Tornados and Driving == What to do?

[mamawolf544]

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X2, X3, X4. Dont play around with those twisters. My Dh works in the oil feild, a couple of months back when those twisters went through Ok and TX it actually hit a rig. You would not believe what it did to that oil rig. The pics are frightening.

 

[pbjmaker]

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Well actually this is a terrible idea. The tornado creates a suction that can just pull you right out.

We were driving through Kansas in May of 2003 and the radio was saying there were severe storms etc. It was me and my three kids (8,10 and 12 at the time) I being a smart alec kind of mom at times told my son to "Keep an eye out for any tornadoes" - It really didn't look that bad out at that time. Not 5 minutes more he said -"Mom, I think I see a tornado forming". I didn't believe him mostly because he tends towards seeing wall clouds in any storm. So I told the oldes to look over and see as it was getting worse out and I was focused on the road. I don't think I had ever heard my child cuss and her words were HOLY S**T - MOM IT REALLY IS A TORNADO!!! I look over and sure enough a couple of miles away you could see a twister. Now what to do? Well I know they say get over and lay in a ditch - well there were no ditches, it was flat farmland all around. I knew there was a toll booth coming up so I decided to gun it and try to make it there hoping it had some shelter. We gunned it and the tornado was running parallel to us. We ended up getting close to the toll booth when my son told me the tornado had turned and was ehading straight for the interstate. We just happened to be at an overpass so I pulled over and we did just what CHooks suggests. It was me and my kids and some guy with his 10 year old daughter. The tornado went across the interstate about a football fields length away and HIT the toll booth. Fortuantely it was a small tornado but right after highway patrol came along to make sure everyone was safe and berate us for taking shelter under the bridge. They told us it was the worst place we could have taken shelter. It was all very surreal afterwards. Blue pieces of paint and other lightweight debri (sp) were floating out of the sky and the toll booth had been abandoned. Of course I didn't pay my toll that day and I still have the toll ticket in my visor as a reminder. We saw at least three more tornadoes that day including the formation of the one that touched down near Kansas City and stayed on the ground for 3 hours doing massive damage.

 

[herefordlovinglady]

Quote:
Well actually this is a terrible idea. The tornado creates a suction that can just pull you right out.

We were driving through Kansas in May of 2003 and the radio was saying there were severe storms etc. It was me and my three kids (8,10 and 12 at the time) I being a smart alec kind of mom at times told my son to "Keep an eye out for any tornadoes" - It really didn't look that bad out at that time. Not 5 minutes more he said -"Mom, I think I see a tornado forming". I didn't believe him mostly because he tends towards seeing wall clouds in any storm. So I told the oldes to look over and see as it was getting worse out and I was focused on the road. I don't think I had ever heard my child cuss and her words were HOLY S**T - MOM IT REALLY IS A TORNADO!!! I look over and sure enough a couple of miles away you could see a twister. Now what to do? Well I know they say get over and lay in a ditch - well there were no ditches, it was flat farmland all around. I knew there was a toll booth coming up so I decided to gun it and try to make it there hoping it had some shelter. We gunned it and the tornado was running parallel to us. We ended up getting close to the toll booth when my son told me the tornado had turned and was ehading straight for the interstate. We just happened to be at an overpass so I pulled over and we did just what CHooks suggests. It was me and my kids and some guy with his 10 year old daughter. The tornado went across the interstate about a football fields length away and HIT the toll booth. Fortuantely it was a small tornado but right after highway patrol came along to make sure everyone was safe and berate us for taking shelter under the bridge. They told us it was the worst place we could have taken shelter. It was all very surreal afterwards. Blue pieces of paint and other lightweight debri (sp) were floating out of the sky and the toll booth had been abandoned. Of course I didn't pay my toll that day and I still have the toll ticket in my visor as a reminder. We saw at least three more tornadoes that day including the formation of the one that touched down near Kansas City and stayed on the ground for 3 hours doing massive damage.

Oh my. what a moment. glad you didn't make it to the toll. Yea, I'd keep the ticket too.

I just talked to my sister who said her son and girlfriend hid under a bridge once. They remember almost being pulled out from under the bridge. they said the suction was over powering.

 

[deerman]

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I would second that one but it's a chance you have take. Same for the ditch, even it might be safe but the flying debris and water can get you trapped. However you would have better odds.

Tie yourself to a rock, a big rock and let me know if you have survived it.

And hope that a Volkswagen isn't being hurled toward you and your rock. Ditch is the best way to go, because tornadoes skip across high or level ground. In a ditch, you will be protected. You may get wet and rainsoaked, and have a mobile home land above the ditch, but crawl out. You will get sucked out from under an overpass.

I was in the Xenia Tornado of 1974, most people kill in one area was 5 people all in a car..........so yes get out and in a Ditch. Tornados cause a vacuum , , cause houses to blow up from inside out. (reason to open window) laying in a ditch ,better because objects flying thru the air will go over the ditch.

A truck driver live i think because he got out , he was hit and hurt (ok minor injury),but his truck was picked up and landed on the building few house from mine,. his truck was a tractor and trailer hauling new cars.

This was a F4 and to see it picking cars and trucks up and dropping them blocks away...NOWAY should anyone stay in one. THIS one derail a train ,and turn it on the side cars and all.

 

[bakerjw]

It is a common myth but tornadoes do not blow houses up by creating a vacuum. If you take a wall of a house that is 8' tall by 20' wide a pressure differential of .5 PSI will generate 5+ tons of force. Once the wall collapses the onrush of wind into the structure will cause it to explode, for lack of a better term, from pressure rather than vacuum. There is also the lift effect of roofs. Airflow over a roof will cause it to behave like a wing of a plane generating lift and causing it to fly off. Hurricane strapping is pretty effective at preventing this from happening.

There have been at least a couple of videos of people taking shelter in the I-beam structures of overpasses but there hasn't been any video of people heading to overpasses that are not built with I-beams but are flat on the bottom. At least some of those people were blown out and died as a result.

Flying debris is the biggest hazard from a tornado when out in the open. Laying in a ditch or low lying depression will cause most debris to fly over the top but there is also a risk of flash floods or even concentration of electrical charge if lighting strikes nearby. Each situation is different and you need to be aware of what type of protection is at hand. The best bet is to drive at a right angle to the track of the tornado.

Leaving a vehicle for a ditch has been a topic of debate in the storm spotting community for a long time.

 

[pbjmaker]

For me reflecting after the fact - our best course of action would have been to just stop the car. The tornado was headed away from us. What was sad was we got into Iowa and there was another warning and things looked ominous. We pulled off to a McDonalds and pounded on the door to get in. The lady was like - we're not serving - there's a tornado watch/warning. I told her "DUH! We are seeking shelter so we don't get killed by it!" They decided to let us in

 

[deerman]

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I'm not sure where the pressure came from , but i saw the walls of a house ,blow out, all 4 walls where standing when it blew out.

You are right about one thing its flying debris that injury or kill most, you don't want to be in that car flying thru the air either.(those 5 kill in the cars were all kill my odject thru the windows, i saw three of those in one car, will not go into details ,

All i can tell you a f4 tornado with speed of 400 mile per hr, sure can wipe out a town , i would never have believed one would pick up a load truck trailer and drop in on a roof of a building........

 

[EweSheep]

Would it help to go in the reverse direction of the tornado's path to get away? Particuarly if there is no ditches. I could imagine a huge culvert or those small concrete bridges on farmlands, not sure if it is safe.

You certainly don't want to be in your car when the tornado hits. No need to be those "Storm Chasers" which they have alot of experience and close calls. Unless you got one of those tank cars that can withstand the F1 or possibly F2, it might be doable but highly risky that it is not worth doing. Leave it at the professionals or one that has a HIGH life insurance policy.

 

[ChooksinChoppers]

I was kidding about the overpass idea

more sarcasm at the movie makers than anything

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
This

Certainly keep your eyes open to watch for tornados, rear view mirror, too, and if you sight any, head away from them at a right angle. Do NOT try to outrun them in the same direction.