{"id":553,"date":"2020-07-16T08:51:22","date_gmt":"2020-07-16T08:51:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/?p=553"},"modified":"2020-07-16T09:04:22","modified_gmt":"2020-07-16T09:04:22","slug":"common-myths-about-tornadoes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/common-myths-about-tornadoes\/","title":{"rendered":"Common Myths About Tornadoes"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_11 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-transparent\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class=\"ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1\"><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/common-myths-about-tornadoes\/#Myths-About-Where-Tornadoes-Occur\" title=\"Myths About Where Tornadoes Occur\">Myths About Where Tornadoes Occur<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/common-myths-about-tornadoes\/#Tornado-Safety-at-Home\" title=\"Tornado Safety at Home\">Tornado Safety at Home<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/common-myths-about-tornadoes\/#Do-Vehicles-Provide-Safety-from-a-Tornado\" title=\"Do Vehicles Provide Safety from a Tornado?\">Do Vehicles Provide Safety from a Tornado?<\/a><\/li><li class=\"ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2\"><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/common-myths-about-tornadoes\/#Conclusion\" title=\"Conclusion\">Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>Each year about a thousand tornadoes touch down in the US. The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates that tornadoes on average kill 60-80 people a year and cause over 1,500 injuries. They cut a path of devastation through communities destroying homes and livelihoods. In addition to their tornado warning and tracking missions NOAA, The\u00a0National Weather Service\u00a0and the Severe Storm Laboratory in Norman, OK work to counter dangerous\u00a0myths about tornadoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Myths-About-Where-Tornadoes-Occur\"><\/span>Myths About Where Tornadoes Occur<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Myth<\/strong>: People are safe from tornadoes as long as they don&#8217;t live in \u201cTornado Alley,\u201d the heartland states in the central US that bear the brunt of these storms. The National Weather Service points out, \u201cTornadoes can occur almost anywhere in the U.S., including west of the Rockies and east of the Appalachians.\u201d The National Severe Storms Lab (NSSL) has developed an\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mrms.nssl.noaa.gov\/qvs\/product_viewer\/\" class=\"rank-math-link\">interactive tornado prediction map<\/a>\u00a0on which a visitor can click on any spot in the continental US and learn the probability of a tornado in that region in a given year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Myth<\/strong>: Tornadoes only strike level surfaces such as meadows, flatlands, or plains. It\u2019s commonly believed that living in a mountainous area protects people. Though funnel clouds are not typically seen in mountainous terrain, it\u2019s not impossible for them to strike there. Because mountains are sparsely populated, there are few witnesses to their fury. The National Weather Service reports that an extremely violent tornado was once observed in Yellowstone National Park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Myth<\/strong>: Boaters are safe because tornadoes don\u2019t cross water. Water spouts are a common form of cyclonic weather event though they are not as dangerous as tornadoes. However, NOAA\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.noaa.gov\/\" class=\"rank-math-link\">archival maps<\/a>\u00a0show the path of the Tri-state tornado of March 18, 1925. It was the most deadly in US history, killing nearly 700 people. In its four hour rampage across three states, the tornado crossed the Mississippi River, then tore across the Wabash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tornado-Safety-at-Home\"><\/span>Tornado Safety at Home<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Roger Edwards of the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK, warns, \u201cThere is no such thing as guaranteed safety inside a tornado. Freak accidents happen; and the most violent tornadoes can level and blow away almost any house and its occupants.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Myth: <\/strong>The\u00a0safest place to hide in a tornado\u00a0is the southwest corner of the building. Edwards explains, \u201cthe SW corner is no safer than any other corner.\u201d That old myth was generated by the erroneous belief that tornado winds come from a particular direction. In point of fact, says Edwards, tornadoes can come from any direction. He advises that the safest place in a basement is under a sturdy piece of furniture or mattress that may provide protection if the floor above collapses and sends heavy furnishings crashing downward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Myth: <\/strong>With an approaching tornado it\u2019s a good idea to open one or more windows to equalize the pressure in the house. The idea that moving one thin pane of glass is going to protect a roof or house from one of the most violent natural forces on the planet has a certain absurdity about it. The website explains that to influence the pressure in a tornado a window would have to be thick enough to withstand winds from 100-200 m.p.h. carrying heavy objects such as trees, telephone poles, even vehicles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do-Vehicles-Provide-Safety-from-a-Tornado\"><\/span>Do Vehicles Provide Safety from a Tornado?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Myth<\/strong>: With a tornado approaching, being in a vehicle is one of the safest places to be. The Storm Prediction Center&#8217;s Roger Edwards demolishes this myth. \u201cVehicles are notorious as death traps in tornadoes, because they are easily tossed and destroyed.\u201d His advice? Drive away from an oncoming tornado as fast \u2013 and as safely \u2013 as you can. If the tornado is too close and appears to be heading straight in your direction, get out of the car and away from the road and seek shelter in the nearest strongly built building. Otherwise, lie flat against the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Tornadic storms are deadly and destructive. There are a few time-tested ways for people in a tornado\u2019s path to protect themselves, but relying on mistaken beliefs and myths about these killer storms is not one of them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tornadoes are among nature&#8217;s most violent events. Believing any of the myths associated with them can put people at risk.<br \/>\n]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":567,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"qubely_global_settings":"","qubely_interactions":"","amp_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[25,26],"tags":[],"qubely_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/uw0fslhxklm-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/uw0fslhxklm-scaled.jpg",1125,750,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/uw0fslhxklm-scaled.jpg",480,320,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/uw0fslhxklm-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/uw0fslhxklm-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/uw0fslhxklm-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/uw0fslhxklm-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/uw0fslhxklm-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/uw0fslhxklm-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true],"qubely_landscape":["https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/uw0fslhxklm-scaled.jpg",1125,750,false],"qubely_portrait":["https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/uw0fslhxklm-scaled.jpg",480,320,false],"qubely_thumbnail":["https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/uw0fslhxklm-scaled.jpg",140,93,false],"neve-blog":["https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/uw0fslhxklm-930x620.jpg",930,620,true],"crp_thumbnail":["https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/uw0fslhxklm-150x150.jpg",150,150,true]},"qubely_author":{"display_name":"jay","author_link":"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/author\/jay\/"},"qubely_comment":0,"qubely_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/category\/survival-education\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Survival Education<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/category\/tornado\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Tornado<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=553"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":568,"href":"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/553\/revisions\/568"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ultimatesurvivalguide.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}