Tornadoes when on the Road - What to Do?

[Yo J]

With all the bad weather and hearing how those folks try to survive by being in bath tubs & basements, I think about what if riding across OK on I40 or Kansas I70 what to do?

Found these interesting reads

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/safety.html

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/askjack/2003-05-31-open-road-tornadoes_x.htm

Sc00ter - is correct!

[Sc00ter]

With all the bad weather and hearing how those folks try to survive by being bath tubs & basements, I think about what if riding across OK on I40 or Kansas I70 what to do?

Find a ditch - get under an under pass up where the span first starts by the road?

Find a ditch...   

You'll get sucked out from under a highway bridge...

[MrClean]

The wife always carries a pair of Ruby Slippers with her, just in case.   

[Dennis The Menace]

Ride away from it.  And, wear a helmet, just in case.

[EL-AL]

Run like a "MF!"

[tomcat64]

i've come across 2 tornados while on the bike, first one was 15 years ago and i rode it out in a bar in the little town of hector MN, the other was 2 summers ago and i was under a bridge on I-94. i enjoyed the bar much better than the bridge......

[GaryD]

EL-AL   

ScOOter is absolutely right.

Move to California and wait for the "big one". 

[preacher son]

i agree with the ditch theory
                                        except take off all your clothes
                                                                                    and wrap up your chrome
                                                                                                                         then grab your whiskey
                                                                                                                                                          at least

               when its all over you'll feel good and look great.   

                                                                                                             Preacher Son

[CraigArizona85248]

I'm gonna find that ditch. And if possible I'll ride my bike down into the ditch and lay it gently on its side. Less damage then getting knocked over that way. I'm in Columbus, MS tonight headed west. Normally I would go west on I-40 but this year i decided to take a more southern route. Good thing because they are getting pounded up on I-40 in arkansas tonight. I've already talked to the hotel manager and have permission to put the panhead in a enclosed hallway between the office and the hotel building. They are predicting high winds, rain and hail around 2am tonight.

-Craig

[Baggerlady]

I'll stay here in Oregon where it rains! as sick as I am of the rain, its better than these killers! Good luck to all that are in the areas that these monsters occur!

[guido4198]

Sometimes you don't know they're coming.....
I was running I-10 in the Florida panhandle one night in the rain. The rain and wind kept picking up....I pulled into a rest area to break out the raingear. There was a security guard on duty who asked if I was "getting outta the tornado..?". I didn't know anything about a tornado....but listening to his radio, it became clear that we were in the WARNING area..( read: tornado sighted on the ground). He told me to roll my bike up into the building. I did, then just hunkered down while it blew through.
Later....when I got back on the road in a MUCH lighter rain/wind condition....just a coupla miles down the road I started seeing BIG signs knocked down, a truck..(tractor trailer rig)...blown over...lottsa problems for the folks who had not gotten off the interstate, but drove into/through it. I just got lucky. Point is...riding @ 11:00 @ night...seeing the storm, and "riding around it" isn't always an option. 
Hey....Let's be careful out there.

[Dennis The Menace]

Yeah, riding at night has a lot more risks, not knowing/seeing a storm would definitely be one that would be difficult to anticipate, short of watching teh weather channel at every fuel stop. Even then......they can still come out of  nowhere and ruin your day.

[76shuvlinoff]

A few years ago I got caught on the shovel in a nasty lightening storm with no place to hide. Freaking bolts crashing on both sides. I was so scared I just hammered onward.

[hogpipes1]

Craig, hope u have a good ride back to az. keep the story fresh and i will see u at the flats new yrs. day if not before. back in nov.

[Rusty Steel]

. I'm in Columbus, MS tonight headed west. Normally I would go west on I-40 but this year i decided to take a more southern route. Good thing because they are getting pounded up on I-40 in arkansas tonight.
-Craig

Tornadoes are pretty predicable and are usually fairly slow moving. If you can see them, just move away and/or in the opposite direction, FAST..

Yes sir. I have a few sets of relatives out in Denning and Etna Arkansas that lost their homes and some buildings, but they are alive and when it gets down to it, that’s all that really matters. 

[Princess Butt]

My favorite tornado story, goes back to 2004 when the wife and I went out west, and we were riding down I-35 just south of Wichita.

There were tonado watches out for that day. We're doing 70 mph down I-35, and she says "Oh, is that a tornado over there?"

It was behind us, in our blind spot. I turned my head to glance, thinking it would be a funnel shaped cloud off at the horizon.

Nope. It was a dark brownish, dirt colored column of wind about 200 feet wide, it was so close I could see the crap flying around inside of it. Bits of cars, barns, and cows.

We kept on going. No sense in stopping to debate the next move.

[IndyHarley]

tornadoes speeds are very deceptive. They cover/affect such a large amount of geography that thinking they are slow can be a fatal mistake. Bottom line is if you see one and your only chance to get away from it is to try and out run it then yes do so by all means but don't piddle around just because you think they are slow.

[Rusty Steel]

I agree, they are nothing to mess with. Get out of the way! A typical tornado moves @ 25 to 45 miles per hour, but, have been known to move @60 mph, basically the same speed as any weather system, and depending on terrain, can be seen 10+ miles away. So even with the fastest moving tornado you got 5 to 10 minutes to make the right call. Unfortunately, people become complacent of the sounds of sirens or other warnings.
My family doesn’t have the best of luck them though, as my uncle’s house’s in the Ozark’s has been hit or damaged three time in 30 years.

[Tsani]

Got caught up in one. Originally from Oklahoma. My buddy and I hit the ditch, no chance to out run it. They can jump and skip large areas as well as drop on ya quick. We faired well enough. The bikes didn't. Best advise I can give  ya is learn about weather and pay attention.

[frito1]

'naders ain't no big thing unless they hit ya.  This one came by the house Wednesday last week (in Arkansas).



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[Tsani]

  True, but the same can be said for cars too!

[ChromeWhore]

I say ride smack into it and have the ultimate Harley bike wobble experience... If you can handle that wobble, you're one ridin' SOB.     

CW