Dallas/Fort Worth tornados (Grand Prairie, Salado: sale, house, school)

[mom4]

I wasn't aware that the Dallas/Fort Worth area gets tornados. Here in Florida we seem to get them often. Does the Fort Worth area get more tornados then Dallas?

[KewGee]

Statistically speaking, Dallas County has had 80 tornadoes and Tarrant County (Fort Worth) has had 76. This is from January 1, 1950 through March 31, 2007.

Tarrant County has had 4 F3s in this time frame, but only a total of 2 deaths and 126 injuries.

Dallas County on the other hand has had 6 F3s and 1 F4 with 13 deaths and 355 injuries.

Property damage for Tarrant was $30.842 million and Dallas was $163.342 million.

Again, statistically speaking and for nearly 57 years, the stats aren't too terribly high.

The area and others in Texas are in the country's Tornado Alley area.

[mom4]

Wow I had no idea! I guess you learn something new everyday as they say

[sonshinelife]

this is interesting... I would of thought Ft Worth had more tornadoes over the years. What is even more amazing is how few tornadoes there have actually been since 1950 for both areas. I guess we should feel secure with our area of the state. I've lived here all of my life and really can't even tell you how many tornadoes I've been around. I had my first real tornado duck and cover at school this year. I've been in Dallas for ????? too many years to count. LOL. :-)

[BIGinDallas]

The first time I heard there "might" be a tornadoes, I took the cat and hid in the laundry room (a room in the middle of the house). I kept calling my mother-in-law to check the status since we had directv at the time and signal goes bad during storms. My husband just stood there and laughed at me (he's from Dallas). It was the year we had the bad hail storm. Now everytime I hear there "might" be a tornado, I just sit there and watch the weather man as entertainment.

It's like earthquakes in LA. first one you get scared. Second one you might get up. Third and after you stay in bed and sleep...

[tashina]

I take weatherman seriously. If I hear I warning I'll be in an interior room huddled with my dog and my weather radio.

I'm a California girl and never slept through earthquakes. I was always taught to get up and stand in the hallway in a door frame. I was on the 23rd floor of an office building as it swayed back and forth for one in LA in the 70's/80's. Then in 1989, I was living in San Francisco. Lying there in the afternoon on my bed, after calling my boyfriend that I'd be a little late coming over the Bay Bridge to see him (feeling lazy), I saw my houseplants shake a tiny bit. Houseplants are great indicators of earth movement. I was up fast and in the doorway (and called to my roommate to do the same) and about 15 seconds after I got there, the 7.1 Loma Prieta quake hit. I tried to hold onto the door frame but it was moving so much I couldn't keep a hold on it. I ended up in the hallway clinging to my roommate and trying to stay upright. After it was over, we looked and everything was on its side, broken or knocked over. The bed, where I had been, and would have been if I was more blase, was covered in glass vases and other items that had traveled 8 feet from the top of my bookcase.

Yep, if there's a tornado warning and you need me, check the bathroom.

[KewGee]

Originally Posted by tashina

I take weatherman seriously. If I hear I warning I'll be in an interior room huddled with my dog and my weather radio.

I'm a California girl and never slept through earthquakes. I was always taught to get up and stand in the hallway in a door frame. I was on the 23rd floor of an office building as it swayed back and forth for one in LA in the 70's/80's. Then in 1989, I was living in San Francisco. Lying there in the afternoon on my bed, after calling my boyfriend that I'd be a little late coming over the Bay Bridge to see him (feeling lazy), I saw my houseplants shake a tiny bit. Houseplants are great indicators of earth movement. I was up fast and in the doorway (and called to my roommate to do the same) and about 15 seconds after I got there, the 7.1 Loma Prieta quake hit. I tried to hold onto the door frame but it was moving so much I couldn't keep a hold on it. I ended up in the hallway clinging to my roommate and trying to stay upright. After it was over, we looked and everything was on its side, broken or knocked over. The bed, where I had been, and would have been if I was more blase, was covered in glass vases and other items that had traveled 8 feet from the top of my bookcase.

Yep, if there's a tornado warning and you need me, check the bathroom.

Yes, this California girl sounds like you. I was only in one big earthquake in CA, 1971, probably before you were born. It was very frightening indeed. I'm glad you were late to your boyfriend's home that day.

Tornado watches should be taken seriously as well as dthe weathermen always say that tornadoes may appear without much advanced notice. They have to "appear" somewhere, and I'm not taking any chances that their first appearance is a block from my home. When the storm gets close to me, tornado warning or not, you'll find me underground in my storm cellar.

Laughing at storms has never been understood by me. My daughter used to laugh at me until she saw a tornado while traveling on I35 in Salado. I guess just the actual sight of it finally made her come to her senses. She is very cautious now and is considering have an underground cellar put in. She lives in Grand Prairie.

[BIGinDallas]

When I say weather as entertainment, I don't mean I didn't take it serious when it becomes serious. It's just a lot of times, the weather is treated like entertainment from the TV station. They tease/scare you with little bits so you stay on their channels. It's the whole problem I think with News in general these days. It's about rating, it's about scaring people. I don't actually watch the news because if you think about it, it's usually bad news most of the time and makes you not even want to get out of the house.

Also, when I mention my husband "laugh". It wasn't the act of laughing because a storm is coming, we still do watch it closely and if things gets serious, obviously we'd still go to the middle of the house. He was laughing at my reaction to the whole thing (hiding with the cat, with a blanket calling someone every other minute for the update).

I'm from California too and I'm sure a big earthquake would still freak me out. It's just kinda like the boy who cried wolf too many time, the effect of it deminishes...but doesn't mean it can't happen.

[KewGee]

Originally Posted by BIGinDallas

When I say weather as entertainment, I don't mean I didn't take it serious when it becomes serious. It's just a lot of times, the weather is treated like entertainment from the TV station. They tease/scare you with little bits so you stay on their channels. It's the whole problem I think with News in general these days. It's about rating, it's about scaring people. I don't actually watch the news because if you think about it, it's usually bad news most of the time and makes you not even want to get out of the house.

Also, when I mention my husband "laugh". It wasn't the act of laughing because a storm is coming, we still do watch it closely and if things gets serious, obviously we'd still go to the middle of the house. He was laughing at my reaction to the whole thing (hiding with the cat, with a blanket calling someone every other minute for the update).

I'm from California too and I'm sure a big earthquake would still freak me out. It's just kinda like the boy who cried wolf too many time, the effect of it deminishes...but doesn't mean it can't happen.

I understand. I used to get laughed at when I had my kids (they were little) wear helmets on their heads and put them in the tub, hall, or closet. One was my son's little guy football helmet and the one my daughter wore was a motorcycle helmet for kids that she bought at a garage sale for $1.00 for her little brother when he was learning to ride a bike. Now that's down right thoughtful. Anyway, she still tells people she's sorry she ever bought that helmet. Yes, it is all a funny sight with what those of us do who fear the storms. I wish I weren't that way, but I can't change that. I'm much better than I used to be, but that may be because I now have a storm cellar now and don't have two children at home about which to worry. My pastor and his wife used to laugh at me unmercifully when I first moved to Texas........not funny!!

My daughter now corrals her dog and two cats and "sits it out" in a bathroom under her staircase that leads to the 2nd story of the house.

Thanks for your post.

[BIGinDallas]

I kept asking about a storm cellars, but people kept saying you can't have those here because it gets too humid or that water comes through. Is that not true and can any house add one of those? Because I would feel a LOT better having one too...