How often does Austin get freezing weather and/or tornadoes (West: homes, buying)

[doctorjef]

I just really wouldn't worry about tornados in Austin. There have been some monster tornados in Lubbock and Witchita Falls, and in those parts of the state tornados are cited all the time -- those are the areas where everyone knows that you need to drag a mattress into the bathtub of an interior, windowless bathroom and cover yourself (since so few houses in TX have basements or storm cellars). But Austin isn't at all in tornado alley, in contrast to the aforementioned cities.

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

But we're not in Austin, we're in Hutto. (i've learned not to say we're in Austin)

[doctorjef]

Okey-dokey...mattress in bathtub then...

[TexasHorseLady]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

Thanks for that. I didn't think my memory could be off by 11 years. I remember the earlier Jarrell tornado because I had a patient around that time who for some reason wanted to move out there and after the tornado subsequently occurred, I recall thinking maybe that wasn't such a good move for her. I don't even recall the 1997 tornado. I'm not saying it was trivial, but Jarrell isn't Austin and there's not a lot of reason to pay attention to what happens out there when you live in Austin.

Well, no, an F5 tornado that makes the phrase "wiped clean by the wroth of God" something truly imaginable is not trivial. 27 people died. An entire neighborhood was destroyed down to the slabs (there weren't even any plumbing pipes left sticking out of the slabs). I got lost on a road that had no roads going off of it to confuse me because there were NO landmarks left - even the pavement was pulled up and gone.

Nope. Not trivial, and I'm surprised that you don't even recall it, given all the coverage it got (and the fact that, to this day, when there's tornado warnings anywhere north of the river, the weathermen still reassure folks in Jarrell specifically that they're not in danger, not that we're still worrying about it, but it clearly traumatized some of them!). I still, when meeting someone new and telling them where I'm from, have to say, yes, I was in Jarrell then and here's what happened. You'd be really refreshing to meet, in fact!

[capcat]

I agree. News of the tornado and the town of Jarrell went beyond the city and state. And I agree, if you saw the aftermath, it was powerful. Although, locals had to explain that there was once something there and that the dirt road you were traveling on had once been paved. In addition to people, 300 head of cattle were killed, some stripped of their hides. It was one for history.

[Danbo1957]

Originally Posted by doctorjef

I don't even recall the 1997 tornado. I'm not saying it was trivial, but Jarrell isn't Austin and there's not a lot of reason to pay attention to what happens out there when you live in Austin.

The point is that the storm that spawned the tornado that hit Jarrell continued south to Austin and spawned another tornado that went through the Cedar Park area northwest of the city.

The Cedar Park tornado:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-pX6...eature=related

[doctorjef]

I may be entirely wrong about this, but it's my mpression that the more one is down in the valleys or surrounded by hills, the safer one is from tornados. I know this may make no sense at all, since tornados are obviously atmospheric events. However, when a tornado touches down, ISTM that in open country like Williamson County, it may be a lot more likely to race along touching earth for a longer distance, since it will be unimpeded. Topographically, some areas within Austin just seem safer -- or perhaps they've just been lucky. To reach back into really ancient history, back in 1975-76 I was working at what at that time was the Brown Schools Ranch Treatment Center on Ditmar Lane in South Austin, between Manchaca Rd and South First. A small tornado skirted near the property line, doing some damage to a fence. That's all, and it was a very quick thing. It also seemed to me at the time to be in stark contrast to the huge tornados that Lubbock and Witchita Falls had gone through a few years earlier.

[oldtoiletsmkgdflrpots]

Texas Tornadoes


Ack, all this tornadic activity is going to keep me awake! NCDC: Texas Tornadoes I hope it's ok to link sites about tornadoes.



Check this one out...look where Texas is.

The Tornado Project Online!

[Artistic Avi]

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.

I've seen and read about both and I'd much rather deal with earthquakes. With earthquakes you get a lot of ones that can't be felt and very few that you can feel. I've lived in Seattle for over 27 years, only ever felt about 6 earthquakes and all but two or three I was uncertain if I actually felt them or if a truck was passing by. Only one of the quakes was actually very big and only a few very unstable buildings were damaged. The building I was in shook gently for quick a long while but had no damage at all.

My thing is that most buildings around here especially new ones are very earthquake proof, the worst damage happens to places where earthquake proofing isn't common.

Also there is a larger chance you'll be in or near a tornado than be in a large earthquake since so many tornados happen each year. Just make certain to keep an emergency kit in your house some place easy to access which everyone should do no matter where you live.

Even if we have a massive earthquake it is highly unlikely to do enough damage to wipe a US city off a map in this day and age, but a tornado easily can. I'd truly be more worried about living too close to the mountains in case of a volcanic eruption and that is even less likely than a large earthquake. If your home gets hit by a volcanic eruption, or a tornado or an earthquake the first two are a lot more likely to kill you or destroy your home than a large earthquake.

[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.