Tornadoes - what are they like?

[dd74]

The tornadoes in the Southeast were horrible. I've heard a few people say their ears "popped" and they knew right away what was happening and ran for shelter. Does that happen?

What else happens in a tornado? I've also heard a person is supposed to open all the windows in their house so their roof won't blow off.

I'm from the West Coast - there are few tornadoes of any significance out here. Earthquakes, fire and mudslides are our preferred natural disasters.

Thanks.

[targa911S]

Forget the doors and windows! Get below ground.

[IROC]

I think the ear popping thing is someone pulling your leg. Opening windows doesn't make any difference either. The pressure differentials are really not that great.

The problem with roofs is that alot of times they are not really attached to the house other than a few toenailed nails. They fly off all the time around here. I've even heard people talk about them lifting up a few feet and setting right back down again.

Mostly - from what I've experienced personally - the only warning you get is the classic "freight train" noise of the massive amount of wind (that and stuff flying through the air). Around here, they call it being "weather aware", but mostly just keep your eyes peeled and take cover as soon as you see something. If the tornado is big enough, it really doesn't matter what you do, it's going to get you.

[Jim Richards]

Originally posted by IROC
Mostly - from what I've experienced personally - the only warning you get is the classic "freight train" noise of the massive amount of wind (that and stuff flying through the air).

Yep. BTDT

[scottmandue]

Another Calif boy here, I heard that tornado's can't cross water... fact or fiction?

[widebody911]

A tornado is like a marriage. A first there's a lot of blowing, sucking and moaning, and the next thing you know, your pickup and your trailer are gone.

[masraum]

Originally posted by scottmandue
Another Calif boy here, I heard that tornado's can't cross water... fact or fiction?

If you were to spend much time in Florida, especially the Tampa bay area and gulf coast you'd hear about "water spouts" which are tornados that are on water. So tornados can go anywhere they want.

[IROC]

Originally posted by widebody911
A tornado is like a marriage. A first there's a lot of blowing, sucking and moaning, and the next thing you know, your pickup and your trailer are gone.

That's hilarious because it is so true.

[on-ramp]

Originally posted by widebody911
A tornado is like a marriage. A first there's a lot of blowing, sucking and moaning, and the next thing you know, your pickup and your trailer are gone.

[GothingNC]

I had a Tornado touch down a few miles from my house in eastern NM.

Suddenly the wind died down during a violent thunderstorm and a few seconds later I heard a loud howling noise and it sounded like and felt like a train passing by. Luckily nobody was hurt but a few car dealership's had their inventory tossed around.

[JonT]

widebody--that is dayum funny

[Keith Perry]

Five years ago a tornado formed offshore of the next island out from here and skipped and jumped across the water and marshes to Coffin Point, where it killed a woman around the bend from me by dropping half a giant old live oak and crushing her little blue house. I watched it come ashore about 1000 feet up the beach. Facing it, it was dark, turning away it was still day. Tremendous noise with leaves being torn from one side of the trees in my yard.

[azasadny]

You have nothing to fear from a tornado unless you live in a trailer, they seem to be attracted to aluminum...

[azasadny]

Sorry,
My last comment was insensitive to those who have been through tornados (I have). I shouldn't have posted that, sorry.

[Shuie]

Been in the vicinity of medium sized tornado in Kentucky a few years ago. It scared me worse than Katrina, Rita, or Andrew, or anything else I've seen while living in Louisiana or growing up on the Atlantic coast of Florida. Worst storm I've ever been through was a Noreaster on Chincoteague Island, VA.

[tdatk]

I've been in the vicinity of 2 fairly reciently. First in Ohio, crossed behind my house about 200 yards away. First was wind then very cold air, then hail about the size of baseballs beating the roof, trees , cars and all to hell. I was in my garage at the time with the garage door open watching the storm approach. I stayed there throughout the carnage watching the trees defoliate and my posessions get destroyed. Amazing how much destruction hail can do. My split rail fence had chunks taken out of it ! Here in Va we had one skip through last year, it missed us by about 300yards again. This time no hail, thank god, but my neighbors houses and trees got wacked. Best advice, get low and stay there.

[legion]

Funny.

I've lived in SoCal and Illinois.

People in SoCal are more afraid of tornadoes than earthquakes.

People in Illinois are more afraid of earthquakes than tornadoes.

I look at it this way. A tornado can carry your next door neighbor's house 5 miles and leave your's untouched. An earthquake will damage both equally.

[Rick Lee]

If it weren't for trailer parks, there'd be no tornados.

[rick-l]

When I lived in wichita we were drunk and followed one in a car and got pretty close. It sounded like a giant exhaust fan that went up and down in intensity.

I was told there was a funnel cloud that passed directly overhead (in the west suburbs of St Louis) in the morning last Wednesday. I slept through it in spite of the sirens going off.