Skyviper 1,101 Posted March 1, 2017 Well we got things kicked off just right in my state last night. Even though we caught the ass end of the party down here other states were smack in the middle. Apparently my area got hit pretty hard because even the weather channel mentioned my county. Which brings me to my "weather team". These sorry bastards signed off the air just seconds before my county came under fire by two super cells that decided to have a meet and greet over my county. Here's what happened. Weather Team: "Well there's nothing else in the state right now. So we'll return you to your regular programing." Wheel of Fortune comes on. I head my room. Family is visiting up front. I faceplant on my bed and contemplate on some CombatACE Presentations(got a neat one coming up) I hear the faint sounds of tornado sirens. I shout for everyone to take cover. I'm yelling like we're being shelled. They look at me like I'm stupid. Cellphones stars playing their warning tones. Alarm company sends weather alert over keypad so it's peeping away. National Weather Service confirms what the alarm pad, cellphone, and myself has been saying. Now there's an orderly dash to our safe area. Except grandmother. Seriously she was just looking at us like we were crazy. Grandmother is ushered into the safe area. An interesting mix of gimping and waddling (She moved faster than that in the morning when I told here we were going to get coffee and donuts.) 5 minutes later while there was absolutely nothing to be concerned about in our area. Two cells are heading toward each other. One of them already dropped a tornado. +15 minutes we were all on the floor, ducked and covered, listening to a deafening sound. I just know I'm winding up in someone's backyard. Silence. Everyone's all right, lights still work, no leaks, neighborhood looks good. What fuck the just happened? Power lines are down a few miles away, some structural damage, no injuries reported, phones don't stop ringing as people check in. (They're fine but have property damage) I'm assuming today we'll find out what kind of tornado came through last night. Here's the funny part. The weather team is now on TV (after it's all done). Oh they're really getting with it now. People in my area are urged to take cover. Well no shit. Take cover! Na We'll just take a little trip up to the weather center there and have a "discussion". about the phrase "nothing to worry about". Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JediMaster 451 Posted March 1, 2017 You got a real crack team there. Or a team on crack. One or the other. Glad to hear it was a non-event for you at least. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Snailman 517 Posted March 1, 2017 (edited) Wahhh... .got me the chilling. One of my worst nightmare is a tornado. Actually, here in Central Europe, we are starting to have baby ones... demo versions... Not so excited about that... https://www.idokep.hu/hirek/tornado-veszprem-megyeben Edited March 1, 2017 by Snailman Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Erik 1,812 Posted March 1, 2017 Some might tell you that global warming isn't a thing. Please invite them over for a tornado party for a better understanding. March super cells and funnels, insanity. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PFunk 198 Posted March 1, 2017 Oh, yeah. It's March in Texas. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skyviper 1,101 Posted March 1, 2017 Wahhh... .got me the chilling. One of my worst nightmare is a tornado. Actually, here in Central Europe, we are starting to have baby ones... demo versions... Not so excited about that... https://www.idokep.hu/hirek/tornado-veszprem-megyeben That is weird and very scary. I thought Europe never got tornadoes. Oh, yeah. It's March in Texas. Same here in Arkansas. My Grandmother visited from Texarkana, Texas and I think last night she regretted her trip, bless her heart. But the rest of the week and we're supposed to have a decent weather. So at least her drive back will be sunny and clear. Speaking of last night. I'm looking around our immediate area and I"m not seeing much now that the sun is up. On the weather channel they mentioned my county and said that in some places they aren't sure if they got hit by a tornado or straight line winds. I'm thinking it was straight line winds that we were taking cover from. Even though it was loud, and sounded like things were getting ripped apart. The event lasted about a minute or two.But my policy is to assume that's it a tornado, especially at night time. With the sun now up and out I'm thinking we're going to get more details as the day goes on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
macelena 1,070 Posted March 1, 2017 Stay safe buddies, i've always been amazed by how the people in the alley just take it and rebuild like "Meh". We just lost Bill Paxton and tornados get nuts Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skyviper 1,101 Posted March 2, 2017 A town to the south of me, got hit 3-4 times in a row. They finish cleaning up, and then bam, each time. They couldn't catch a break that year. That was also the year tornadoes were dropping from the sky like rain. F-3s, F-4s, (by today's standards I'm sure they would've been EF-2s and EF-3s). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Gepard 11,303 Posted March 2, 2017 The difference between a tornado in the USA and in Central Europe is the effect on the houses. In central europe usually only the roofs are blown away, the houses stands still. In the USA all is blown away. Perhaps you should start to build massive houses instead the cheap, tiny wood constructions, you call house. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skyviper 1,101 Posted March 2, 2017 It depends on what kind of tornado moves through your area. For instance a small or relatively weak tornado will just fluff some pillows, maybe take a roof if it could. Things get really destructive and deadly when there is a much stronger tornado, with wind speeds high enough to pick giant objects up and toss them as if they were nothing. It's not just the tornado itself you have to worry about, it's the debris that it can carry with it. Then you also have changes in pressure that can wreck havoc as well. What kind tornadoes are you getting Central Europe? Scale Wind Speed(Estimated) Relative frequency EF0 65–85mph 105–137km/h 29–37m/s 56.88% Minor or no damage. Peels surface off some roofs; some damage to gutters or siding; branches broken off trees; shallow-rooted trees pushed over. Confirmed tornadoes with no reported damage (i.e., those that remain in open fields) are always rated EF0. EF1 86–110mph 138–177km/h 38–49m/s 31.07% Moderate damage. Roofs severely stripped; mobile homes overturned or badly damaged; loss of exterior doors; windows and other glass broken. EF2 111–135mph 178–217km/h 50–60m/s 8.80% Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-constructed houses; foundations of frame homes shifted; mobile homes completely destroyed; large trees snapped or uprooted; light-object missiles generated; cars lifted off ground. EF3 136–165mph 218–266km/h 61–73m/s 2.51% Severe damage. Entire stories of well-constructed houses destroyed; severe damage to large buildings such as shopping malls; trains overturned; trees debarked; heavy cars lifted off the ground and thrown; structures with weak foundations are badly damaged. EF4 166–200mph 267–322km/h 74–90m/s 0.66% Extreme damage. Well-constructed and whole frame houses completely leveled; cars and other large objects thrown up to 300 feet and small missiles generated. EF5 >200mph >322km/h >90m/s 0.08% Total destruction of buildings. Strong-framed, well-built houses leveled off foundations are swept away; steel-reinforced concrete structures are critically damaged; tall buildings collapse or have severe structural deformations; some cars, trucks and train cars can be thrown approximately 1 mile (1.6 kilometres). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Toryu 156 Posted March 2, 2017 That is weird and very scary. I thought Europe never got tornadoes. We have probabaly always had some every once in a while. But only recently people have been able to prove it with cell-phone videos. Of course with Global Warming, they will happen more often in the future. Supercells happen here, too. The overall-conditions (e.g. a dry line over Texas) are generally much much less favorable for twisters over here, though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skyviper 1,101 Posted March 2, 2017 We have probabaly always had some every once in a while. But only recently people have been able to prove it with cell-phone videos. Of course with Global Warming, they will happen more often in the future. Supercells happen here, too. The overall-conditions (e.g. a dry line over Texas) are generally much much less favorable for twisters over here, though. Okay. That's one thing I like about cell phones, it connects to more places better. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JediMaster 451 Posted March 3, 2017 We get a ton of them here in FL, but they're usually on the lower end of the scale and do only superficial damage aside from one or two unlucky homes and cars. We only see EF-2's and above during hurricanes (yes, tornados spawn in 'canes, but you usually can't see them because of everything going on :) ) In fact, there was one in my neighborhood just a couple of months ago, but it was pretty weak. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skyviper 1,101 Posted March 3, 2017 Tornado in a hurricane ... wow. No escape from that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Erik 1,812 Posted March 3, 2017 Tornado in a hurricane ... wow. No escape from that. That's similar to the older folks who have a shart. Tornado in a hurricane with no escape. No personal Experience. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Skyviper 1,101 Posted March 4, 2017 That's similar to the older folks who have a shart. Tornado in a hurricane with no escape. No personal Experience. LOL .. .I just dropped my grandmother off this morning. LoL No further comment ROFL. I have no words Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JediMaster 451 Posted March 6, 2017 That's why in a hurricane you'll often see a moderate level of devastation with pockets of extreme destruction that seem to skip streets and neighborhoods. Pesky twisters are sneaky like that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
