Amazing Tornado video

calico2222

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You know, I'm fascinated by tornados, but there ain't NO way I'd be in my car chasing it! He's insane!! VERY cool video though.

One thing I've noticed about tornados in the midwest (that I've seen on video or in pictures) is a lot of times they don't seem to be accompanied by bad weather (ie storms). In that video, the sky around the tornado cloud was as blue as could be. I've only had a close encounter with one tornado but it came at the end of one of the most violent electrical storms I've ever seen. This was in Maryland though and tornados aren't common at all here. Do they often just "pop up" over the plains like that?
 
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capt_jordi

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Tornados scare the living poo out of me! But I am amazed by them and would love to watch one from a far when it was going through a field like that!
 

lil maggie

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Cool video!
Sometimes I run across Storm Chasers on tv and will watch it. It always amazes me how fearless these people are. I've been through an F4 tornado years ago and they scare the bejeebers out of me! No way I'd be anywhere near one on purpose! It's facinating only on tv or videos
 

telynn

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Originally Posted by calico2222

You know, I'm fascinated by tornados, but there ain't NO way I'd be in my car chasing it! He's insane!! VERY cool video though.

One thing I've noticed about tornados in the midwest (that I've seen on video or in pictures) is a lot of times they don't seem to be accompanied by bad weather (ie storms). In that video, the sky around the tornado cloud was as blue as could be. I've only had a close encounter with one tornado but it came at the end of one of the most violent electrical storms I've ever seen. This was in Maryland though and tornados aren't common at all here. Do they often just "pop up" over the plains like that?
Yes they do pop up. And alot of times they jump, go up and come back down.

Most of the time it is night time and the tornados are 'rain-wrapped' so you can't get good pictures like that. One big exception was May 3, 1999 when several F5's hit Oklahoma and on up into Kansas. They got really good pictures of it. It was so big and so slow you could get in your car and run from it, which is normally a no-no. This tornado did NOT go back up. It tore everything up for miles and miles. I think at some point they say it was a mile wide. I sat in front of the TV most of the night just watching this monster. The flashes of light you see are power transformers blowing.


 

strange_wings

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^ I think you misunderstood her phrasing? "Pop up" seemed to be meant as in without any sort of bad weather and that they form all of a sudden.

I highly doubt eastern and central OK is that different from western, but out here we get very bad weather. It's the wall clouds that bring the worst of the storms and have circulation in them that helps produce the tornadoes. Generally, we do know when they're coming. We have some very good meteorologists and storm chasers out there on the scenes to help keep people informed. If you've been sitting under a tornado watch for 4 hours and it's upgraded to a tornado warning - you can't say that bad weather was a surprise.

The main reason people do end up getting caught in them is because they're so common here that many may underestimate it. I know my grandmother always refused to take shelter when the sirens went off.
 

lil maggie

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^ I have to agree. In places where there are lots of tornado watches and warnings (here in Missouri, we get a lot also) people are so use to them they don't take immediate cover when the sirens go off, if they take cover at all.
When I was in an F4 tornado years ago, the sirens went off AFTER the tornado hit. We didn't have a TV or radio on. It was around 7pm right after dinner and it was dark and stormy out, no different than most dark stormy nights. It was quite a shock when it hit our house. I tend to get nervous now when I hear there's a watch and take immediate cover when sirens go off
 

telynn

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And this time of year I get sooooo tired of watching a wall cloud that MIGHT have some rotation instead of the TV show that should be on.

Oh, and on the pop-up term, I would say that tornado in the first video is unusual because they are usually wrapped in rain. And usually at night. So getting a good clear shot of one like that is not very common. It was an excellent video. And the guy running toward it at the end was a nut.
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by Telynn

And the guy running toward it at the end was a nut.
The people that pay thousands of dollars to go out on tornado chasing tours are the real nuts.


As for watching. I can usually tell if a storm is going to be bad - without watching tv. Stupid arthritis.


For all reading, if you're area usually gets bad weather go get a weather radio. They don't cost that much and it's very simple to program the channels into it - some places will even do it for you.
 

momofmany

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

^ I think you misunderstood her phrasing? "Pop up" seemed to be meant as in without any sort of bad weather and that they form all of a sudden.
I live in Kansas, and have never heard of a tornado just "popping" up without bad storm weather. Now micro-bursts are a different matter. They call them that, and I've heard debates on whether or not they could be classified as tornadoes. We had one hit our home one day. Brilliant blue skys and only small puffs of clouds here and there. We went out to lunch and when we returned, our 3 foot diameter tree was down, and you could trace a line of complete destruction for about 3 miles (barns lost, cars tumbled, etc).
 
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