During this extremely wild severe weather season we've had, there are lots of half-truths, myths and other little tales going around that people make up to make themselves feel better. Well, I'm here to tell you that most of it is wrong. Sorry. :)
Enough with the chatter, on with the truthifying. Jump the squiggle of doom and angst.
(Also, don't forget to visit Got A Grip's important and excellent diary on tornado safety.)
Unrelated Update:
The NWS office out of Taunton, MA says that the Westfield-Springfield-Monson tornado is "at least an EF-3 or higher." They're going to have more information late this evening as they finish their storm surveys.
Click here to go to the NWS Boston (Taunton, MA) page.
Myth: Tornadoes can't hit cities.
Tornadoes can and do hit cities. Salt Lake City in 1999, Atlanta in 2008, Washington DC in 2001, New York City in 2010, Tuscaloosa/Birmingham in 2011, the list goes on and on. Just because tornadoes happen to miss big cities doesn't mean that they're immune to them. In fact, tornadoes can be more dangerous in big cities, not only because of the population, but because the buildings can act like a funnel and increase the wind speed as the tornado goes through the city. Don't fall for this one.
Myth: Tornadoes can't cross mountains or hills.
This isn't true either. Very large mountains can disrupt a thunderstorm and tornado, but they can cross hills and small mountains easily. Look at this video from the 2011 Alabama outbreak and see for yourself:
Myth: Tornadoes can't cross bodies of water.
That's false too. Tornadoes frequently cross streams, rivers, bays and lakes. The 2002 La Plata, MD tornado crossed the Chesapeake Bay and continued across the water for 25 miles before coming ashore and producing more damage on the Delmarva Peninsula.
Myth: Tornadoes are confined to the center/southern part of the US.
Nope! They can happen all over the United States and in other parts of the world. Canada gets them, so does northern Mexico, parts of Europe and Asia, parts of Australia, and a few other islands are susceptible to get them.
Myth: Taking shelter under an overpass is safe.
That's not just false, that's damn false. Taking shelter under an overpass during a tornado is one way to ensure you have a very violent death. If you have one, go outside and turn on your garden hose. Put your thumb over most of the nozzle. What happens? The water blasts out much faster than it would if your thumb wasn't there. The same thing happens in an overpass. The part where the bridge's foundation and the actual overpass meet is where most people would take shelter, and the worst place to do so. Your best chance is seek shelter in an actual building, or as a very, very last resort, take cover in a ditch. We'll cover ditches in a second.
Myth: Opening the windows equalizes the pressure and keeps them from shattering.
This myth is an old one, around from the days before we knew much about tornadoes. It used to be thought that tornadoes caused damage by pressure changes making your house explode. That's not the case. In fact, opening your windows makes it easier for debris to get inside, and takes a barrier away (albeit a fragile one) from between you and the storm.
Myth: Tornadoes can drive small objects into cement/trees/etc.
Yup, it's true. Very small objects can embed themselves into objects which would otherwise crush the tiny object. For instance, during the Joplin, MO tornado a few weeks ago, a piece of plywood sliced through a concrete curb like it was nothing. Take a look.
Myth: The southeast corner of a house is the safest in a tornado.
False, false, false. Tornadoes move every which way, and if it hits your house directly, it doesn't really matter where you are unless you're in a safe room or your basement. If it's strong enough, it'll demolish it like a house of cards.
Myth: Taking cover in a ditch is safe.
This is controversial. The National Weather Service says in its official tornado warnings to leave your car and seek shelter in a ditch if you're in the path of a tornado you can't outrun. The theory is that you'll be lower than ground level, and protected from flying debris. The controversial part is that people have been found dead in ditches because of just that, because debris can act like a stick in a stream. If it gets caught in the ditch, other debris can jam up against it and fill the ditch up completely. That's not very safe if you're suddenly under a huge pile of debris. Your best bet is to seek shelter in a sturdy building well before a tornado hits, but if it's coming right at you and there's nothing left to do, it's your best bet.
Myth: Small tornadoes are less dangerous.
Size doesn't matter. While it's true that
most very strong tornadoes are monstrously large, some (see:
Elie, Manitoba Tornado) can be small but incredibly strong. Even the smallest and weakest tornadoes can be lethal if a flying rock or branch hits you the right way.
Myth: Mother Nature targets trailer parks.
It's tempting to say "well, duh!" but it's not true. Mobile homes are very susceptible to tornadic winds because of how they're constructed. If a tornado comes over, even mobile homes that are tied down can be completely destroyed to the point where there is literally nothing left of the home but a footprint. That's why most tornado deaths occur in mobile homes, and why authorities are so forceful in saying "if you're in a mobile home, LEAVE" during a tornado.
Myth: Tornadoes only happen during spring.
Again, false. Tornadoes can happen any day of the year, in any season, depending on where you are. The large blizzards in the midwest and north often produce severe weather in the south, some of which includes tornadoes.
You may ask why everything in this diary is false. Well, to tell you the truth, because half of the crap "they say" (as in, "Oh, they say that apples keep doctors away!") are lies and half-truths. If you encounter someone spreading misinformation about tornadoes, please correct them. It could save their life one day.