Careful - tornado potential tonight and tomorrow morning in the DC area

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you go to the basement when you get a warning? We just had ours upgraded from watch to warning and DH laughed when I said we should go to the basement. The alert says take cover now. What do you all do?

Yes I would go to the basement for a warning.

Warning means *there are tornados forming in your area.* Watch means the conditions for tornados exist. Very different and that upgrade should be treated seriously.

Tell your DH to STFU. Being dismissive of tornado risk is stupid.

Warnings are issued for large areas-- not as large as watches, but still much larger than the path of the tornado. I'll check the news and/or radar before going to the basement in almost any situation. Nighttime is harder, since you can't see the storm approach.

[Anonymous]

Thank you! It’s not like it’s hard to watch tv in the basement and wait it out.

Q2: would you wake sleeping children to bring them to the basement?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you go to the basement when you get a warning? We just had ours upgraded from watch to warning and DH laughed when I said we should go to the basement. The alert says take cover now. What do you all do?

Yes I would go to the basement for a warning.

Warning means *there are tornados forming in your area.* Watch means the conditions for tornados exist. Very different and that upgrade should be treated seriously.

Tell your DH to STFU. Being dismissive of tornado risk is stupid.

Warnings are issued for large areas-- not as large as watches, but still much larger than the path of the tornado. I'll check the news and/or radar before going to the basement in almost any situation. Nighttime is harder, since you can't see the storm approach.

Look at a map. It's not that big of an area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you! It’s not like it’s hard to watch tv in the basement and wait it out.

Q2: would you wake sleeping children to bring them to the basement?

Yes I would. Warnings don't last that long. Usually 20-60 minutes and then the tornados dissipate or move with the storm. I've done this with my kid and she didn't really even wake up-- she fell back asleep on the couch and then we carried her back to bed when the warning was over. Older kids might wake up and be a bit grumpy but they'll be able to go back to sleep soon.

[Anonymous]

If the watch turns to a warning, we plan to wake up the kids and take them to the basement. I grew up in the midwest, tornadoes are no joke. Especially hard at night when you can't see the atmosphere change colors so you have no idea how bad it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the watch turns to a warning, we plan to wake up the kids and take them to the basement. I grew up in the midwest, tornadoes are no joke. Especially hard at night when you can't see the atmosphere change colors so you have no idea how bad it is.

The tornadoes in this area don't really compare to the tornadoes in the midwest. When is the last time we got something more than an EF1?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is mainly for Stafford and surrounding counties. Most of NOVA can sleep soundly with their phones off. I know I will.

Good luck bozo

Instructions disregarded. Now I'm in Munchkinland.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is mainly for Stafford and surrounding counties. Most of NOVA can sleep soundly with their phones off. I know I will.

Good luck bozo

Instructions disregarded. Now I'm in Munchkinland.

How is the cell service?

[Anonymous]

We weren't in the tornado warning area in NW D.C. this morning, so I didn't take any precautions then. But I don't really understand why you wouldn't go to the basement if a tornado warning is issued for where you are. It's like 20 or 30 minutes, as a PP noted. And if you're home anyway, what's the harm?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We weren't in the tornado warning area in NW D.C. this morning, so I didn't take any precautions then. But I don't really understand why you wouldn't go to the basement if a tornado warning is issued for where you are. It's like 20 or 30 minutes, as a PP noted. And if you're home anyway, what's the harm?

I don't have a basement. In fact, most don't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We weren't in the tornado warning area in NW D.C. this morning, so I didn't take any precautions then. But I don't really understand why you wouldn't go to the basement if a tornado warning is issued for where you are. It's like 20 or 30 minutes, as a PP noted. And if you're home anyway, what's the harm?

I don't have a basement. In fact, most don't.

Most houses in this area have a basement. If you're in an apartment, yes, that's tougher.

As PPs explained, a daytime tornado can be surveilled yourself by sticking your head out of the window. But at night, it's better to take precautions and move into an interior bathroom or something. Somewhere without windows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We weren't in the tornado warning area in NW D.C. this morning, so I didn't take any precautions then. But I don't really understand why you wouldn't go to the basement if a tornado warning is issued for where you are. It's like 20 or 30 minutes, as a PP noted. And if you're home anyway, what's the harm?

I don't have a basement. In fact, most don't.

Most houses in this area have a basement. If you're in an apartment, yes, that's tougher.

As PPs explained, a daytime tornado can be surveilled yourself by sticking your head out of the window. But at night, it's better to take precautions and move into an interior bathroom or something. Somewhere without windows.

I live in a house in this area that doesn’t have a basement. There are plenty like that in this neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We weren't in the tornado warning area in NW D.C. this morning, so I didn't take any precautions then. But I don't really understand why you wouldn't go to the basement if a tornado warning is issued for where you are. It's like 20 or 30 minutes, as a PP noted. And if you're home anyway, what's the harm?

I don't have a basement. In fact, most don't.

Yes, obviously if you don’t have a basement, you can’t go to the basement. I was mostly talking about people on this thread who said they chose not to go to their basement because they didn’t think it was necessary. It’s true, in this case, probably wasn’t necessary, but if you’ve got the option, why not just go?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We weren't in the tornado warning area in NW D.C. this morning, so I didn't take any precautions then. But I don't really understand why you wouldn't go to the basement if a tornado warning is issued for where you are. It's like 20 or 30 minutes, as a PP noted. And if you're home anyway, what's the harm?

I don't have a basement. In fact, most don't.

Most houses in this area have a basement. If you're in an apartment, yes, that's tougher.

As PPs explained, a daytime tornado can be surveilled yourself by sticking your head out of the window. But at night, it's better to take precautions and move into an interior bathroom or something. Somewhere without windows.

I live in a house in this area that doesn’t have a basement. There are plenty like that in this neighborhood.

Zero homes in Florida have basements. The water table is inches from the surface.

You go to an interior closet or room without windows. If you hear a tornado a bathtub is not the worst thing though now days every one has glass doors so that really doesn’t help. You want to avoid glass shards from imploding windows.

I agree these are baby tornados here, you aren’t getting a ticket to Oz. But we have a ton more trees than the Midwest, so a tree falling on the top floor bedroom so a real risk. Head to a lower floor; get away from windows; maybe find a shelter like a pantry or closet if it seems imminent.