1. When traveling by
car seek shelter under an overpass.
(FALSE: The number one priority in tornado safety right now is to
discourage people from seeking shelter under overpasses. Wind currents
are concentrated as they are squeezed under the overpasses and are
increased in speed. This increased speed with flying debris INCREASES
the risk of injury or death. Check out this report in USA TODAY,
"Overpasses
are Deadly").
2. Mobile homes
attract tornadoes.
(FALSE:
Mobile homes are not more likely to be hit, they are just more
vulnerable to wind damage).
3.
Cities/hills/rivers deflect or inhibit tornadoes.
(FALSE: Tornadoes have been observed crossing the Appalachian
Mts., 30 significant tornadoes have crossed the Mississippi river and
major tornadoes have plowed right through Dallas, Kansas City, Omaha,
etc. In August 1999 a tornado went right through downtown Salt Lake City
SEE REPORT)
4. We should open
windows if a tornado is approaching.
(FALSE:
STAY AWAY from all windows. It won't make any difference whether the
windows are open or closed IF your home is struck by a tornado).
5. The southwest
corner of the house is the safest location during a tornado.
(FALSE:
Always go to the lowest level and center of house during a warning.
A small interior room like a bathroom is structurally the strongest.
Cover your head!).
6. Deaths from
tornadoes are more likely in the Southeastern U.S. than here in the
Great Plains.
(TRUE:
Partly due to: population concentration, lack of basements, also diurnal
timing, and higher concentration of mobile homes).
7. There are small
U.S. regions of unexpected high tornado frequency and areas with
unexpected low frequency of tornadoes.
(TRUE:
There are several "holes" in the map of tornado distribution and small
regions of extreme concentration. Hall County has a tornado
density of 124.5 tornadoes per 1000 sq. miles however, Lancaster County
only has 35.8 tornadoes per 1000 sq. miles and Dodge County only
has 35.5 tornadoes per 10000 sq. miles).
8. Tornadoes, like
lightning, never strike twice.
(FALSE:
Guy, Arkansas has been hit 3 times by a tornado damaging the same church
each time. AND, Cordell, KS had a tornado hit it on May 20th >>> 3
years in a row!! -- 1916,1917,1918).
9. Tornadoes
are the number one weather killer in the U.S.
(FALSE:
1960-1996 total fatalities: flash floods: 4629;
lightning: 3221; tornadoes: 2734; hurricanes:
1104).
10. The "clash of
the seasons" causes tornadoes.
(FALSE:
A temperature contrast is important, but circulation dynamics (shear),
upper level support (jet stream) and high moisture content are more
important than a temperature contrast).
11. Reported
tornadoes are increasing in frequency.
(TRUE, but,
is it real? It is assumed that since the number of days with
tornadoes is NOT increasing nor are the larger tornadoes increasing in
number, just the smaller ones, that the increase might be the result of
better reporting of the smaller tornadoes).
12.
Annual tornado deaths are decreasing in number.
(FALSE:
Early on in the data record it was true, but during the last decade the
fatality rate has leveled off and stopped decreasing. But, with
increasing population, and the rate remaining static, it is actually
becoming safer!).
13. Tornadoes can
rotate clockwise as well as anti-clockwise.
(TRUE:
A few small F-0 and F-1 tornadoes can rotate "anti-cyclonically"
(especially late summer, NW flow tornadoes). Also, rare, small
tornadoes can change "morph" from anticyclonic to cyclonic!).
14. Most tornadoes
are the large size that you see on the evening news.
(FALSE:
Most tornadoes are small 50-100 feet wide, travel < 1 mile, last a few
minutes. The large F-4 and F-5 tornadoes combined represent less
than 5% of all tornadoes).
15.
Tornado damage is caused by rapid reduction in pressure (leave windows
open as tornado approaches).
(FALSE:
Open windows will NOT equalize the air pressure if a tornado strikes.
Damage is caused by wind gusts and flying debris. Dr. Ted Fujita
showed that an open garage causes MORE damage to a house!)
16.
Tornadic thunderstorms produce an above average amount of lightning and
and a larger than normal amount of hail compared to non-tornadic
thunderstorms.
(TRUE:
Intense updrafts amplify charge separation and electrical build-up as
well as increased lifting to freeze layers of supercooled water drops).
17. Doppler radar
will observe ALL tornadoes.
(FALSE:
Doppler, although much more accurate than earlier radar, cannot see the
very smallest of tornadoes that are "rope-like" in size, plus due to the
curvature of the earth, Doppler radar can only see the upper portions of
storms that are more than 60 miles away from the radar).
18.
The movie "TWISTER" with Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton was based on the
National Severe Storms Laboratory and University of Oklahoma storm
chasers and was therefore, very factual.
(FALSE:
Hollywood produces fantasy. For reality, check out the many
documentaries shown by the Weather Channel, Discovery Channel, The
Learning Channel, and the IMAX movie, "Storm Chasers").
19. Cars are safer
than mobile homes during a tornado (with no other shelter available).
(TRUE..FALSE..WELL, MAYBE.
Both are deadly locations but cars might be marginally safer according
to researchers. However, the best advice is to abandon both for
shelter!).
20. Tornado chasing
looks like its fun. I should try it!
(FALSE:
It may look like fun, but it is extremely dangerous. Leave the chasing
to the professionals and watch their photographs from the safety of your
home.)
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