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Location: Somewhere randomly far away on the east coast :)
17 posts, read 83,146 times
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Most likely, I'll be relocating to Fort Wayne, IN/ surrounding areas and I am extremely nervous about the weather.
My spouse is originally from Fort Wayne and I've been there once before and while it is a very nice place (I'm from the northeast so a nice relaxed place like Fort Wayne definitely sparks my interest), I'm just EXTREMELY nervous about the storms.
I've lived years in Connecticut where there is absolutely no weather action at all. I hear that the thunder can get LOUD but how loud exactly? Also, do you have tornadoes? I heard that because of the three rivers, they don't come in Fort Wayne or something like that. What if I'm driving from Indianapolis to Ft Wayne? Along that long stretch of highway, would I run into a tornado? Since the roads are so open would lightning strike my vehicle? Would it strike my home?
Do tornadoes ruin homes and kill people? Does lighting strike people? Do a lot of people die due to storms? Does the sky turn black during storms? Would I need to have a basement/cellar nearby?
Will I get used to the weather? I'm sure I'm being too "paranoid" but honestly, I'm really nervous because it's a whole different ball game for me and we plan on actually settling down for a while and I'm definitely am not going to let weather stop me from living! (But I wanna be prepared and know what to expect too!)
It's mostly thunder, lightning, and tornado stuff that gets me nervous.
Blizzards are nothing! I love snow!
I'm sorry about all the questions!! I've never permanently lived anywhere but the northeast before so it's extremely new to me.
First of all, thunderstorms are not near as bad as what you are making them out to be. But I understand, if you are not used to it. To answer your questions, as I have lived in the South Bend/Fort Wayne area my whole life.
Thunderstorms are very well monitored in this area by the news stations. If the chance of severe weather is possible, 'severe' being the key word, meteorologists will warn the viewers 24-36 hours in advance through forecasting. During a typical thunderstorm, thunder can be very loud at times, if lightning strikes near you. However, all it is is loud noise. I know that is easy for me to say, but thunder can't hurt you. As far as lightning, just don't be outside when it strikes. The chances of it hitting your house (VERY RARE TO ALMOST 0% chance). Lightning doesn't hit cars fyi.
As far as your fear of tornadoes, it is understandable. However, tornadoes are actually very rare believe it or not. Indiana is prone to tornadoes though but they only occur during 'severe thunderstorms,' which are monitored at least 24 hours in advance. Depending on the size of the tornado, it will destruct anything in its path. And yes, it will kill people if you are not covered. But again, tornadoes are actually very rare.
I would recommend having a basement if you do live in the midwest, just for the extra precaution. As far as the sky turning black, during a severe thunderstorm, the sky gets black. It is very ominous, but for me, I happen to love the suspense. Don't get me wrong, thunderstorms/tornadoes are dangerous things, but on average the Fort Wayne area probably gets 2-3 major storms a summer, if that. You will get used to the weather, and just remember that 250,000 people call Fort Wayne home and 6,000,000 call Indiana home. So you are definitely not alone
Location: Somewhere randomly far away on the east coast :)
17 posts, read 83,146 times
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Thanks for your answers!
I like the fact that thunderstorms are monitored.
I'm glad lightning doesn't hit cars or homes.
I never knew tornadoes were rare in Ft Wayne.
I'll definitely look for a basement, but if I don't have one, a inner closet or a bathtub I hear would do
I think I have to remember that SO many people live in Ft Wayne and even in the entire state of IN call this place home, so the weather must not really be all that bad.
I also found A LOT of info on this thread: Tornado
I saw that you were the only response to my post so I figured I'd do more research and thats what I found.
Thank you for all the info! It really helped. I love getting personal perspectives on things like this.
Not to scare you, but lightning actually does hit homes. It doesn't happen too often, but when it does it can start a fire easily. I also believe that lightning can strike cars, but I heard that if you are inside of the car, nothing bad can happen to you.
I've lived years in Connecticut where there is absolutely no weather action at all. I hear that the thunder can get LOUD but how loud exactly?
Loud enough to wake you up when it strikes your house or nearby. Not loud enough to break windows or hurt your ears.
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Also, do you have tornadoes?
Rarely. In 25 years, I've only seen one. One did pass a half-mile behind my house, but that was at night.
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I heard that because of the three rivers, they don't come in Fort Wayne or something like that.
That's a myth, Tornadoes can strike anywhere, anytime. However, they're very rare. Lightning is more dangerous.
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What if I'm driving from Indianapolis to Ft Wayne? Along that long stretch of highway, would I run into a tornado?
Probably not.
If you're driving during bad weather, keep the radio on. The weather service tracks storms and issues warnings when they think a tornado is coming.
Avoid or drive out of areas under a tornado warning. If you see a tornado in the distance, seek shelter. Don't stay in your car. If the tornado gets close and there's nowhere to go, get out of your car and lay down as flat as you can in the lowest spot you can find that is above water, like the side of a highway ditch. The biggest danger from Tornadoes is from flying debris or being picked up and tossed into something. Staying flat to the ground in a depression makes you less of a target and reduces your wind resistance.
DO NOT SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS, they act like wind tunnels. This is all incredibly unlikely.
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Since the roads are so open would lightning strike my vehicle?
Yes, but it will be conducted straight into the ground. You will not be harmed.
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Would it strike my home?
Yes, same thing. Don't talk on the land-line phone during an intense thunderstorm. Cell phones are probably okay. Don't shower when there is lots of lightning, it can travel through the pipes. Stay away from windows during a storm.
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Do tornadoes ruin homes and kill people?
Yes, but not very many.
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Does lighting strike people?
More often than tornadoes do. Don't go outside in a thunderstorm. Don't shelter under tall objects like trees if caught outside. Don't swim during a storm.
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Do a lot of people die due to storms?
Far far far far fewer than die in car crashes.
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Does the sky turn black during storms?
Sometimes. Sometimes purple or green. Green signifies hail. Hail is usually small and pea-sized, but it can get as big as baseballs and cause damage to cars and crops.
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Would I need to have a basement/cellar nearby?
Doesn't hurt. If you don't have one, plan on sheltering in the center of your house in a closet or somewhere with a lot of structural supports that can protect you.
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Will I get used to the weather?
Yes. Thunderstorms are fun to watch when you stop worrying about them.
More on tornado safety:
There are several levels of weather alerts: Severe Thunderstorm Watch (Issued over areas of hundreds of miles): Conditions are right to cause severe thunderstorms. A small icon appears on local TV stations, radio stations might announce it during station ID breaks, weather radios will issue an alert. Severe Thunderstorm Warning (issued over several counties): A severe storm is in your area. Lightning, high winds, heavy rain, and hail may occur. Take shelter indoors or in a car. A small icon appears on local TV stations and the local meterologist might break into programming to make an announcement. Radio station DJ's might mention it. Weather radios will issue alerts. Tornado Watch (Issued over hundreds of miles): Conditions are right to cause tornadoes. A small icon appears on local TV stations, radio stations might announce it during station ID breaks, weather radios will issue an alert. Tornado Warning (issued over several counties): A tornado is in your area. Take shelter underground or in an internal room. Civil defense sirens will sound a continuous tone. Radio and TV stations will switch to the emergency broadcast system and meteorologists will track the storm and tell viewers where the tornado is and where it is headed. Weather radios will issue alerts.
If you're really worried, you can buy a NOAA weather radio which will beep at you if there is any sort of weather alert. You'll go through several tornado watches each year, and maybe a warning once every three-to-five years.
There are a lot of myths about tornadoes, like opening windows and other nonsense. If there's a tornado, the only thing you should do is get underground and stay near a basement wall. Nighttime tornadoes are the most dangerous because they are hard to see and catch people unaware or asleep. If bad weather is forecast, just be aware and take precautions.
Again, very few people die in tornadoes each year. There's really nothing to worry about.
Last edited by sponger42; 09-13-2010 at 09:35 PM..
Reason: Mor info
Location: Somewhere randomly far away on the east coast :)
17 posts, read 83,146 times
Reputation: 17
Quote:
Originally Posted by wh15395
Not to scare you, but lightning actually does hit homes. It doesn't happen too often, but when it does it can start a fire easily. I also believe that lightning can strike cars, but I heard that if you are inside of the car, nothing bad can happen to you.
Location: Somewhere randomly far away on the east coast :)
17 posts, read 83,146 times
Reputation: 17
Quote:
Originally Posted by sponger42
Loud enough to wake you up when it strikes your house or nearby. Not loud enough to break windows or hurt your ears.
Rarely. In 25 years, I've only seen one. One did pass a half-mile behind my house, but that was at night.
That's a myth, Tornadoes can strike anywhere, anytime. However, they're very rare. Lightning is more dangerous.
Probably not.
If you're driving during bad weather, keep the radio on. The weather service tracks storms and issues warnings when they think a tornado is coming.
Avoid or drive out of areas under a tornado warning. If you see a tornado in the distance, seek shelter. Don't stay in your car. If the tornado gets close and there's nowhere to go, get out of your car and lay down as flat as you can in the lowest spot you can find that is above water, like the side of a highway ditch. The biggest danger from Tornadoes is from flying debris or being picked up and tossed into something. Staying flat to the ground in a depression makes you less of a target and reduces your wind resistance.
DO NOT SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS, they act like wind tunnels. This is all incredibly unlikely.
Yes, but it will be conducted straight into the ground. You will not be harmed.
Yes, same thing. Don't talk on the land-line phone during an intense thunderstorm. Cell phones are probably okay. Don't shower when there is lots of lightning, it can travel through the pipes. Stay away from windows during a storm.
Yes, but not very many.
More often than tornadoes do. Don't go outside in a thunderstorm. Don't shelter under tall objects like trees if caught outside. Don't swim during a storm.
Far far far far fewer than die in car crashes.
Sometimes. Sometimes purple or green. Green signifies hail. Hail is usually small and pea-sized, but it can get as big as baseballs and cause damage to cars and crops.
Doesn't hurt. If you don't have one, plan on sheltering in the center of your house in a closet or somewhere with a lot of structural supports that can protect you.
Yes. Thunderstorms are fun to watch when you stop worrying about them.
More on tornado safety:
There are several levels of weather alerts: Severe Thunderstorm Watch (Issued over areas of hundreds of miles): Conditions are right to cause severe thunderstorms. A small icon appears on local TV stations, radio stations might announce it during station ID breaks, weather radios will issue an alert. Severe Thunderstorm Warning (issued over several counties): A severe storm is in your area. Lightning, high winds, heavy rain, and hail may occur. Take shelter indoors or in a car. A small icon appears on local TV stations and the local meterologist might break into programming to make an announcement. Radio station DJ's might mention it. Weather radios will issue alerts. Tornado Watch (Issued over hundreds of miles): Conditions are right to cause tornadoes. A small icon appears on local TV stations, radio stations might announce it during station ID breaks, weather radios will issue an alert. Tornado Warning (issued over several counties): A tornado is in your area. Take shelter underground or in an internal room. Civil defense sirens will sound a continuous tone. Radio and TV stations will switch to the emergency broadcast system and meteorologists will track the storm and tell viewers where the tornado is and where it is headed. Weather radios will issue alerts.
If you're really worried, you can buy a NOAA weather radio which will beep at you if there is any sort of weather alert. You'll go through several tornado watches each year, and maybe a warning once every three-to-five years.
There are a lot of myths about tornadoes, like opening windows and other nonsense. If there's a tornado, the only thing you should do is get underground and stay near a basement wall. Nighttime tornadoes are the most dangerous because they are hard to see and catch people unaware or asleep. If bad weather is forecast, just be aware and take precautions.
Again, very few people die in tornadoes each year. There's really nothing to worry about.
This was incredibly helpful. Thanks for answering all of my questions like that.
I'm definitely saving all this information.
I feel a lot more better about the move to Ft Wayne, and I'll definitely try to have fun with the storms because they honestly seem just as exciting as they probably are scary. I'll be a Hoosier in no time! (I hope)
LBF, this link is to a map of Allen County that shows where tornadoes have touched down or been spotted there. Bear in mind it goes back over 150 years and maybe that will help with some perspective.
I wouldn't fret much. If you still have any concerns, buy yourself a weather radio. It will alert you to any possible severe weather, assuming your local news hasn't alerted you beforehand.
Location: Somewhere randomly far away on the east coast :)
17 posts, read 83,146 times
Reputation: 17
Quote:
Originally Posted by DLK55
LBF, this link is to a map of Allen County that shows where tornadoes have touched down or been spotted there. Bear in mind it goes back over 150 years and maybe that will help with some perspective.
I wouldn't fret much. If you still have any concerns, buy yourself a weather radio. It will alert you to any possible severe weather, assuming your local news hasn't alerted you beforehand.
Thank you so much for the links, especially the third link where it describes Fort Wayne's climate. I've been looking for something like that for the longest time and haven't been able to find it (wikipedia.org didn't help me one bit!) so thank you
I certainly will get a NOAA weather radio, because being new to the area, I would definitely need to know what's going on.
I'm glad lightning doesn't hit cars or homes. I never knew tornadoes were rare in Ft Wayne. I'll definitely look for a basement, but if I don't have one, a inner closet or a bathtub I hear would do
Lightning does hit cars and homes. If you are in a car and it is struck by lightning, there is probably a 1% chance you will be injured (if that). Cars, as long as the rubber wheels are on the ground, are grounded because of the wheels. My father-in-law was in a car that was hit by lightning. I think it messed up the car, but he felt nothing, just a super bright flash. But, this brings us to another point. He was driving in the super flat plain states (Iowa or Kansas). Lightning almost always hits the tallest object. For example, there were three or four lightning house fires this year in the Indy area that I recall. However, I don't think we had any tornadoes, maybe some high winds though. The thing is, most homes getting hit by lightning are in neighborhoods with no big trees. Many of these neighborhoods were built in what used to be flat farm fields. So the highest things around are the homes. Out where I grew up east of Indy, many of the neighborhoods were built in wood or semi-wooded areas. As a result, it was common (as in once a year, if that) to have a tree get struck by lightning in the entire area.
Tornadoes are rare, and we haven't had a "good" (as in, tons of damage over a long area) in the Indy area for a while now. Most tornadoes are only on the ground for a few moments. I actually think strong winds are more of a threat than tornadoes. When we do have tornadoes in this area of the country, they seem to be on the weaker side of the scale.
The thing is, take proper precautions. For starters, get a good weather radio. You want a weather radio that allows you to block out flood warnings. Flood warnings might only affect a small square mile of your county, but you might live 10 miles from that area and flooding isn't an issue. You don't want to be woken up at 3AM because it is time to re-broadcast the flood warning that might be going on for one or two days (No, floods aren't that big of an issue, but the more rural you get in Indiana, the more likely some county roads will be flooded shut. So to give notification to the three to fifty people who may drive down that stretch of road daily, the Nat'l Weather Service issues flood warnings). Along the same idea, you don't want to be woken up for an Amber Alert either, so make sure you get a radio that allows you to block out certain events.
The only events you really might want to be woken up for are:
#1: Tornado warnings (this is different than a tornado watch. A watch means conditions are such that a tornado might occur--they rarely do though). A warning means either radar indicated possible rotation. These radar warnings are usually nothing. If there was a tornado, it likely didn't even come down and hit the ground. A warning can also be issued if law enforcement, a weather spotter, etc. witnesses a tornado on the ground. Thankfully, most of our tornado warnings are radar.
#2: Sever thunderstorm warnings. You might want to get woken up for this because high winds can do just as much damage as a tornado. Again, a rare event. Also, lightning strikes have the possibility of traveling through cables to your home. So if you have high end electronics, unplug all the cables from them, and pull out the power cord. A surge protector you get at Best Buy won't stop the amount of electricity from a lightning surge.
As far a shelter from tornadoes, I wish I had better shelter, but I don't. I have a fear of tornadoes, but over the last five years, that fear has actually not been as bad. I have lived here all my life, and it seems in my younger years, we had more tornadoes, and I think seeing the damage first hand made an impact. Getting a basement is a good idea, but make sure you are on high ground, as you don't want a basement that floods. What I will likely do once we get a home we will likely be in for a couple of decades, is get a tornado shelter installed in the home. There are a few options:
#1: Crew comes out and digs a rectangle in your cement garage floor. They then install a rectangle metal box with sliding roof opening. If there is a tornado, you just have to make sure you move a car/lawn mower out of the way to gain access. The only negative about this type of shelter is that if the home collapses, you might be safe but stuck until the rescue crews arrive, and some folks store chemicals in their garage which could fall onto the garage floor and into the shelter. If you get one of these shelters, make sure you get a mini-barn to store gas and other chemical type products.
#2: Big plastic tube. This is buried in the ground outside, with a flat weather resistant door. I personally would rather have them install one with the door contained inside the home. I might have a patio installed just so they can install one of these so the door is covered by the patio, but the unit itself is under ground level.
#3: Safe rooms: These are either pre-fab units made of thick metal, or cinder block rooms where bars are ran through the blocks. They are usually designed to look like a closet in the corner of the living room, dining room, etc.. Folks can use them to store stuff in, and if a tornado is coming, just make sure there is enough room for people to fit in.
These shelters run anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000.
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