Tornado Season

Tornado Alley. The heart of the nation between the Rocky Mountains in the west and the Appalachian Mountains to the east. A land where dark, menacing clouds pull anxious eyes upward each spring. Tornado season is once again preparing it's attack on cities and farms unlucky enough to find themselves located under one of the many severe spring storms that will soon begin. There are over 1,000 tornadoes a year with the bulk of them forming in Tornado Alley.

A tornado siren wailing night or day sends a chill through anyone within hearing distance. Frantic eyes search black, bubbling, evil looking clouds for signs of an imminent attack from above. Kids and pets are quickly ushered to the basement or a safe room away from windows. Heartfelt prayers are said by those hunched under basement stairs or under hastily grabbed mattresses or pillows. Important documents and pictures left unprotected and forgotten in haste by the heart racing scare are suddenly remembered. Tornado season has come with the spring thaw, warmer temperatures and more humid air fueled by the Gulf of Mexico winds. A clashing of warm and cold air aloft.

When is tornado season?

Tornadoes can develop in all states in the U.S., but the typical tornado season is springtime. Severe weather that could produce a tornado can pop up anytime from April through July. May and June usually produce the most sightings and touch downs of these violent spring and early summer severe storms. However, severe weather can and will form tornadoes anywhere at anytime of the year.

During tornado season, are there signs a tornado is imminent?

There is no one thing that can signal a tornado hiding in or about to form from any severe storm. Sometimes varying sizes of hail with come before a tornado, but not always. A dead calm before a storm may indicate something sinister could be near, but not always. Bubbling, rolling, low hanging clouds may be menacing, but don't always produce tornadoes. Sudden wind gusts may move in front of severe weather, but not because of a tornado. I've grown up in tornado plagued Iowa (we rank 6th in tornado frequency) and have yet to discover which severe storm hides that one frightening event that packs enough power and sometimes size to destroy an entire town in less than two minutes.

How to prepare for tornado season at home.

Preparing for tornado season is easy. Remembering what to take and what to do is sometimes not so easy. When a tornado siren screaming in the middle of the night wakes you, knowing where to go is the most important thing you need to remember and to have practiced with your family. Things can be replaced. Lives can't be. A basement is the best place to go during a severe storm. Under a stairway or heavy piece of sturdy furniture like a desk or pool table. If there is no basement, pick a room preferably in the middle of the house away from windows and doors on the lowest level of your house. Cover your head with a mattress, pillows or blankets to help keep any potential flying debris from injuring you. Flying glass can be lethal as well as wood splinters. Depending on the size and strength of a tornado, wind speeds can be over 250 mph.

Being prepared is your best defense against the unforgiving fury of a tornado. I have what I call my severe storm bag. It contains a first aid kit, important documents such as insurance papers (home, life and car), family pictures, pictures of pets and pet vaccine papers and tags, a pet carrier and or leash for your pet(s), a dependable flashlight ( two or three flashlights are better), extra batteries ( windup flashlights don't require batteries and you don't have to worry if your batteries are still good), extra daily medications, a reliable weather radio with extra batteries, a radio ( again, a windup radio requires no batteries), extra clothes, jackets, blankets, sleeping bags and baby formula or food. I keep food and water in a separate plastic container with enough to last at least 2 weeks. A can opener, paper towels, wet wipes, bar soap, paper plates, cooking utensils (pots, skillet, forks, etc.) Don't forget food for your four legged buddies. Having charcoal on hand for your grill isn't a bad idea, but never light matches or lighters when the smell of gas is in the air. Charcoal grills should never be used in an enclosed environment for any reason. They produce carbon monoxide and emit deadly fumes. The 3 day supply government officials tell you to have on hand is not usually enough. It's best to have more and not need it than wish the supply had lasted longer. The severe storm bag and plastic container should be stored where you can quickly grab them in any emergency. It's a lot to put together, but when severe storm sirens are blasting, you don't have time to grab what you would need in the event a tornado did tear through your neighborhood. Knowing where to go and having supplies ready at a moment's notice can keep panic under control and save lives.

Tornado season on the road.

Never try to out run a tornado. If you are in your vehicle in town, stop and find a safe building to take shelter in. If a tornado interrupts your commute, stop and find a low lying ditch or depression in the ground. Cover your head and wait for the storm to pass. Never take refuge under an underpass. The winds from a tornado are intensified and the debris carried by it can be devastating. You can also be picked up and tossed by these wild, swirling winds.

Tornado season comes every spring. Knowing what to do and how to prepare is your best defense against a force of nature that creates havoc as it marches across the land. Tornadoes should not be feared, but they definitely must be respected. Spring storms usually drop life renewing rains that awake flowers and tree buds to another year of growth. Knowledge and being prepared for severe weather keeps uncontrollable events in your hands where it belongs. Enjoy the warm spring sun with one eye to the sky. It's is tornado season.

Tornadoes...Nature's Most Violent Storms, nssl.noaa.gov

Tornado Safety: Be Prepared, The Weather Channel weather.com

Tornadoes, American Red Cross