Tornadoes occur pretty frequently. Tornadoes can occur at any time of the year, but the tornado season goes from april to september (june and july being the months where the count is the highest).

Facts on tornadoes

• The USA is the country where there’s the highest number of tornadoes.
• Tornadoes are rotating columns of high winds.
• Sometimes they move quickly (up to 70 kilometers per hour) and destroy everything they go over.
• In other situations, the tornado is minor and only affects a few areas.
• Be it large or small, they can uproot trees, flip over cars and destroy houses.
• They mainly develop during the afternoon and early evening, by some have been seen at night too.

Warning signs of potential tornado

Warning signs are :

• a violent thunderstorm accompanied by lightning and frequent thunder;
• very dark sky with, sometimes, green or yellow clouds;
• A rumbling sound or a whistling sound;
• A funnel cloud at the rear base of a thundercloud, often behind a curtain of heavy rain or hail.

United States’ tornado warning system

• The government has to warn the public when meteorological conditions indicate a tornado. To do so, the authorities use radio, television, newspapers, and their website along with weather telephone lines.
• If you live in one of the areas where the tornado risk is high, it is recommended to listen to the radio during severe storms.
• If you notice a tornado warning for your area, shelter yourself and follow the instructions below.

What to do during a tornado

If you are at home

• Go down in the basement or shelter yourself in a small interior ground floor room such as a bathroom, closet or hallway.
• If you don’t have basement, protect yourself by sheltering under a heavy desk or table.

If you have a farm

• Livestock hear and feels tornadoes in advance. If your family or house is at risk, ignoring the cattle. If your personal security isn’t threatened, you could only have the time to open routes of escape for your livestock. Open the gate and, if necessary, leave the area in the opposite direction of the predicted tornado trajectory.

If you are at the office or in an apartment building

• Take shelter in an inner hallway or room, ideally in the basement or ground floor.
• Do not use elevators.
• Stay away from windows.

If you are in a gymnasium, church or auditorium

• Large buildings with enormous roofs can collapse if a tornado touches them.
• If that’s possible, take shelter in another building.
• If you are in a basement and cannot leave it, take shelter under a solid structure like a table or desk.

Do not stay in your car or mobile house.

• Almost 50% of all deaths caused by tornadoes occur in mobile houses.
• Take shelter elsewhere, preferably in a building with a solid structure.
• If no shelter is at reach, lay down in a ditch, far from the car or mobile house. Stay aware for floods caused by rainfall and be ready to move.

If you are driving

• If you see a tornado approaching, go to the closest solid shelter.
• If the tornado is near, get out of the car and take refuse in a depressed area, like a ditch.

In all situations

• Stay as close as possible to the ground, protect your head and watch out for flying objects.
• Do not attempt to approach tornadoes, they are unpredictable and can suddenly change direction.
• Tornadoes are deceptive. They can appear to be stable when, in reality, they are coming towards you.