[Jaimie567]

Hi everyone,
My husband just got a job in Tulsa and we are moving there in 2 months I have 2 small children and I'm absolutely terrified of tornados. Where is the safest, nicest area with great schools? Is it best to be around hills?
We were looking at Jenks but I hear there are some other great areas.

Thank you for the help
Jaimie

[StillwaterTownie]

Don't be. Tulsa doesn't get hit with nearly as many tornadoes, especially very strong ones, as the Oklahoma City area does. Hills don't matter. But do get terrified if there is a tornado warning out and the electricity suddenly cuts off and/or you hear the roar of wind coming. The last time that happened to me, 24 years ago, I instantly pulled my mattress off the bed dragged it to the hall and hid under it. Fortunately, I was not in the direct path of the tornado and only had minor damage to the house when it was all over. But I heard that roar.

[okie1962]

Tornado season will be pretty much over with in about two months, so you won't have that to worry about so much when you move to tulsa. You will notice pretty quickly the only ones who really get freaked out around here about tornadoes are the TV weatherman. They pretty much act like the world is coming to an end when we just have severe thunderstorms, and they go fulltilt if there is a wall cloud within a hundred miles of the metro area.

You will soon come to find out that the weatherman are far more annoying than the tornadoes themselves. Most of us have drinking parties during a tornado watch. You have to take a shot every time they mention wallcloud, rotation or Von Caster. You don't have to get drunk during a tornado warning but it helps!

And may I be the first to welcome you to Tulsa, the gem of the Midwest!

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by StillwaterTownie

Don't be. Tulsa doesn't get hit with nearly as many tornadoes, especially very strong ones, as the Oklahoma City area does. Hills don't matter. But do get terrified if there is a tornado warning out and the electricity suddenly cuts off and/or you hear the roar of wind coming. The last time that happened to me, 24 years ago, I instantly pulled my mattress off the bed dragged it to the hall and hid under it. Fortunately, I was not in the direct path of the tornado and only had minor damage to the house when it was all over. But I heard that roar.

^^^
This.

I don't think there should be any more fear regarding Tulsa than any other South-Central city. You'll be fine and so will your family.

Welcome to The Sooner State.

[Jaimie567]

Thank you everyone! This does ease my fear a small amount.. Any suggestions on where to live with 2 littles? I have a almost 3 year old and a 4 month old. I would love a neighborhood where the kids all play together outside..

[linicx]

Tornadoes are common in the Midwest. It is a fact of life. Most of the time it is nothing more serious than wind, rain, broken tree branches and sometime small hail. Tornado generally moves SW to NE. And they usually follow a path of least resistance... which means highways and no trees to disrupt it. Tulsa is a green tree city.

Tulsa is not the target city that OKC and Jopin, MO are. The last tornado of any size I remember played on auto row along I-44. They had great car sales that year! I like the area around Utica Square. It is near hospitals and doctors with some shopping nearby. It is a very nice family neighborhood of older, well-maintained homes.

[swake]

Originally Posted by Jaimie567

Thank you everyone! This does ease my fear a small amount.. Any suggestions on where to live with 2 littles? I have a almost 3 year old and a 4 month old. I would love a neighborhood where the kids all play together outside..

Jenks is a good area for kids. People could be more specific if you had a price range you were looking for.

[rockyinyourradio]

Originally Posted by Jaimie567

Thank you everyone! This does ease my fear a small amount.. Any suggestions on where to live with 2 littles? I have a almost 3 year old and a 4 month old. I would love a neighborhood where the kids all play together outside..

About tornadoes.. As eluded in an earlier post.. Tulsa does not have the tornado frequencies as Oklahoma City or even Stillwater and Enid, however Tulsa does lie well within the traditional "tornado alley". Here is a bit of information that you will hopefully find assuring, the chances of you being directly affected by a tornado is about 1 out of 10,000 in the heart of tornado alley, which would be the OKC to Enid area. In Tulsa, I would venture to say; 1 out of 20,000. Those figures based over a 30 year period. What you will experience more likely will be the occasional severe thunderstorm which can occur most anytime of the year, but especially from March thru June. Some of these storms are characterized by winds up to 60mph or more, and some sizable hail. The lightning displays will definitely captivate you. Another word of encouragement, we have THE BEST warning system for severe weather in the country and the National Weather Service in Tulsa is one of the tops in the country when it comes to severe weather forecasting. So you will get ample notice when the weather is threatening. With all that said, I still would be mindful of your severe weather preparedness including where your safe spots are. If you plan on renting and getting an apartment (renting is advisable the first year to make sure this move will be a good fit for you and the family).. try getting an apartment on a lower floor as you will have a lesser chance of incurring damage if severe weather strikes. Overall though.. I think you have little to worry about when it comes to the weather. Summers however, can be a bit steamy. One of the down sides to living in Oklahoma.

As for places to live, depending on where your job would be, I would look into Owasso as it's a relatively safe town with all your basic amenities at hand. Next would be Broken Arrow followed by Jenks. All those communities are great places to raise a family. Hope it all works out for you.

[teakboat]

Some years in OK the storms are a real, tangible threat and something to worry about. But those spells come and go.

I remember that Tulsa used to have quite a lot of trouble with tornadoes, in the 70's. I don't know whether measured over enough years there would be much difference between Tulsa and OKC. I remember well the June 8th and December 5th tornadoes.

Seems like what with the climate warming having waned, possibly there is not as much energy this year to produce lots of tornadoes.

Overall you shouldn't worry too much about tornadoes, none of us natives give it much of a thought until that big, dark wall cloud is appearing in the west.

[Rubi3]

Yes, it gets hot in July and August; however, it happens many other places just as much. I thought the mountains in Canada at Banff would be cool in August. Wrong. It was as hot as Oklahoma and it wasn't a dry heat either. The mountains near Taos, NM are cool when it's sweltering in town.