Lets talk tornados.... (Clarksville, Murfreesboro, Hendersonville: houses, rent, work)

[iansmom]

Originally Posted by TornadoAlley

How often is the personal fear of this yearly?

Living in California I can tell you everything you want to know about earthquakes, but as far as tornado's are concerned you'll see them during tornado season with the peak times being March to May. Just like any natural disaster they can hit anywhere, anytime, in season or out of season.

Remember the tornado in Salt Lake City Utah? Well tornados are not "supposed" to happen there and it did. So it's pretty much a crap shoot anywhere you go. Here are a couple maps of the US and where tornados are prone to hit.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Tornado_Alley.jpg
http://www.tornadochaser.net/tornadoalley.jpg

Here is an article
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornado_Alley

Personally I'd be more concerned about the New Madrid Earthquake fault that runs northeast-southwest through eastern Arkansas, western Tennessee, southwest Missouri and western Kentucky, and right smack through the middle of downtown Memphis. It's not talked about so a lot of people have no idea this fault even exists and what exactly they are sitting on. But trust me it is there and the quakes although minor and small are rarely felt but that doesn't mean it's not happening because it is.

This is a link of earthquakes from 2/06 through today throughout the country...Check out the list for the last 2 months....looks like Ridgeley and Tipton TN does an awful lot of shaking. I think this will be eye opening to many.

http://folkworm.ceri.memphis.edu/rec...s/quakes0.html

The San Andres fault pales in comparison to the time bomb the people sit on in the midwest.

For instance this link

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Charleston1895.gif shows the 1994 6.7 Northridge CA earthquate shows the area it was felt. IF that same earthquake of a magnitude 6.8 hit the midwest you can see the scope of the same quake and the area it would encompass. Quite a difference with the reason being California is built on granite, the midwest is not. If a quake of this magnitude hit the midwest it would be instant liquefaction.

more links.....

http://www.showme.net/~fkeller/quake...phewaiting.htm
http://www.showme.net/~fkeller/quake/sitemap.htm

Well class now you know everything you need to know about tornados and earthquakes but were afraid to ask and you'll all be tested on this tomorrow!!!

Sorry if I'm rambling but tornados and earthquakes have always fascinated me and tornado alley asked.

[wellkids]

Originally Posted by insanesmooch

In the past 10 or so years, I recall two in Murfreesboro being very destructive. One was in what I guess would be the southwest of the town and it was really ugly as far as destroying houses. And the other was in what I think is the northeast side of town. Those were the two biggest as far as damage. They destroyed neighborhoods. Ok, I looked up that list. The ones I recall are the one around Barfield and Walter Hill. That one in around Milton (which is very close to Murfreesboro) seems familiar with the one death. It maybe the one where someone was in a truck and was killed.

Can you give me some details on this? I've lived in Murfreesboro for over 8 years and I certainly don't remember any tornados that destroyed neighborhoods. Not even one. I've lived in Middle TN my entire life and have never been in a Tornado...and I'm not exactly "young" anymore although I tell myself each morning that I am! There was a torando several years ago that touched down in Cannon County (Milton) and a lady was killed that lived in a mobile home (trailer) which is NOT where you want to be in a tornado. I may be wrong, but I truly do not remember any torandos in Murfreesboro that destroyed neighborhoods. We had a really bad hail storm that caused lots of roof damage this spring and another one back in 2003. This was a first for me. Never been in a hail storm until 2003 either! There was one tornado that touched down in Hendersonville (Sumner) County last year that was really bad. Smyrna had one years ago that was bad but it has been more than 10 years.

Again, you can live in Florida and be biten by a shark but your odds are pretty low. I've never been in a Tornado in middle TN! Yes we have warnings and watches but that doesn't mean I'm going live in fear of Torandos. I could also be struck by lightning but I don't worry about that every time we have an electrical storm either.

P.S. Tornado season is not in the winter. It is typically a spring event.

[TornadoAlley]

OMG! Amazing. Well, you might be talking me out of TN...

[heathersmom]

I read about Tipton in one of my researches...I have a note book of TN zipcodes and towns that are prone to tornados, earthquakes, floods and now EPA low quality air emissions...in California they are taught how to deal with eartquakes, we even have small tremors here in NY, but as for TN --I'm not sure they are taught how to deal with an earthquake? Maybe in that general area? I take my job of a mom and wife serious--as if you can't tell by my lists...just ask my husband- he hears something new (sometimes good and sometimes not) about TN every day.

[heathersmom]

I just finished searching through all of the sites mentioned (earthquake) and found them quite interesting...Memphis sits on 300 ft of bedrock..while California sits on less...what about the Sequatchie Valley rift? I always wondered if that area was prone to eartquakes because of the valley/rift?
Thanks! I'll be certain to show my husband tonight when he comes home!

[iansmom]

Originally Posted by heathersmom

I just finished searching through all of the sites mentioned (earthquake) and found them quite interesting...Memphis sits on 300 ft of bedrock..while California sits on less...what about the Sequatchie Valley rift? I always wondered if that area was prone to eartquakes because of the valley/rift?
Thanks! I'll be certain to show my husband tonight when he comes home!

This website talks a bit about "rifts" and what the effects are.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Madrid_Seismic_Zone
http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/prepare/factsheets/HiddenHazs/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rift

here's a whole yahoo page on the Sequatchie Valley.
http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Seq...&cop=&ei=UTF-8

[TornadoAlley]

Originally Posted by heathersmom

I just finished searching through all of the sites mentioned (earthquake) and found them quite interesting...Memphis sits on 300 ft of bedrock..while California sits on less...what about the Sequatchie Valley rift? I always wondered if that area was prone to eartquakes because of the valley/rift?
Thanks! I'll be certain to show my husband tonight when he comes home!

While I live where there are earth quakes also, those PLUS tornados in TN...This might have just talked me out of TN....Sad to say.

[insanesmooch]

Originally Posted by wellkids

Can you give me some details on this? I've lived in Murfreesboro for over 8 years and I certainly don't remember any tornados that destroyed neighborhoods. Not even one. I've lived in Middle TN my entire life and have never been in a Tornado...and I'm not exactly "young" anymore although I tell myself each morning that I am! There was a torando several years ago that touched down in Cannon County (Milton) and a lady was killed that lived in a mobile home (trailer) which is NOT where you want to be in a tornado. I may be wrong, but I truly do not remember any torandos in Murfreesboro that destroyed neighborhoods. We had a really bad hail storm that caused lots of roof damage this spring and another one back in 2003. This was a first for me. Never been in a hail storm until 2003 either! There was one tornado that touched down in Hendersonville (Sumner) County last year that was really bad. Smyrna had one years ago that was bad but it has been more than 10 years.

Again, you can live in Florida and be biten by a shark but your odds are pretty low. I've never been in a Tornado in middle TN! Yes we have warnings and watches but that doesn't mean I'm going live in fear of Torandos. I could also be struck by lightning but I don't worry about that every time we have an electrical storm either.

P.S. Tornado season is not in the winter. It is typically a spring event.

I think it was Janurary 1997 that the first one I recall was in Murfreesboro. My roommate married in '96 and moved out, so it had to be then. That was out off Church Street in the Barfield community like where the Barfield Cresent Park is (I think that is the name of it). Many houses were destoryed there. You could only drive through where the less expensive houses were. The subdivisions with more expensive houses had police guarding them. It was the first time I had been in the vicinity of a tornado so when my parents were visiting we drove out to see it. - I found something about it on the web. It was Jaunary 24th of 1997 and says "Extensive damage occurred in the Barfield community with the tornado virtually levelling the South Ridge subdivision." . This is according to srh.weather.gov :" The tornado first touched down on Yeargan Road, about 6 miles southwest of downtown Murfreesboro, with an intensity of F1 (73 mph to 112 mph) and a width of about 100 yards. At this location, a sheet metal roof was peeled back on a barn and a couple of trees were snapped. A nearby trailer was also lifted off its foundation and overturned and several trees were uprooted.

The tornado proceeded northeast and increased to F2 (113 mph to 157 mph) and a width of 300 yards. As it struck the community of Barfield, an entire roof was lifted off a house, several homes were partially destroyed and a barn totally destroyed.

The tornado crossed the west fork of Stones River and then struck the South Ridge subdivision as it increased to its maximum intensity of F4 (207 mph to 260 mph) with its width remaining at 300 yards. A number of homes were partially damaged with about a half dozen homes totally destroyed.

The tornado then struck a large apartment complex just west of U.S. Highway 231 on the south side of Murfreesboro, producing some structural damage and extensive roof damage as it weakened to F1 (73 mph to 112 mph) intensity and its width decreasing to 150 yards.

The tornado then crossed U.S. Highway 231 and the Indian Wells golf course. Large trees were uprooted and structural damage to several businesses occurred as it approached Interstate 24. The tornado continued moving northeastward across Interstate 24, snapping and uprooting trees as it narrowed to 50 yards wide.

On the southeast side of Murfreesboro near the intersections of Elam Road and U.S. Highway 41, and near Bradyville Road and East Rutherford Boulevard, the tornado uprooted numerous trees and damaged the roofs of several homes. It was at this point the track of the tornado ended.

The other one in Murfreesboro was in the Walter Hill community. I think it was mostly one subdivision that was hit. I can't recall what month that was. That may have been the same time as the hail storm, I'm not sure.

According to srh's site since that 1997 one there have been 10 tornados in Rutherford County which includes Smyrna and Lavergne. The Milton one is Rutherford and Cannon Counties.
That one that destoryed Clarksville's downtown was also in January. And several others show November, so I don't think Mother Nature cares when we say tornado season is. It seems to me like the most violent ones occured in the winter months (Nov. included even though it is not technically winter).

[Dave Bertrand]

A poster said that there are no tornadoes during the winter time in Tennessee.

Tornadoes can happen anytime of the year and sometimes without any warning from doppler radar. I've seen a few in the last couple years and one up close, while trying to out-run its path to get to my daughter's school that was mistakenly reported as "hit!"

Consider becoming Skywarned Certified by the National Weather Service.

You will then see tornadoes.....for sure

[TornadoAlley]

Originally Posted by Dave Bertrand

A poster said that there are no tornadoes during the winter time in Tennessee.

Tornadoes can happen anytime of the year and sometimes without any warning from doppler radar. I've seen a few in the last couple years and one up close, while trying to out-run its path to get to my daughter's school that was mistakenly reported as "hit!"

Consider becoming Skywarned Certified by the National Weather Service.

You will then see tornadoes.....for sure

Thanks for the feedback. How do you get skywarned?