No laughing matter- you need to be aware of the power!
This is what was left of our 70' trailer home in Brainerd, MN. We never found the appliances, furnace, etc - but our blue toilet was found intact several miles away. The trailer was inside a 80x170 indoor riding arena - also gone! Fencing & building in the background put in after storm. The following information was found on the FEMA site : see link
Tornadoes are nature’s most violent storms. Spawned from powerful thunderstorms, tornadoes can cause fatalities and devastate a neighborhood in seconds. A tornado appears as a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground with whirling winds that can reach 300 miles per hour. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long. Every state is at some risk from this hazard.
Some tornadoes are clearly visible, while rain or nearby low-hanging clouds obscure others. Occasionally, tornadoes develop so rapidly that little, if any, advance warning is possible.
Before a tornado hits, the wind may die down and the air may become very still. A cloud of debris can mark the location of a tornado even if a funnel is not visible. Tornadoes generally occur near the trailing edge of a thunderstorm. It is not uncommon to see clear, sunlit skies behind a tornado.
The following are facts about tornadoes:
- They may strike quickly, with little or no warning.
- They may appear nearly transparent until dust and debris are picked up or a cloud forms in the funnel.
- The average tornado moves Southwest to Northeast, but tornadoes have been known to move in any direction.
- The average forward speed of a tornado is 30 MPH, but may vary from stationary to 70 MPH.
- Tornadoes can accompany tropical storms and hurricanes as they move onto land.
- Waterspouts are tornadoes that form over water.
- Tornadoes are most frequently reported east of the Rocky Mountains during spring and summer months.
- Peak tornado season in the southern states is March through May; in the northern states, it is late spring through early summer.
- Tornadoes are most likely to occur between 3 p.m. and 9 p.m., but can occur at any time.
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Kathleen,
Thank you for much for the detailed information. Your photo is amazing. I had no idea of all of these facts.
Where I live in CA we also have 4 seasons, fire, flood, earthquake and landslide, but NOTHING that looks like like your photo. My mother who was raised in the South used to say, she would take an earthquake any day over a tornado. And you're right, it's not a laughing matter.
My best to all of you in that area.
Kathleen, we complain about hurricanes here in Florida, but at least we get plenty of warning. Those Tornadoes are scary!
Ines
Kaushik,
Keep that curiosity in check! TV tornadoes are ok to watch but when you are in a warning get down.
Carole,
We had no electricity for 4 days and as my dad needed nebulizer treatments he had to be taken to the hospital ER 3x a day to get them as they have emergency power. They have wind up radios & flashlights now, so you don't have to stay current with batteries.
Danny,
Who knows- just look at that trailer frame- twisted like a pretzel.
Thanks for all the comments now go be safe!
EGADS! I don't miss the threat of tornadoes in the midwest....it's one more reason I'm happy to live in AZ now, where the ONLY natural disaster is the heat!
SK