Central Illinois is where wannabe and I were born and wannabe still lives. So far, all the relatives checking in are okay. wannabe said she was without electric for several hours. They had a lot of wind and rain. The nearest one to touch down to them was seven miles away. Sure doesn't sound too far away. Lots of damage and homes destroyed in the area though. Glad our relatives all made it through with just wind, rain and loss of electric. dooley
We have a church there and I heard 2 families lost their homes and one more was severely damaged. Prayers for the whole community.
You know, it's a question for which I still haven't gotten a clear answer... I know that Earthquakes are all started underground. So no visible sign until it hits. But tornadoes happen regularly in certain places, and the conditions which makes them are also clear to see. They are a lot more frequently than any other natural disaster too... So I was wondering, why do housing settlements and other populated areas spring up directly in the path of such a tornado prone area??? What are the benefits of creating a settlement in such an area - That outweighs the threat? Just wondering... Yes I know that speaking in hindsight this may seem like a valid question. But I have another angle. As I very strongly suspect that property developers don't really care what happens to the people who will be dwelling in their colonies - As long as they make a fast buck!
I am not sure I can give you an exact answer, but if you could see the vast area that is prone to them, I think you would understand why even though they are in a prone area it is so unpredictable what specific spot would be hit in any given storm. No one could leave that vast area undeveloped due to the risk of a storm. Does this make sense? The area that is hardest hit is called "tornado alley" because the gulf stream from the Gulf of Mexico carries right up through the center portion of the US right up to Canada and the two extremes of weather colliding create the unpredictable pattern. http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... QWUrICAAw& http://tornadoalleymovie.com/index.php/ ... ado_facts/
Yes, more or less the same story in the flood prone regions of the world. Places that regularly get flooded after every few years, specially around major rivers - Yet again and again people continue to make settlements there. I guess it's like the habit of smoking - Everyone knows that if you smoke, you are taking in carcinogens, proven to be linked with nearly all type of cancers. But did people quit smoking after knowing this? Hardly ever... Instead they think: Oh it happened to so-and-so, right, but will not happen to me. Until BANG, it does! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aOOf__O6tU
S-H, I think it is impossible to predict to any accuracy where a tornado is likely to hit in the US. I would venture to guess that at least 1/2 of the US is likely to be hit by a tornado, but the central area is most prone. If you look at the size of Pakistan and compare it to the size of Texas (which I think is our largest state) it is 1/4 the size approximately. I know nothing about your region of the world in all reality, but how far can you drive in one day? 8-10-12 hours depending on how tired you get? for example, I drove to the northern most border of Texas in 12 hours one day, from my house, it took me another 12 hours to drive through Texas on all freeways...that is an enormous distance. If, I recall correctly it was 1,700 miles to my destination. It probably would take me driving at least two 10 hour days to drive across the expanse of what is considered tornado alley. So, for any continent to not utilize the land mass as much as they can, not building in these areas because of the potential of a tornado isn't feasible. Flooding is totally different than tornadoes. Flooding is more predictable due to the ground level, whereas tornadoes are erratic in the spots they hit.
Pakistan is about 1.2 times the size of Texas. So yes, I do get what you are saying. Still, people living in that area should be better prepared. And it's not just the people, but the authorities too (as a senseless loss of life should always be avoided, no matter what the cost). As this is a risk which they just have to live with... Just like we here share a common border with the nation of India (our traditional adversary). So the possibility of a sudden outbreak of war is always there. However that said, regular life continues unaffected on both sides of the border. Same story in Israel too, as war over there too can start without any warning...
First and I hate to admit this....Alaska is larger than Texas. It was a sad day for Texans when Alaska became a state Pakistan comprises 307,374 sq miles (796,095 km²)...Texas is 268,820 sq miles (696,241 km²) All 50 states in the U.S. have experienced tornadoes, some more frequently than others. Warm temps meet the cooler temps from the north and cause the conditions to be ripe for the formation of a tornado...not always but many times. Areas in the most tornado prone sections of the country have early warning systems in place...tornado spotters (not chasers, big difference) are sent out to watch for the possible formation of tornadoes (my husband is one of the storm spotters so I am home alone when the weather starts turning bad), they report to the weather service and local authorities and the sirens are sounded as needed. Authorities are prepared but they can not demand that citizens have storms shelters, safe rooms or even flashlights...some people just don't believe it will ever happen to them...the nature of humans. Weather radar used by most of the TV stations and the National Weather Service, is so accurate today that they can see the hook formation in the storm clouds that means a tornado can possibly form in a specific place and they can pinpoint that location to the part of the city but not the street name. Tornadoes can and have occurred in every month of the year...in Texas anyway. One of the worst around here was in early December 1984. http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/sev ... adoes.html
OOPS, sorry, As I looked at the comparison size the map didn't size correctly...it showed Pakistan overshadowed to the side and it looked about 1/4 the size. This morning it resized as I looked at it again and I thought "that did not do that last night". But it gives you an idea of the size of one whole country vs. the size of a small portion of another country.
There are areas of the US that tornados are very rare in. Such as the mountains of the west and Northwest in Washington State. There are so many variables to a tornado, it is almost impossible to figure them out. The weather experts do know what conditions favor tornado formation, but they do not always form there. Humidity, temperatures and winds all figure into it. Yesterday in the areas where they formed were extremely warm with moisture laden air moving up from the south and a strong cold front coming in from the northwest. When these two fronts collided, it was almost perfect for tornado formation. And being in an area where the landscape is so flat, there is nothing to slow them down as they move across the land.
Well, I am glad wannabe's family is ok and most everyone out that way is ok. My family is just West and North of that area that got hit so badly and they just has a little wind. That's just North of the Quad Cities on the Il side.
Why do people live where there are tornadoes? Why do people live where there are hurricanes? Why do people live where there are floods? Why do people live where there are airports? Why do people live where there are terrorists? Why do people live where there are gangs and crime? Why do people live where there is religious oppression? Why do people live where there is war? The answer is very simple and was given to us many years ago by Henny Youngman, "Everybody gotta be somewhere." dr
Seven miles sounds too close. 60 years ago we had an F4 touchdown 4 miles away killing over 90 people. That was scary enough for a lifetime. Jerry
We had tornadoes yesterday in central Indiana. Closest one to me was probably 15 miles away. All I got was a pretty cool thunderstorm. Got some good pics of clouds and rainbows.
Dooley, I could have sworn I mentioned how glad I was that wannabe and other family members were okay...guess that'll learn me not to swear Anyway, I am very glad for your good news. Weather Radios, if you live in an unincorporated area or small town without warning sirens then you should invest in a good weather radio. They can be set for your specific county and surrounding counties so that you will not be awakened in the middle of the night and scared half to death by a storm that is not anywhere near you. But they can be a life saver, giving you enough warning to take shelter in whatever place you can. Jerry, 60+ years ago I remember spending lots of time in the hall closet waiting for storms to pass or waiting for the sound of a freight train to pass down the street or overhead. I'm guessing that during my childhood at least 12 funnel clouds passed right over our house, once it was an actual tornado heading to our part of town but pulled back up into the clouds and skipped right over the whole town.
