How often does Austin get freezing weather and/or tornadoes (Houston: 2015, gated)

[scrappygurl]

We had a couple tornadoes here in Brooklyn, NY the last one was the one that was an F3 that destroyed parts of the shore (coney island area) and ripped roofs, and bricks and balconies off of buildings. Upstate we get a lot of them as well, but the woods seems to offer more protection up there in the Catskills than the valley where there seems to be tons of damage.

I am going to look into buying us a storm shelter as I'm terrified of tornadoes, but love love love the thunderstorms that sometimes precede them! Especially in the woods!

[scrappygurl]

I agree because in So Cal, just a tremor would freak everyone out... its just the devastation that it leaves behind and we just don't know whats going to happen if the shocks will stop, intensify or if a big one will hit in a few days. I agree, I don't know which is worse. I never lived in tx, but know NE tornadoes very well, Upstate and Downstate NY.

I hate earthquakes. You seem so powerless.

Originally Posted by sanmiguel

You are safer in Texas than you would be in a place like California. Residents there are sitting on veritable time bombs given the faultlines which scientists are predicting are due for devastating earthquakes. Tornadoes can be lethal to those immediately impacted but earthquakes inflict much more widespread damage. I've seen both and will take my chances here in Austin over the West Coast.

[JoninATX]

Originally Posted by Artistic Avi

My phone makes this hard to edit but I was surprised that having shelters for homes is not common place in Texas. Maybe it's not the hardest hit for tornados but it sees enough of them that I can't imagine not having one if I lived there. My fiance and I are considering moving there but my biggest reasons not to would probably be tornadoes and the overly humid and overly hot summer weather. We have gray wet winters in Seattle but great summer weather, very low humidity, very little rain, and temps mostly in the high 70's and low 80's. Couldn't imagine better summer weather.

Unfortunately housing is expensive here and cost of living but in Texas it's cheap and my fiances rate of pay in comparison to cost of living and housing would be better in Austin. So maybe we'll give Austin a go but I'm going to insist on us having a storm shelter.

Having a storm shelter built in the Austin area can be difficult since the ground is made of limestone. That's why you will not see hardly any basements or storm shelters around here. Also Austin rarely gets hit by tornadoes. Your more prone to see wildfires of flooding than to see a tornado.

[JH6]

So this winter was pretty cold, I had to scrape ice from the car half a dozen times.

A trace of snow fell once this winter, it was a dusting.

This apparently was the worst winter in quite some time.

[CptnRn]

Having lived in Austin for 33 years, I can only think of tornados occuring inside the city limits 3 times, only one of those touched down and did some minor roof damage to a few houses.

Temperatures dip down below freezing a few nights per year, this last year probably had double that number. It is usually at night, we rarely have freezing weather during daylight hours.

[G Grasshopper]

One would have to be a statistician to figure out where one is safest from natural disasters in the US, so I would not venture to compare TX and CA. California has earthquakes, can get wildfires and hills sliding (both of which have a component of increased risk due to the actions of the population,) but has very few tornadoes and lightning strikes. Maybe there is a slight risk of tsunamis along the coast, but most of coastal California is no longer volcanically active, so that is not a big risk. So Texas has tornadoes, but northern Austin seems to be right at the edge of Tornado Alley. And of course Texas there is the heat. Flooding is a factor because rain storms can be heavy. Also there is risk from hurricanes on the coast, but they are mostly good for Austin because they bring rain. So pick your poison, as my Aunt used to say. Live where you are most comfortable, including the type of natural disasters that could happen. Personally, it seems to me that Florida has to be right up there on dangerous places to live in the US. They have hurricanes, humidity as well as heat, wild fires, and they are the lightning capitol of America. But no place is immune from disasters.

[shelley_crain]

Austin gets an average of 5 tornadoes per year. Usually they are low intensity (Cat 0 or 1) but the Jarrell Cat 5 tornado proved that they can get severe.

[scm53]

Originally Posted by shelley_crain

Austin gets an average of 5 tornadoes per year. Usually they are low intensity (Cat 0 or 1) but the Jarrell Cat 5 tornado proved that they can get severe.

Only ten times in the last 50 years has there been 5 or more tornadoes a year in the Austin area, so hard pressed to see how the average is 5. Half of those years -- 25 -- there have been 1 or zero, so again, tough to see the average getting to 5.

[CptnRn]

Originally Posted by scm53

Only ten times in the last 50 years has there been 5 or more tornadoes a year in the Austin area, so hard pressed to see how the average is 5. Half of those years -- 25 -- there have been 1 or zero, so again, tough to see the average getting to 5.

I too am real skeptical of that 5 a year number. I don't think there have been 5 in the last 38 years that I have lived here.

[tom331]

Originally Posted by CptnRn

I too am real skeptical of that 5 a year number. I don't think there have been 5 in the last 38 years that I have lived here.

Agree. I have not seen a real one in past 32 years in Austin.