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How to Stay Safe While Driving in Tornado Alley

# CAR SAFETY

by Lauren

#TORNADOALLEY

Tornadoes are dangerous, violent, and often deadly — and we’ve seen a full display of their horrific power in the past few weeks. They’ve ripped through towns, wiping entire communities out in their destructive wake.

While tornadoes have occurred on 6 of the 7 continents (only chilly Antarctica gets a pass) — the United States is actually the country with the most tornadoes per year (we average about 1,150). And while they happen in all 50 states, they historically tend to cluster in the area called “Tornado Alley.”

This area reaches from across the Great Plains to the Upper Midwest, the Ohio Valley, the Tennessee Valley, and the lower Mississippi Valley.

When Are Tornadoes Most Likely To Strike?

While a tornado can (and does) strike at any time throughout the year, there are certain seasons where twisters are most likely. These hotbed seasons vary upon where you live:

Indiana: Peak season runs May - July.
Ohio: Peak season is from May - July. But Ohio gets a ‘bonus’ secondary season in the Fall, particularly from late October - early November.
Tennessee: Peak season runs March - May. But Tennessee also gets a ‘bonus’ secondary season in November.
Wisconsin: Peak season runs April - August, particularly the months of June and July.

Why Does a Tornado Form?

Whether the tornado looks like an archetypal large funnel, a narrow swirl, or isn’t even visible — twisters develop as warm, humid air rises… and cool air falls.

Such divergent weather patterns cause spinning air currents to churn inside the clouds of a thunderstorm — and although these currents start in a horizontal direction, they can quickly turn vertical and drop down from the cloud.

Tornado Warning Signs

Tornadoes can strike with little to no warning. But some telltale signs a cyclone may be about to form include:

The color of the sky turns to a strange dark greenish hue
Heavy hail or rain stops, the sky becomes calm, and then there’s a sudden wind
Low dark clouds that appear to be moving in a swirl or rotation
Debris starts swirling on the ground or falling from above
An eerie quiet during or shortly after a thunderstorm
Loud roaring or rumbling sound, almost like a freight train
A funnel-shaped cloud starting to extend from a thunderstorm

If The Twister is Far Enough Away

If you get an alert — either on an app or because you’ve sensed the dangerous change in weather conditions, immediately seek shelter.

If you’re out on the road, and you see a twister in its infancy or you’re at a great enough distance, you may even still be able to get out of its path.

Drive away from the funnel cloud, moving at a 90-degree, right angle from its path of destruction. In other words, if it’s heading east, drive south.

What If The Cyclone Is Close?

The twister may not be very far off in the distance. Apart from calling out for Auntie Em and Uncle Henry, read our Do’s and Don’ts Of Tornado Road Safety.

What If You’re Caught On The Roads

Being in a vehicle is extremely risky in a tornado. After all, twisters basically gobble up cars and spit them out, potentially dropping them many miles away from where the winds first scooped them up. But if you’re caught out on the open road with absolutely no shelter to run into — there are at least a few less risky options, according to the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), the government agency that forecasts weather.

First, park the car as safely as you can (not in traffic lanes).
If you can safely get lower than roadway level, leave your car and lie in that area (perhaps a ditch or ravine), covering your head and neck with your hands (or ideally, a blanket, coat or even seat cushions).
Do your best to avoid areas without many trees, which can easily be toppled over or else get uprooted and become deadly projectiles.
If there is no ravine or ditch and you stay in the car: keep your seatbelt on, put your head down below the windows and cover your hands over your head and neck — again with a blanket, coat, or even seat cushions.

Make sure any other passengers also are wearing their seatbelt and covering their heads as much as possible; the car windows and even windshield could get hit from incoming debris.

After the Tornado Passes

Continue to use extreme caution, avoiding downed power lines (which could be live), fallen trees, broken glass, nails, or other dangerous objects may be strewn across the ground.