Tornadoes in DFW (Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington: 2015, apartment, condo)

[jpushiys]

Hail is definitely more common, but I would still be more concerned about the very occasional tornado. You can lose your life in a tornado... not so with Hail.

But yes, from what we have seen , tornados are really really rare here. Less so than Illinois where we moved from and Illinois is not exactly a tornado hotbed. One suggestion : If tornados really scare u and u don't trust that internet alerts will trigger on time, get a weather radio.

Also everything that TC80 said

[Tyryztoll]

Originally Posted by jpushiys

Illinois is not exactly a tornado hotbed.

Wrong. Illinois has always been one of the most prolific tornado producing states and ranks in the top 10 for annual tornado reports in any study you'll find.

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

I would personally take some steps to turn a bathroom or closet into a safe room. It doesn't have to be EF5 level safe, but Dallas has a bad combo of having few basements and now being at or near the bottom end of tornado alley. These tornadoes seems to be getting more common, and while they usually aren't extremely destructive, they are more than many ranches on slab can take.

I'm probably biased, however, as I grew up in the heart of tornado alley (Missouri), and an F4-F5 hit my hometown when I was in high school.

[wynnedutch]

As others have said, just be aware and follow local news. Follow Pete Delkus on Twitter and turn on notifications for his tweets.

After the 2019 tornado was largely ignored by the news b/c they didn't interrupt the Cowboy's game on TV, I feel like they're OVERLY cautious in warning about any possibility and will break in any show now to report. How no one died in that is a miracle.

[ChristieP]

Originally Posted by Wittgenstein's Ghost

It doesn't have to be EF5 level safe, but Dallas has a bad combo of having few basements and now being at or near the bottom end of tornado alley.

I've said this many time: a standard basement is NOT a tornado shelter. Many basements have windows, which are very dangerous in a tornado. The recommended safe room in a house is an interior bathroom or closet without any windows. Most basements usually contain furniture such as couches, pool tables, and refrigerators which can move around in a tornado and pin occupants against walls. Basements can also flood if overhead pipes break, and there may be debris above the basement that traps people in it. (During one of the Moore, OK tornadoes, children died when they were trapped in a flooded school basement!) The best practice is to have a separate, reinforced tornado shelter, either in the home or out in the yard.

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by ChristieP

I've said this many time: a standard basement is NOT a tornado shelter. Many basements have windows, which are very dangerous in a tornado. The recommended safe room in a house is an interior bathroom or closet without any windows. Most basements usually contain furniture such as couches, pool tables, and refrigerators which can move around in a tornado and pin occupants against walls. Basements can also flood if overhead pipes break, and there may be debris above the basement that traps people in it. (During one of the Moore, OK tornadoes, children died when they were trapped in a flooded school basement!) The best practice is to have a separate, reinforced tornado shelter, either in the home or out in the yard.

You're arguing against something I'm not saying. The question is whether basements are better than above-ground grades. The answer is unequivocally yes. I personally know over a dozen people who survived an F4+ tornado because they were in basements. Nothing was left of their houses above ground.

This is like saying cars aren't safer than motorcycles because cars can still be destroyed by semi trucks. No one questions whether the purpose-built shelter is safest.

[rabbit33]

Well, the question of using basements in DFW for tornado protection is moot, as there are probably fewer than 100 single family houses with basements in the whole metro area. Of course office buildings have basements but that construction is very different and those probably offer excellent tornado protection - if you happen to be in such a building when needed.

[TheOverdog]

100 is probably a bit low - there are a bunch of condos in Richardson (on/near Custer maybe?) that all have basements. Between 100-10,000 would probably be correct. But that's more than 200,000 without.

[TurtleCreek80]

Originally Posted by rabbit33

Well, the question of using basements in DFW for tornado protection is moot, as there are probably fewer than 100 single family houses with basements in the whole metro area. Of course office buildings have basements but that construction is very different and those probably offer excellent tornado protection - if you happen to be in such a building when needed.

There’s a LOT more basements than that - almost every $5M+ new construction home in the Park Cities has underground garage / basement these days.

But point taken - regardless - you should always know where the safest room is, wherever you are, should a tornado strike.

[Wittgenstein's Ghost]

Originally Posted by rabbit33

Well, the question of using basements in DFW for tornado protection is moot, as there are probably fewer than 100 single family houses with basements in the whole metro area. Of course office buildings have basements but that construction is very different and those probably offer excellent tornado protection - if you happen to be in such a building when needed.

How is this not exactly what I said?

Originally Posted by Wittgenstein's Ghost

I would personally take some steps to turn a bathroom or closet into a safe room. It doesn't have to be EF5 level safe, but Dallas has a bad combo of having few basements and now being at or near the bottom end of tornado alley.