[art_vandele]

Hi all,

I am considering moving to Tuscaloosa as a professor at UA. In my planning, I was wondering what severe weather (if any) I can expect and have to prepare for throughout the year.

thanks

av

[Southlander]

Very little severe weather in Tuscaloosa. There are tornadoes, but I can't remember one that went through the middle of the city. Closest I remember was on the outskirts. When you are looking, be sure to ask where tornado damage has occurred in the past. Tornadoes tend to strike in the same general area - not always, but usually. (Search this thread and you'll find a couple from a few months ago where discuss tornadoes.) Some areas have some flooding. You can check the FEMA maps on that. There were huge thunderstorms 3 or 4 years ago that left a couple of areas without electricity for most of the day, but that is quite rare. And every once in a GREAT while you might have a snowfall that closes schools and wipes grocery shelves clean of bread and milk...but it's usually gone by the next day!

[Bravo35223]

Tornadoes are a part of life in this area of the country and all Californians who have joined this forum as part of their move to Alabama have asked about tornadoes - so your question is quite pertinent.

The good news is that early warning technology has advanced tremendously in the past several decades. Our way of dealing with tornadoes is through television in conjunction with the National Weather Service.

According to the Federal Communications Commission, Tuscaloosa, Anniston and Gadsden are in the Birmingham 'Media Market" which means that all of your major network TV will come from Birmingham's affiliates. Each of these affiliates (NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox) has a "Tuscaloosa Bureau" with a permanent reporter based there. Because of the geographic size of the Birmingham Media Market, these four stations are covering an area about 150 miles wide and 150 miles long. Looking at a map, essentially all of north central Alabama from the Missisippi border to the Georgia border. If severe weather threatens anywhere in this area (could be out in the middle of nowhere for that matter) the stations will suspend programming and go immediately to fulltime coverage....because of this (see below) it is common for the stations to go to weather coverage when you are not in danger at all. Educating yourself about tornados and their path (below) will help you and your family understand this. You will be ignoring the vast majority of tornado events because you are not in imminent danger.

Additionally, the U of A School of Communciations has its own television station: UVUA channel 7, which broadcasts local news at 5,6 and 10. It also has a full time meterologist on staff with weather radar. So when severe weather threatens - you will have five separate realtime television broadcasts to choose from.

When severe weather threatens the Birmingham Media Market, ALL regular programming is immediately suspended and the stations go to full time weather coverage. Their meterologists constantly pour over Nexrad weather maps concerning locations of potential (and if they form) actual tornados. The radar systems are powerful, they can go down to the 'street level' and if a tornado is on the ground, can forecast to the minute when and where the tornado may arrive.

Additionally, sirens are located throughout the urban areas of the state. When a tornado threatens, you should be within listening distance of a siren which will alert you.

Also, the University of Alabama Police have an excellent emergency texting system for faculty and students in wake of the shootings at VPI last year. In the event of any sort of emergency, you will be notified through your cell phone.

I took a class in Meterology when I want to U of A. I learned then (and this has been reinforced through my adult life) that tornados travel in an East/North Easterly path. If you move here, educate yourself by watching TV during a 'weather event' and you will see the storms take this path.

The practical upshot of this: If a tornado is on the ground and it is located east of your location, you are not in danger.

If a tornado is on the ground and it is well south or north of you - you are not in danger.

If a tornado is on the ground and it is west/southwest of you, then you are in potential danger and should immediately move into your basement.

So back to what I stated above, you will often have situations when your television coverage is interrupted concerning a severe weather event 125 miles away where you will completely ignore the threat because there isn't one (to you). It is because these stations cover such a large area that they MUST go to weather coverage and you will be ignoring completely the VAST majority of them.

Tornados tend to form most often in the late afternoon and early evening hours. However, they can come in the middle of the nght. I suggest you order a weather radio with SAME technology and keep it in your bedroom. If a tornado is indeed closeby the SAME technology will sound an alarm and wake you up. You then turn on the TV and watch the coverage....

http://www.weatherradiostore.com/

I know my reply is lengthy and may make it appear that we are all constantly running from tornados. This is not true, but on the other hand, they are indeed a part of living here and once you get accustomed to the warning systems, and technology, your concerns will be relieved.

BTW - I recommend DirecTV satellite over cable. Cable can go out in severe weather vs. my DirecTV dish mounted on my roof which has gone through 65 mph winds during Hurricane Katrina and never missed a beat....

[HerbG]

Bravo 35223 provided an excellent reply to your question! The possibility of tornadoes is a fact of life in this part of the country, but I believe that national media attention has overstated the threat they pose. I've lived in Alabama for 65 years, and have never been in a tornado! However, I have done a lot of tornado damage assessment for the Red Cross and as a Ham radio operator. They can be very devastating where they strike, but the affected area is comparatively small. Your chances of being in a fatal traffic accident are much greater than of being a tornado fatality.

[Lodger]

Interesting timing on this question. On December 16th, 2000 there was an F4 tornado that crossed south Tuscaloosa that killed 11 people. It came within a tenth of a mile of my house. For a few years south Tuscaloosa got tornado warnings several times a year, meaning a tornado had been spotted or was indicated by radar. The past two or three years things have really calmed down and the action seems to have gone to west of the city. Most of the deaths in 2000 were in a mobile home park that the tornado went through.

I don't worry too much about tornado's unless they are coming right at my house. We get excellent warnings these days and it's really hard for one to sneak up on you if you stay aware of the weather when storms are in the forecast. With radar available and all the tv coverage you can tell when it's time to find a safe place.