'Atomic Bomb-Like' Tornado Damage in Oklahoma
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Pristine_Condition
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This is a cross post from the 2013 US Tornado Season thread...
All 3 major networks have access to helicopters for storm coverage and we have one station with storm chasers rolling around in these bad ass machines.
Channel 4 has Reed Timmer chasing from the reality series Storm Chasers chasing for them this year. This one can deploy hooks into the ground and go through the center of tornadoes.
We have weather chaser personalities in Oklahoma.
Yup. My aunt was an anchor in that market a long time ago, and IIRC, one of the stations in OKC had the first privately-owned Doppler weather radar in the world. Their shit is staite-of-the-art, and has been for a looooong time.
Tornadoes like this are associated with cold-core lows rather than warm-core, so they derive their energy from boundaries between hot and cold in the lateral sense. The line of storms that spawned the tornado in question here is associated with a mass of cold air coming from Canada pushing against an existing body of warmer air towards the eastern American coast.
Increase the contrast involved here, and the stronger these storms become.
everyday math
Banned
Dealth toll 51
Just heard that. Damn.
cheststrongwell
my cake, fuck off
Basements are rare as fuck in and around OKC. Most(if not all) of those houses don't have basements. Shelters are more common, but not much.
rocksteady1983
Member
Same in southern Oklahoma. No basements, just storm shelters/cellars.
mariachi507
Member
I have a mad amount of respect for him, his facebook feed is how I follow these storms. I can't believe how many deadly tornadoes have already happened this decade.
Bricks aren't good at dealing with massive horizontal winds, either. They don't take loads from the side very well.
legacyzero
Banned
These storms are building quick as hell too! The ones approaching SW Wisconsin just developed out of nowhere. La Crosse just put under a severe thunderstorm watch just like that.
CitizenVectron
Member
Why are there no basements in that area? Is the water table too high? I've never lived in an area where 100% of the homes didn't have finished basements, with 75% of them being fully furnished.
Shallow bedrock, it seems.
cheststrongwell
my cake, fuck off
Cost I guess. I was shocked when I moved here.
Bedrock, I believe. I think it's just super cost-prohibitive. A number of people have really small underground crawlspace looking things that a number of people can fit in, but I think even that isn't common.
High water tables and hard soil.
ratcliffja
Member
Very glad to hear it my friend.
How are storm shelters different?
SneakyStephan
Banned
Nothing will stand up to an 8.5 richter earthquake, that doesn't mean you don't want to earthquakeproof buildings in an earthquake zone either
edit: it was 1-1.5 mile radius? For some reason I interpreted it as diameter, holy cow that is big enough to cover my entire village.
rocksteady1983
Member
Much smaller.
Pay attention. These homes were well built.
StUnNeR H2K
Member
The 'crawlspaces' you are referring to are becoming more common. Most new homes are being built with them or are a option with most home builders. They can also be easily installed in the floor of a garage post home construction into the foundation. The cost for ours installed last fall was around $2,500 and fits 8 adults(not comfortably), but comfortably holds the wife, two kids and myself.
everyday math
Banned
Really? Stay safe man!
ElRenoRaven
Member
Yup usually they're the size of a small to medium closet. Occasionally you'll find one the size of a large closet. They're usually standing room only too.
Thanks.
Just trying to get home now. What's normally a 1 hour commute has turned into a 3+ hour journey. Drove past some damage where the tornado started outside Newcastle. Fences and barns just twisted like aluminum foil.
speculawyer
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ReturnOfTheRAT
Member
Was there any warning for something bigger on the horizon like what occurred today? I've read that there were smaller tornado's yesterday, but I failed to see if anything near this was coming.
legacyzero
Banned
Aaron Rodgers will protect me.
All you can see coming are the conditions that might be favorable to storms like this. When they erupt and where they go are not something we really predict as much as react to.
SniperHunter
Banned
I have a question, I don't live in America and I don't know much about tornadoes.
Why continue to build fragile wooden houses in the, "tornado valley?" Why not build stronger brick houses in this area? I am looking at the pics right now, the town is completely flat
Why continue to build fragile wooden houses in the, "tornado valley?" Why not build stronger brick houses in this area? I am looking at the pics right now, the town is completely flat
ElRenoRaven
Member
They knew there was a great chance for this. They've been warning everyone for a couple days now to be ready for tornadoes. Sadly while you can be prepared you can never be prepared enough for as huge a tornado as this one was.
cheststrongwell
my cake, fuck off
OKC represent!
Addressed earlier in the thread. They were brick, and it doesn't fucking matter in this kind of tornado. They are just that destructive.
piratepwnsninja
Member
Goldrusher
Member
Here's what a strong tornado did to strong brick houses on the French-Belgian border a few years ago (Hautmont, 2008):
And in the countryside...
Now imagine that path being a hundred times wider.
everyday math
Banned
Wear you're protective cheese helmet.
Aesius
Member
Ugh, read the thread please.
SniperHunter
Banned
Here's what a strong tornado did to strong brick houses on the French-Belgian border (Haumont, 2008):
And in the countryside...
Now imagine that path being a hundred times wider.
Wow, they must be extremely powerful. Sorry about my ignorance
everyday math
Banned
OKC represent!
lmao.
Brett Favre is already texting his junk to the red cross in support.
Well, it helps against weaker ones, but when they get into the EF4-5 range your home is going to be leveled.
Those pics look EF3ish, too.
everyday math
Banned
Dealth toll to 55.
Winterfang
Banned
Those images are terrible, my country has had a rough year so far.
People who are ignorant about tornadoes always say, 'Why don't they build their houses out of brick/concrete/stone?'
Most homes in suburban OKC (Edmond, Norman, Moore, etc.) are very solid brick structures, but they cannot come close to withstanding EF4-5 tornadoes.
What's more frustrating to me is that they don't require all schools to have underground shelters in these tornado-prone regions. I have lived in tornado alley all my life and attended three schools. None of these ever had an underground shelter.
Most homes in suburban OKC (Edmond, Norman, Moore, etc.) are very solid brick structures, but they cannot come close to withstanding EF4-5 tornadoes.
What's more frustrating to me is that they don't require all schools to have underground shelters in these tornado-prone regions. I have lived in tornado alley all my life and attended three schools. None of these ever had an underground shelter.
timetokill
Banned
I'm getting the feeling that a lot of non-Americans think tornadoes are basically like the Big Bad Wolf coming to blow down houses. "Build 'em all out of brick!" they say.
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