tornado safety preparation/ advice (Fort Worth, Allen: mattress, mobile home, water heater)

[bozzie]

My family and I moved here about 7 months ago from CA, we have never lived near where tornadoes occur and now that spring is upon us I want to be prepared if a tornado ever were to happen here in the dallas area. Excuse my ignorance, but this is what I have in our supply/safety room ( inner room where I think we are supposed to go if a tornado warning is issued) blankets, pillows, non-perishable food, water, flashlights and a battery powered radio) Is there anything else I should have on hand and is there any advice( what to look for if outside, tornado warning device to purchase, etc ?) you can give someone who has never experienced a tornado/ or tornado warning previously. Thank you

[SouthernBelleInUtah]

I have always thought that a green/bronze tint to the sky was a really bad sign - not scientific, just my experience in other states.

I run WeatherBug on my computer/phone/tablet. It puts an icon on the bottom menu bar and it flashes red for severe weather alerts. There is a free version you can try but it's not expensive, maybe $20/yr. It was recommended by my university when I lived in a tornado-prone area. It uses the same reporting locations as the TV weather services. You can pick your location to within a few miles so you get very local info. It shows a week out predictions, has a radar screen to track storms, and you can check on weather anywhere in the country. All the functions of weather.com or similar sites but with the added feature of the icon always "on" and flashing for severe weather alerts.

[bozzie]

Does there tend to be a tornado watch/warning every spring or can there can years where none are seen? Thank you!

[ggolf]

I've lived here since 1989. There has been one tornado event when we lived in Allen about 3 years ago. It was no big thing. Fences, trees blown down. Basically you need to get into an interior room.

I'd be much more worried about a Cali earthquake than a Texas tornado!

[bluescreen73]

Tornado watches and warnings are commonplace in the spring and fall; however, we lived in DFW for 12 years and the closest we ever came to a tornado was driving under a small funnel cloud that never touched down. The possibility of being in one is very real and shouldn't be taken lightly, but the odds of it happening to you are incredibly small. Be prepared, but not paranoid.

In general, owning a weather radio isn't a bad idea, but it can be annoying if it goes off at 3am for a storm that's not really a direct threat to you.

What you're going to want in your safe room are things to keep you comfortable of course, but it's also not a bad idea to have something to help shield you from the thing that causes most tornado-related injuries and fatalities - flying debris.

If you're in a car when a tornado approaches, don't try to outrun it, get out of the car and seek shelter in a sturdy building (not a mobile home). If there are no buildings around, take refuge in a low-lying area. Don't look for safety under an overpass that's one of the worst things you can do.

There really isn't much that the average lay person like you and I can look for with the exception of a wall cloud or a funnel cloud. Doppler radar is excellent at detecting rotation within a supercell, but rotation does not necessarily equate to a tornado. The National Weather Service has a trained network of storm spotters who are very good at doing what is largely a thankless job. They're the ones who report tornadoes on the ground a vast majority of the time.

Just be vigilant and take some twisted solace in the fact that you're much more likely to be killed in DFW by a lightning strike than a tornado.

[ggolf]

Originally Posted by bozzie

Does there tend to be a tornado watch/warning every spring or can there can years where none are seen? Thank you!

Spring and Fall are our 2 seasons for severe weather. June to September are drier than dirt. Old dirt.

[BeanyMalone]

There is severe weather every year. There is also usually a tornado warning every year. However, warnings are given when rotation is detected so that people take the right level of action. It does not always mean that a damaging tornado is on the ground.

The most essential safety advice - stay informed. Severe thunderstorm watches (weather conditions favor development of severe thunderstorms with damaging wind and hail) and tornado watches (weather conditions favor development of tornadoes) generally precede the actual severe weather. Do you carry your smart phone with you? Download one of the apps that will alert you to severe weather in your area. Invest in a NOAA weather radio (with batteries).

In the event of a tornado warning, go to an interior room on the lowest floor of your house. Put on your shoes if you are normally barefoot. Put your bike helmets on. Make sure you take your wallet, cell phone, computer, iPad, medication with you. Wait for the all clear. If you are outside, go to the nearest shelter. Be aware of what the severe weather policy is for your childrens' school and activities.

Whether thunderstorms, tornadoes or ice storms, you should be prepared to deal with two or three days without electricity. Doesn't happen very often but it does happen.

There are many websites with good information on how to prepare for severe weather. And it's not just tornadoes. Flash flooding and hail can be just as catastrophic and they are more common.

Edited to add:

Oh by the way, observed safely, thunderstorms on the plains can be wild and beautiful. Always check for the rainbow(s). The storms can go through really fast and it will be sunny where you are but still raining relatively close by, or an isolated storm will pop up a few miles away while you are dry. Last year was a great year for double and even triple rainbows (the few times we had rain).

[stephwin]

Another thing you need to watch for besides a tornado are strong winds that are sometimes just ahead of a storm (gust front) and large hail. Both of those can and do happen in the
absence of a tornado. And cities don't always sound the tornado alarms for those either.

The winds can get really strong and can blow your fence down, throw debris in the air (like trampolines), and generally make a mess of your trashcans and other stuff sitting out. If your fence gets blown down, it could easily take out a window or cause damage to landscaping and A/C units.

Also, large hail can total your car, ruin your roof, and bust out windows in your house. Prosper got hit bad a few years ago by a horrible hail storm. Our house got hit by hail that was maybe nickel sized last year and that is one of the worst sounds ever, especially since it hit in the middle of the night. It bounces off the glass, gutters, and roof and makes you think it will break through the windows.

My parents lived in Duncanville about 30 years ago and had softball sized hail hit their house. It actually came through the roof. All of their trees were stripped of every leaf and branch and there were dead birds and squirrels everywhere. Sometimes hail and high winds scare me more than tornadoes because they seem so much more common.

[mSooner]

Does there tend to be a tornado watch/warning every spring or can there can years where none are seen? Thank you!

We'll usually get at least one large severe weather event in the metroplex every spring.

Get a weather radio. I'm actually a HUGE fan of the iMap Weather Radio app for smart phones--you can choose what alerts you want to receive for up to 5 locations, including wherever your current location is.

In your interior room, have a flashlight and keep your weather radio handy. The idea that wearing helmets is a good idea is gaining momentum, though there isn't any research yet to prove it. I've been doing it for years though--most injuries are caused by debris, so why not protect your head. I also wrap us up in blankets. A mattress over the tub is a good idea.

Remember this:

Tornado Watch-->The conditions are right for a tornado to occur. When one is issued, be vigilant.

Tornado Warning-->A tornado is on the ground or conditions are bad enough that a tornado could occur at any moment. This is when you want to go to your interior room.

Some good places to get info:

General tornado info/FAQs/safety from NOAA (and debunking of some of the ridiculous safety claims out there--like opening windows and hiding under overpasses are good ideas)

The Online Tornado FAQ (by Roger Edwards, SPC)

The Storm Prediction Center's homepage. These are the (incredibly talented and intelligent) NWS employees who are trained to monitor these storms and issue severe weather notices for the entire nation. This is where many of the other websites get their info. Their convective outlooks can give you a good idea of what the risk of a severe weather event for an area will be on a certain day.

Storm Prediction Center

And get your weather here. No, it is pretty, but it is the most accurate. The NWS has forecasters in Fort Worth that issue forecasts and extremely detailed weather statements. Weatherbug, Weather.com, etc. simply regurgitate this info or have forecasters in Atlanta issuing forecasts for the entire nation. Search by your zipcode and pay attention to any Hazardous Weather Statements, etc. issued for your area.

NOAA National Weather Service

(I wanted to be a meteorologists, but ended up in IT and settled for being a severe weather nerd and safety advocate)

This is my favorite part of the year!

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by bozzie

My family and I moved here about 7 months ago from CA, we have never lived near where tornadoes occur and now that spring is upon us I want to be prepared if a tornado ever were to happen here in the dallas area. Excuse my ignorance, but this is what I have in our supply/safety room ( inner room where I think we are supposed to go if a tornado warning is issued) blankets, pillows, non-perishable food, water, flashlights and a battery powered radio) Is there anything else I should have on hand and is there any advice( what to look for if outside, tornado warning device to purchase, etc ?) you can give someone who has never experienced a tornado/ or tornado warning previously. Thank you

1. Make sure your home does not have a water heater over your safe room or close.
2. Add a big fire extinguisher or three
3. When the weather is exceptionally crappy I turn our gas supply off outside - it's very easy to do.
4. I keep leather boots, gloves, a number of tools - including a wood saw, hatchet and an axe in our tornado room.
5. Add a first aid kit.
6. Beer