From the Driver's Seat: Weather - Part 1: Tornadoes
During our time on the road we have experienced just about every weather condition that can happen. You must be able to adapt quickly and adjust plans at a moment's notice. Choosing this lifestyle can be challenging and test your resolve. Severe storms should not be taken lightly and trying to avoid them should be a high priority. That being said, it is close to impossible to avoid every severe weather event. The following are a few examples of storms being too close for comfort.
We have not had the best luck traveling to or through Nebraska. Twice we have been caught in severe thunderstorms that produced large tornadoes. One in particular came within two miles of our location where we were stopped for the night. We experienced very strong winds and torrential rain, but escaped unscathed. The second was a severe storm that produced more lightning than I have ever witnessed. The sky was lit up for minutes at a time with hundreds of strikes in rapid fire. We heard there were multiple touchdowns from that cell, but luckily, not at our particular location. Nebraska is a beautiful state, and we are especially fond of the Western portion. After these experiences, however, we are hesitant to stay in Nebraska in our truck camper for an extended period of time in the spring and summer.
Kentucky was another state where we had a close call. We had a campground manager knock on our camper door after dark to tell us how and where to proceed to a nearby storm shelter. Since this event happened early in our journey, and we had just invested time and money into our truck camper setup, we made the executive decision to stay put in our camper and "go down with the ship." Neither one of us wanted to abandon it. I would not recommend, nor do I endorse, this decision. We escaped unharmed, but certainly, we were shook up.
Yet another tornado incident was in Missouri. We did our weather research and found that heavy thunderstorms were predicted in St. Louis late in the day. We were currently heading back to Indiana for another dispatch, and we figured that we would be 3 - 4 hours ahead of the weather system. As we heard weather reports from local stations, we found that thunderstorms that contained embedded tornadoes were part of a coldfront that was approximately 2 hours behind us. The weather system was essentially chasing us across the state of Missouri. This turned into a very stressful day due to the fact that, if we were delayed in any way, by construction or traffic, the storm would be on top of us. While refueling I witnessed the telltale sign of completely black skies to our west. Not a good time to take photos, we had to go, and go now. We were finally able to take shelter in central Illinois. Luckily the storm lost some of its strength. The tornado was rated as an EF3 with peak winds of 152 mph. It claimed 4 lives with 38 injured. It damaged or destroyed thousands of buildings and caused $1.6 billion in damage.
While traveling across the country we have witnessed firsthand the devastation tornadoes can cause - - twisted steel buildings, missing roofs, and swaths of land that are cleared of any vegetation, to name a few. Tornadoes are not something to take lightly. We always check for any and all severe weather outbreak predictions. Even though you can still get caught out by an unpredicted cell, you always try to avoid the worst. Lastly, I don't recommend trying to outrun a storm or coldfront. There are way too many factors that can slow you down, and the stress is not worth it. Although rare in most locations, tornadoes have, indeed, touched down in all 50 states.
Stay tuned for Weather Part II.
Comments