so far has been 13 miles. The closest tornado this year was only a mile away.
So, what do you do to stay safe during a tornado? Read further to find out, plus watch some videos and view some images of some wild tornadoes!
Tornado Safety Tips
Be aware during a storm and it may save your life!
If a tornado "watch" is issued for your area, it means that a tornado is "possible."If a tornado "warning" is issued, it means that a tornado has actually been spotted, or is strongly indicated on radar, and it is time to go to a safe shelter immediately.
Be alert to what is happening outside as well. Here are some of the things that people describe when they tell about a tornado experience:
* A sickly greenish or greenish black color to the sky.
* If there is a watch or warning posted, then the fall of hail should be considered as a real danger sign. Hail can be common in some areas, however, and usually has no tornadic activity along with it.
* A strange quiet that occurs within or shortly after the thunderstorm.
* Clouds moving by very fast, especially in a rotating pattern or converging toward one area of the sky.
* A sound a little like a waterfall or rushing air at first, but turning into a roar as it comes closer. The sound of a tornado has been likened to that of both railroad trains and jets.
* Debris dropping from the sky.
* An obvious "funnel-shaped" cloud that is rotating, or debris such as branches or leaves being pulled upwards, even if no funnel cloud is visible.
If you see a tornado and it is not moving to the right or to the left relative to trees or power poles in the distance, it may be moving towards you! Remember that although tornadoes usually move from southwest to northeast, they also move towards the east, the southeast, the north, and even northwest.
Encourage your family members to plan for their own safety in many different locations. It is important to make decisions about the safest places well BEFORE you ever have to go to them.
Weather Band Radio Get Tornado alerts even without electricity!
Midland WR-300 Weather Band Radio
Stay alert to conditions that affect you with Midland's WR-300 weather/all-hazard radio. The unit offers S.A.M.E. technology (Specific Area Message Encoding), which preprograms the device to receive only those warnings that apply to your local area--you can choose state, county, and/or nearby counties. The single-speaker radio offers 30 programmable county codes, AM/FM tuning, date, time, alarm functions, and even auto switch from AM/FM to pertinent all-hazard alerts.For tuning, the radio employs drift-free PLL (phase-lock loop) technology and an easy-to-read blue, backlit LCD. You get a convenient, 10-alert memory, and you can add, edit, and remove unwanted alerts at any time. The radio uses the supplied AC power adapter or four AA Batteries (not included).
What's in the Box
Radio, AC power adapter, and a user's manual.
Product Description
Midland WR-300 Weather Radio with Civil Emergency Monitor. Get local weather reports when you need them most: Digital PLL tuning for clear reception; S.A.M.E. localized reception; 30 programmable county codes so you can receive alerts about one county or many counties... from your home, to your cabin and where your kids go to college; Full function alarm clock; Built-in AM / FM radio; 10 memory alerts... easily add, edit and remove unwanted ads Powered by included AC wall adapter and 4 AA batteries (not included). Order Now! Midland WR-300 Weather Radio with Civil Emergency Monitor
Midland WR-300 AM/FM Weather/All Hazards/Civil Emergency Alert Monitor with S.A.M.E.
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Amazon Price: $45.99 (as of 07/27/2008)
List Price: $79.99
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Fujita Pearson Tornado Scale
The Fujita Pearson scale is used to measure the winds and damage of a tornado
F-0
40-72 mph, chimney damage, tree branches broken, broken windows
F-1
73-112 mph, mobile homes pushed off foundation or overturned,broken tree
F-2
113-157 mph, considerable damage, mobile homes demolished, trees uprooted
F-3
158-205 mph, roofs and walls torn down, trains overturned, cars thrown
F-4
207-260 mph, well-constructed walls leveled
F-5
261-318 mph, homes lifted off foundation and carried considerable distances, autos thrown as far as 100 meters
High-quality art print of a Tornado
Click on the image to purchase!
Title: Tornado in Monument Valley
Artist: Peter Rauter
Type: Framed Art Print
Frame:
Onyx (1 3/8")
Protective Layer: Clear Plexiglass
Finished Size: 35 x 25 in
Item #: 916997
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Our Price: $124.99
Watch this destructive tornado video!
This F5 Tornado struck Oklahoma City on May 3, 1999
F5 Tornado, Oklahoma City, May 3, 1999
This is the tape of the worst, the strongest tornado ever recorded on Earth. It killed 44 people and destroyed more than 10.000 homes on May 3, 1999.
Runtime: 3:49 | 522255 views | 1193 Comments
Storm Chaser Dark T-Shirt
Storm Chaser Dark T-ShirtLook cool without breaking the bank. Our durable, high-quality, pre-shrunk 100% cotton t-shirt is what to wear when you want to go comfortably casual. Preshrunk, durable and guaranteed.
$22.99
Tornado Myths and Facts
Popular myths and the facts about Tornadoes!
Tornado Myths:MYTH: Areas near rivers, lakes, and mountains are safe from tornadoes.
FACT: No place is safe from tornadoes. In the late 1980's, a tornado swept through Yellowstone National Park leaving a path of destruction up and down a 10,000 ft. mountain.
MYTH: The low pressure with a tornado causes buildings to "explode" as the tornado passes overhead.
FACT: Violent winds and debris slamming into buildings cause most structural damage.
MYTH: Windows should be opened before a tornado approaches to equalize pressure and minimize damage.
FACT: Opening windows allows damaging winds to enter the structure. Leave the windows alone; instead, immediately go to a safe place.
Adventures in Tornado Alley from Storm Chasers
Take a photographic journey right into the center of many violent storms.
This book has been rated 7 times and has gotten 5 stars from each person rating it!
Get it today, you will love it!
Adventures in Tornado Alley: The Storm Chasers
Amazon Price: $17.43 (as of 07/27/2008)
Book full of beautiful photographs of violent storms and tornadoes!
This book has a 5 star rating by 7 out of 7 people!
Have you ever seen a tornado?
Vote yes or no in this poll!
Everyone loves to vote in polls! So I have set up this simple poll. Go ahead and vote! It's fun!
What causes a Tornado to form?
Tornadoes often form during severe thunderstorms.... why?
What causes tornadoes?Thunderstorms develop in warm, moist air in advance of eastward-moving cold fronts. These thunderstorms often produce large hail, strong winds, and tornadoes. Tornadoes in the winter and early spring are often associated with strong, frontal systems that form in the Central States and move east. Occasionally, large outbreaks of tornadoes occur with this type of weather pattern. Several states may be affected by numerous severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.
During the spring in the Central Plains, thunderstorms frequently develop along a "dryline," which separates very warm, moist air to the east from hot, dry air to the west. Tornado-producing thunderstorms may form as the dryline moves east during the afternoon hours.
Along the front range of the Rocky Mountains, in the Texas panhandle, and in the southern High Plains, thunderstorms frequently form as air near the ground flows "upslope" toward higher terrain. If other favorable conditions exist, these thunderstorms can produce tornadoes.
Tornadoes occasionally accompany tropical storms and hurricanes that move over land. Tornadoes are most common to the right and ahead of the path of the storm center as it comes onshore.
Storm Chaser - Images of tornadoes and storms
A Photographer's Journey
Storm Chaser: A Photographer's Journey
Amazon Price: $23.10 (as of 07/27/2008)
List Price: $35.00
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A photographic journey of storms! See the storms and their aftermath threw the lens of a camera!
5 star book for weather lovers!
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Atkins, Arkansas Feb 5th 2008 Tornado Video
Watch a video of the tornado that ripped thru Atkins Arkansas
Insane video of a violent tornado in NE Arkansas May 2, 08
Runtime: 3:27 | 38981 views | 115 Comments
Tri State Tornado -
The Story of the worst tornado disaster in United States History!
The Tri-State Tornado: The Story of America's Greatest Tornado Disaster
Amazon Price: $13.95 (as of 07/27/2008)
Used Price: $8.93
The Tri-State Tornado reconstructs the tragedy, using vivid eyewitness accounts of fourteen survivors who lived along the tornado's path from the Missouri Ozarks to southwestern Indiana. The clarity with which they recall that day in their lives over sixty years earlier will give readers the unsettling feeling that the tornado struck days, not decades, ago.
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Beautiful photo of tornado and lightning
A Deadly Wedge Tornado Video
Watch this wedge tornado wreck havoc in this youtube video!
Links to information about tornadoes
- BBC NEWS | Science/Nature | How a tornado is formed
- A guide with graphics explaining how a tornado is formed.
- Severe Weather Alerts, Watches and Warnings - weather.com
- The Weather Channel provides detailed information on all severe weather alerts, including watches and warnings, for every state.
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mrsjordanjr
Great lens! I lenrolled it to my SkyWatch and SkyWatchTV lenses. :D I also have a Stormchaser Headquarters Group if you're interested in joining. Keep up the great work! Posted July 07, 2008 |
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alicesy
Excellent Lens. I like the quality insight you have provided here about Tornadoes - Destructive Forces. Keep up the good work. Posted June 26, 2008 |
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The_Homeopath
The first time I read this lens was just a few days after the tornado that hit Colorado so badly and I honestly could not read it all the way through. I had driven through the edge of that one with 2 of my young children in the car and later that afternoon a smaller twister took off some of the siding on the far end of our barn. You have great information here, I have a weather band radio and it has been so useful and we have tornado drills here in our home (even a dedicated kid to grab the ferret!). 5* Thank You. Really. Posted June 26, 2008 |
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totalhealth
good job, you have a very informative and helpful lens. 5* Posted June 26, 2008 |
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beeobrien
This is a great lens Thomas. I grew up in the midwest on a hill with a 20-mile view. I saw my share of tornadoes. Posted June 25, 2008 |
