[trythis]

!!!

It's seems I'm not the only one who picked up on the "my dog is bigger than your dog" tone in some of the posts here. Good one, Goodpasture.

Not every day in the summer is in the 100's, although there have been some years in the recent past where they were common. Still, even the more common upper 90's might be hard for someone unaccustomed to it.

And as for that snake. Isn't it a bull snake? If so, it's not poisonous. It just helps keep the rodent population down. I suspect the smaller ones eat larger insects, too, although nobody ever told me so. Bull snakes, and most snakes in Oklahoma, are not aggressive. They either stay still and hope not to be discovered, or try to get away if disturbed. They are not a threat. We never wanted them around the house, but otherwise a helpful animal.

There are some poisonous snakes in Oklahoma, but if you live in town the odds of encountering them are pretty low. In western Oklahoma, the odds are higher as that's where most of the poisonous ones live. If you go hiking out that way, wear good boots, watch where you step, stay on the trail, and don't go kicking over rocks and logs. You should be alright.

[okie1962]

Originally Posted by Goodpasture

I heard one time that it got so hot, the corn started popping in the fields........filled the fields with popcorn, the cows thought it was snow and froze to death...............

The cows in Checotah just scoop it up and sneak it into the drive in...Hew Haw!

[Craziaskowboi]

Originally Posted by amccom

Any areas Tornado free in OK?

No.

[StillwaterTownie]

Originally Posted by Gnutella

No.

But surely there is a number of towns in Oklahoma that can boast that it has never been hit by a tornado.

[linicx]

As far as I know there has never been a direct hit in Grove, OK. Located in NE OK it's about 25 miles SSE of I-44 and 15 miles NW of Jay. In between Jay and Grover is an area called Zena that does get some really ugly weather and tornado strength winds. There has been some activity between Grove and Fairland and also due East of Grove. And there is activity in Miami which is located near I-44.

There is also activity in a small triangle bounded by Miami OK, Baxter, KS. and Joplin, MO -- which are on and/or near North of I-44. Many of these tornadoes move SW to NE as does I-40 to I-44 to I-71/US 60/I-65.

I read a lot of stats on OK weather, but I've never read of a direct hit on the City of Grove. It is not unusual to blur county/city borders when reporting a sighting. The new high school may be in the city, but the land and houses behind it are not. So the tornado spotted in that area years ago reported it was in the city when it was actually just outside the city limits. In any case there was no property damage or loss of life.

I am no authority. I watched the NEok, SWmo, and SEks storms move for nearly 30 years. And I observed the damage from Tulsa to Pittsburg to Springfield. Why nature happens as it does is a question left to a higher authority.

[chessgeek]

Originally Posted by StillwaterTownie

There may very will be a bunch of places in Oklahoma with no recorded tornado having hit, but they're probably remote little hick towns where few people would want to live. There's surely few places in this country really entirely safe from bad weather. An area in Colorado recently got up to 15, or so, inches of rain.

Insurance on a $200,000 house will definitely be over $1000 for a year. Those were the good 'ol days with it was under that.

More than ever before, Oklahomans are seeing the need for a storm shelter for their home. I saw that need nearly 10 years ago when I made sure that a house I was having built included a safe room. Meanwhile, people on their 4th rebuild must need to try building someplace else.

Keep in mind in your move to Oklahoma, if you do, that huge hail storms are also a bad weather nuisance and another reason why home insurance isn't cheap.

I am sure most homes have basements there, right? I know even growing up in Minnesota we did. There is some tornado threat there, but they are lower intensity twisters generally than Oklahoma gets and less frequent.

BTW, a tornado can occur almost anywhere. The larger ones hit in the Midwest or South generally speaking. However, the city of Sunnyvale in California's Silicon Valley had a small tornado do some damage in a residential neighborhood on its west side in 1998 (it was either April or May). Most of the damage was to a church and fortunately it was a week day (not a Sunday). There was also a small one just west of Stockton last year.

[Dale Cooper]

Originally Posted by okie1962

I just recently shopped around and the best price I could find on my $125,000 home in Mid Town Tulsa, that has a fire hydrant only 77 feet from my front door, was just shy of $1,500.00. There is a lot more than just tornados here in Oklahoma. One of the biggest perils is hail damage we have a lot of that in Oklahoma. And then we have flooding and wildfires, not at the same time. We have incredible ice storms that have knocked out power for over 2 weeks, my folks are putting in a generator that will run off their gas well so they will never have to go through that again.

I am guessing after just one of our summer, tornados will be the least of your worries. We start hitting the 90s by late May and early June, and that time of year it is very humid. By July and August it really starts heating up. Most days are mid to upper 90s and often have many days in the 100 to 105 degree range and just a few over 110. At the hight of summer it is not uncommon to see temps in high 80s at midnight. You will learn that AC is your friend.

And I hope you like snakes? We have a lots of them compared to NY, I find them in my house from time to time. I live near a creek and have a basement so they seem attracted to my place, but I have no mice...

[/url]
I found this guy heading towards my house. I scooped him up with a shovel and sent him back to the creek.

If you decide to live in the country the coyotes will love your small pets.

And chiggers will make you respect Deep Woods Off.

Awwwwwwwww. Good Snake! Thank you for not beheading him.

A couple of nights ago on the local news they were talking about how homeowner's ins has skyrocketed because of recent tornadoes and fires. And folks in the May tornadoes still haven't gotten their insurance settlements. Been there, done that with my insurance company and I'll tell you one thing: The OK Insurance Commissioner (et al) is the sorriest, suckiest POS on Planet Earth. They actually ADD to the stress.

[Dale Cooper]

Originally Posted by okie1962

The cows in Checotah just scoop it up and sneak it into the drive in...Hew Haw!

Where's Gary Larson when we need him?

[StillwaterTownie]

Originally Posted by chessgeek

I am sure most homes have basements there, right? I know even growing up in Minnesota we did. There is some tornado threat there, but they are lower intensity twisters generally than Oklahoma gets and less frequent.

No, most homes in Oklahoma don't have basements. Some of the older homes do, though.

[linicx]

More likely to find basements in MN and the Midwestern states as the soil is much different. The builders I talked too say clay and hardpan is more expensive to dig because it takes longer than it does to excavate soft soil that is found in farm fields. I know it was a chore to excavate for a septic tank and field tile in NE OK due to the composition of the hard packed soil. .