The tornado season ahead?

[CrazyC83]

Knowing that 2008 is off to an absolutely brutal start in terms of severe weather and tornadoes, and also knowing La Nina enhances tornado activity (I believe 1974 was a La Nina year, and 1999 started horrendously as well), could we see an absolutely historic spring in terms of tornadoes? (That also means we should be preparing now as who knows when the next outbreak could be!)

[Dionne]

Knowing that 2008 is off to an absolutely brutal start in terms of severe weather and tornadoes, and also knowing La Nina enhances tornado activity (I believe 1974 was a La Nina year, and 1999 started horrendously as well), could we see an absolutely historic spring in terms of tornadoes? (That also means we should be preparing now as who knows when the next outbreak could be!)

Admitted novice here when it comes to tornados. How does one prepare for a tornado? Especially something like an EF3 or higher. Our warning system here has some flaws. Last season I was sitting here watching NWS Jackson, MS. There was severe weather around us.....I noticed a tornado warning come up on NWS in the southwest corner of Copiah county. Crystal Springs was listed as being in the path. I wondered why the sirens were not activated? Fortunately the tornado was short lived and simply a severe storm when it went over. Then the sirens went off. I went to our mayor regarding the lapse in time from siren activation versus NWS warning. He looked into the problem. The answer was that there were some glitches in the system. Apparently there is a defined protocol for activating the sirens. The order to activate the sirens must come down through a chain of command and it takes time.

[CrazyC83]

Knowing that 2008 is off to an absolutely brutal start in terms of severe weather and tornadoes, and also knowing La Nina enhances tornado activity (I believe 1974 was a La Nina year, and 1999 started horrendously as well), could we see an absolutely historic spring in terms of tornadoes? (That also means we should be preparing now as who knows when the next outbreak could be!)

Admitted novice here when it comes to tornados. How does one prepare for a tornado? Especially something like an EF3 or higher. Our warning system here has some flaws. Last season I was sitting here watching NWS Jackson, MS. There was severe weather around us.....I noticed a tornado warning come up on NWS in the southwest corner of Copiah county. Crystal Springs was listed as being in the path. I wondered why the sirens were not activated? Fortunately the tornado was short lived and simply a severe storm when it went over. Then the sirens went off. I went to our mayor regarding the lapse in time from siren activation versus NWS warning. He looked into the problem. The answer was that there were some glitches in the system. Apparently there is a defined protocol for activating the sirens. The order to activate the sirens must come down through a chain of command and it takes time.

The best way to prepare is to know when they are coming, but once a warning is out and you are in or near the path, you should:

1) If you have one (not many have them in much of the South), go to a storm cellar or basement, at which point you should find somewhere protected (such as under a table or staircase).

2) Without a basement, cover yourself up (a mattress is best to protect against flying debris) in a small room in the center of your house away from windows.

3) Abandon weak structures, vehicles and especially mobile homes. Take cover in a sturdier structure, or in a ditch or lowland area outside protected from debris.

[Ed Mahmoud]

I saw on TV that the Kansas tornadoes about 15 years ago, where a TV cameran and a man and his two daughters took shelter under a bridge may have cost a couple of lives in Oklahoma City. Not all highway overpasses are built like that, with a lot of space up inside the girders. If there isn't a space, the overpass will actually form a wind tunnel.

In an urban environment, people trying to escape in cars run the risk of becoming trapped in traffic, and caught, especially by a fast moving tornado. This happened during the Wichita Falls tornado, when most deaths were in vehicles.

On the other hand, the Jarrell, TX F-5 was moving between 5 and 10 mph, and people in its path could have easily escaped it. That tornado wiped homes clean to the foundations (and removed asphalt from roads), and nobody in the direct path would survive above ground.


What does this all mean? Probably, when it is your time to go, it is your time to go.