Riding Out a Hail Storm and Tornado Warning

[Steven@147]

When living fulltime in our RV, if weather threatens, we monitor the weather for approaching storms using a battery operated weather radio. Our cell phones are enabled for alerts and we have downloaded local TV station weather apps and ACCUE weather app. We have a plan to go to a safe place in case a warning is issued. Many campgrounds have a safety shelter.

We use our hiking backpacks and place in it our medications, laptop, charge cords, internet login black book, checkbook etc. Hiking emergency equipment like a first aid kit, water, crackers, clean wipes, etc can help us get by if the worst happens.

In our case last night @ 10PM we were alerted that a damaging storm and tornado warning had been immediately issued for our area and capable of producing large hail and damaging winds. We took our hiking go bags, left the RV and took shelter with our truck in a carwash close by the campground. It was the closest shelter with some protection. In case of strong winds or tornados we do not stay in our RV. We were not alone several other campers went to the carwash and waited it out about 40-45 minutes. Better to find an approved shelter if there is one close by but it was better than staying in the RV.

We drove through some flooding getting back to the RV, everything was fine when we got back, then another storm hit @ 2AM with just heavy rain. Today I'm getting on the roof and check the skylights.

https://youtu.be/sTkaIvqAM60

[LanerC]

When living fulltime in our RV, if weather threatens, we monitor the weather for approaching storms using a battery operated weather radio. Our cell phones are enabled for alerts and we have downloaded local TV station weather apps and ACCUE weather app. We have a plan to go to a safe place in case a warming is issued. Many campgrounds have a safety shelter.

We use our hiking backpacks and place in it our medications, laptop, charge cords, internet login black book, checkbook etc. Hiking emergency equipment like a first aid kit, water, crackers, clean wipes, etc can help us get by if the worst happens.

In our case last night @ 10PM we were alerted that a damaging storm and tornado warning had been immediately issued for our area and capable of producing large hail and damaging winds. We took our hiking go bags, left the RV and took shelter with our truck in a carwash close by the campground. It was the closest shelter with some protection. In case of strong winds or tornados we do not stay in our RV. We were not alone several other campers went to the carwash and waited it out about 40-45 minutes. Better to find an approved shelter if there is one close by but it was better than staying in the RV.

We drove through some flooding getting back to the RV, everything was fine when we got back, then another storm hit @ 2AM with just heavy rain. Today I'm getting on the roof and check the skylights.

https://youtu.be/sTkaIvqAM60

Glad you and you stuff stayed safe, bad storms have to be taken seriously!

[livinthelife]

Same thing happened to us in Angola, IN. First wave (rain, lightning, thunder) hit about 11pm and we drove down by the office. Our rig was all by itself on top of a hill, the office was down the hill with trees.

After it "cleared up", we returned to the RV, and to bed. Woke up around 2am with another wave (this time with high winds), after checking satellite radar, we proceeded to drive about 20 miles down the road where we waited it out and then back to the rig.

We did unplug the RV from the pedestal before the first wave. Power/water were still out the next day when we checked out.

Fun times!!

[Soundsailor]

Hope you all stay safe, that weather is not to be taken lightly.

[Steven@147]

Everything seemed to be fine after the storm. Another thing we do more often than not, if we are staying at a campground for more than a week we will load more water on board in the holding tank to act as ballast. We switch over to use a lot of the water up before heading out again. We only try to travel with about 1/3 full on board. Thats about 25 gallons. The longer we have been out fulltiming the smarter we have gotten I guess you could say. Having a plan to deal with situations that come up.

[ajg617]

Glad everyone is well and no damage.

One of the first questions I ask (be it in a hotel or RV) when we check in is where is the tornado shelter. Last May we were staying just west of Sioux Falls, SD and had some severe storms with hale for two nights running. I had checked the weather forecast and radar until midnight or so and also had the alerts on our phones and decided to ride out the storms in the RV since the forecast did not look all that bad. The phones alerted to severe thunderstorms around 2am. Suffice to say it is amazing how quickly storms can build with higher than forecast intensity. We lost power twice and had a very close lightning strike and significant hale.

Day 3 the tornado siren went off twice and we joined the campground hosts in the tornado shelter for a period of time with very very dark clouds headed towards us. Phones (VZ and T-Mobile) never alerted and morning forecast implied weather would stay south but every other RV had cleared out around noon. Couldn't understand why since it was a beautiful sunny day at the time but they were local and knew. Didn't see a tornado but one hit just east of us and blew the front doors off at the hotel where DW's relatives were staying.

Key points are micro-weather forecasts are not timely or pinpoint accurate and once the siren goes off there is barely sufficient time to get to the closest designated shelter. Pre-plan and have your go kit ready to grab.

[Grandesigner]

I guess that is life in tornado alley...we have not travelled thru there yet and it seems to be getting more dangerous by the year. The Rockies and west is our domain so far, as well as south texas.

[kb0zke]

Then there is Oklahoma, where they fly helicopters around the tornados.

We also keep a close eye on the weather. It is always a good idea to find out where the shelter is before the storm hits. Many people assume that a shower house is automatically the storm shelter. Not necessarily. We actually don't have a designated storm shelter here, so we were told to tell the campers that the bathrooms down by the cave are somewhat safer, since they are concrete and the ones up here in the campground are just wood.

We had golf ball sized hail recently and only one camper went down there. I'm actually more worried about a tree falling on the rig. Many years ago we were visiting my cousin in Mississippi. We had our choice of two campsites. We picked one and waited for my cousin to arrive. A storm came up, and a tree lost a 12" limb which landed right where our trailer would have been had we picked the other site.