Tornados (Houston: house, live in, moving to)

[Poltracker]

Strangely enough, Texas has more tornadoes than any other state (according to the NWC and remember the size of Texas). The ones we have, however, tend to be the ones that never touch down, or are on the weaker side. Though there are occassional baddies i.e. Jarrel.

[AnthonySA]

Originally Posted by Poltracker

Strangely enough, Texas has more tornadoes than any other state (according to the NWC and remember the size of Texas). The ones we have, however, tend to be the ones that never touch down, or are on the weaker side. Though there are occassional baddies i.e. Jarrel.

If they didn't touch down, they wouldn't be called tornadoes. Those are funnel clouds and they are not used in calculating stats for tornadoes.

I do agree with your assessment, however, that the majority of tornadoes in Texas are generally very weak in intensity. But, again, Tornado Alley does take up a good chunk of texas and it does include the DFW metroplex and Waco -- so the possibility of "the big one" happening is a credible one.

Anything larger than an EF2 is rare and happens only a couple of times a year nationwide, so most people in Tornado Alley have never seen a large tornado. That doesnt mean that they aren't prone to that kind of tornado at some point or another.

EDIT: For the OP, I wouldn't let your fear of tornadoes stop you from moving to Texas -- as stated by others, they do happen, but they are far from being a part of every day life.

You'll recieve plenty of warning at the slightest chance of a Tornado coming and you'll experience many false alarms. The storms here are generally more intense than what you'd experience in California, but they aren't all that bad.

Just exercise common sense and you'll be safe, just like every other Texan

[jeffari-al-texani]

Did you guys see that monster tornado in Colorado today???

[momof2dfw]

Originally Posted by jeffari-al-texani

Did you guys see that monster tornado in Colorado today???

NO!!! Where exactly? I remember while staying up there one time the weatherman called it a "gustonado".

The midwest and lots of places have really been getting hit hard w/ tornadoes. Moreso than us here in Texas for sure when it comes to the last several years.

[Poltracker]

Here's the link for the Co tornado:
Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com

[High_Plains_Retired]

Originally Posted by cali82

My family and I are considering moving to Texas from California. Im terrified of tornados and was wondering what part of Texas has the least chance of a tornado happening?

I could not count on my fingers and toes the number of tornadoes I have seen here on the High Plains (central eastern New Mexico and Texas Panhandle) in the past forty years. They've been close and they've been far. They've been large and they've been small. However, I recall going to the storm cellar only once in that forty years and that was at Bovina, Texas about thirty years ago. There seem to be a lot less of them nowadays though.

[TexasReb]

Here are links to some pretty good maps indicating where and at what time of year the most significant tornadoes (F-2 or greater) are likely to occur in the United States. Northern Texas and Oklahoma are the "heart" during April and May.

http://www.tempesttours.com/NSSL%20A...022%20Copy.JPG

http://www.tempesttours.com/NSSL%20S...late%20May.jpg

The map for June does not classify tornadoes by strength, but rather just the areas most likely to see one at all.

http://www.tempesttours.com/NSSL%20J...nado%20Map.jpg

[texdav]

Basically any where north of IH 10 can have tornadoes.The further north the more likely. Thinking about possiblities is like hurricanes;i live 50 years on the gulf coast and never was effected . The Rita;byut then I was safe and dry because you could be fore warned.I frnkly don't see why peole i the alley don't have more under ground shelters. AT least during a wrning you could go there untill the all clear. That goes for shelters in public areas also.Looks like this season may break the record for toirnado and death from reports.What scres me is they hit with little warning .

[Bo]

There's a good map graphic at this link that shows the areas in Texas which see the most tornado activity. Some of the lightest areas are a little out of date (Eagle Pass), but the map's darker-shaded areas are the areas to avoid if you want to avoid tornadoes.

[catman]

momof2dfw: A "gustnado" isn't anything like a real tornado; it's more like a dust devil.

The thing to remember is that a tornado covers a small area, seldom more than a half-mile across, so the odds of being directly in the path of one are small. Of course, if you are and it's a strong one, you're toast. The Jarrell tornado is the one that I found most incredible, what with peeling pavement up off the ground. Yikes!