# Dying in a tornado **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 25, 2011, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156 "2011-05-25T14:32:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/41 "2011-05-26T16:30:36Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I think [this is it](http://www.facebook.com/notes/randy-robbins/there-and-back-again-a-hobbits-tale-4272011-please-take-this-with-a-sense-of-hum/10150291433407524). IIRC he did post it to Facebook but I am one of the few, weird people on the planet who does not (and have no desire for) a Facebook account and unfortunatley they will not let me read it without signing up. I suspect though you found it as how many of those can there be with those details? ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/42 "2011-05-26T16:34:02Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > IIRC he did post it to Facebook but I am one of the few, weird people on the planet who does not (and have no desire for) a Facebook account and unfortunatley they will not let me read it without signing up. > > I suspect though you found it as how many of those can there be with those details? Whoops, I thought it was public to everyone or I would have found a different link. It’s popping up all over the Internet. [This version should be publicly viewable.](http://splashlife.com/article/university-alabama-students-narrow-escape) ---
**Author:** ![John\_H\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9bcb4/32.png) [@John\_H\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_H_1)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/43 "2011-05-26T17:07:53Z")
> [@user\_hostile](#): > > What do **g** ’s have to do with wind force? They involve two different circumstances (force/area vs. acceleration). The force of wind increases as a square of velocity as opposed to linearly. I stand corrected. To clarify, you would have to multiply g by the mass of a person who’s terminal velocity is 120mph if you wanted to get the proper force value. So let’s assume that person weighs 130lbs. Correcting my original post using velocity squared the upper limits for wind force on a person would be.. 120mph ~130lbs 200mph ~360lbs 240mph ~520lbs ---
**Author:** ![Kilmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a6a055/32.png) [@Kilmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilmore)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/44 "2011-05-26T17:20:40Z")
As far as advice for what to do if picked up by a tornado, there isn’t much to say. Good luck overcoming the base reaction of OMFGIJUSTGOTPWNTBYAF’NTORNADO!!! If you can do any more than that, stay limp, cover your head, and make your peace. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/45 "2011-05-26T17:20:53Z")
multiple vortex tornadoes, which now seem to be more common than thought, can add to the ‘hit one house and not the next’ effect. in the previous southern USA tornadoes there was a school with roof off and walls down and stuff on shelves (in the used to be insides) untouched. straw has been driven into wood with the straw undamaged (for the most part, it was ripped from the ground and the plant top missing). ---
**Author:** ![DooWahDiddy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9bcb4/32.png) [@DooWahDiddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DooWahDiddy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/46 "2011-05-26T18:05:17Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > Get out of the car to reduce your wind exposure. Although, it should be said that in the heat of the moment, most people will have a hard time overcoming the natural urge to stay “indoors”. It would take a lot of willpower to ignore that (false) sense of security and step outside when there’s a tornado bearing down on you. When I lived in Texas, I was driving to work on I-20 when the DJ on the radio said, “There has just been a tornado spotted traveling down I-20”. _Shit, that’s me._ I was northbound and the tornado was southbound. I came across an exit with an old abandoned gas station that still had the awnings. Cars were huddled underneath it and I guarantee you nobody was getting out. Maybe not the smartest move, depending on whether or not residual gasoline was still there, but there you have it. I pulled off and parked behind an 18-wheeler that was sitting under the awning, and then another 18-wheeler pulled up behind me. There were cars to my right but not to my left. Then there was that horrible moment where the rain stops, and you can’t hear any birds chirping and everything seems still. Then the trailers on the semis started to shake all around me, and I looked left and watched the tornado travel down the path of the highway, maybe a quarter to a half mile on the far side of it. I didn’t realize just how hard I had been gripping the steering wheel until my fingers started to hurt. Scary stuff, but a good story! But yeah, I promise you I wasn’t getting out of that car. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/47 "2011-05-26T18:09:37Z")
Get thee to a Taco Bell…or McDonald’s…or almost any restaurant and hide out in the cooler. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/48 "2011-05-26T18:21:25Z")
> [@DooWahDiddy](#): > > Although, it should be said that in the heat of the moment, most people will have a hard time overcoming the natural urge to stay “indoors”. It would take a lot of willpower to ignore that (false) sense of security and step outside when there’s a tornado bearing down on you. > > \ > > Scary stuff, but a good story! But yeah, I promise you I wasn’t getting out of that car. 🙂 [Here is a video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgcYPfYXAEs) (tag on the video says people were in those cars so fair warning although you cannot see people) of cars being tossed about by a tornado. Wish I could find a very recent video I saw of a tornado shredding a truck (apparently the truck driver lived without much injury…semi truck was totaled and the trailer was literally shredded). ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/49 "2011-05-26T18:23:42Z")
I really didn’t realize until very recently that the primary danger from a tornado is being shredded by debris, rather than being sucked up into the sky. I always used to wonder why lying in a ditch was supposed to protect you from being sucked up into the sky. Well, it’s not: It’s supposed to protect you from getting shredded by debris. I think that if you have the debris-shredding scenario in mind, it’ll make it a lot easier to dive out of the car onto the ground if there’s a tornado coming. Maybe. I haven’t been there myself so I can’t say for sure. ---
**Author:** ![Kilmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a6a055/32.png) [@Kilmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilmore)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/50 "2011-05-26T18:31:11Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I really didn’t realize until very recently that the primary danger from a tornado is being shredded by debris, rather than being sucked up into the sky. I always used to wonder why lying in a ditch was supposed to protect you from being sucked up into the sky. Well, it’s not: It’s supposed to protect you from getting shredded by debris. > > I think that if you have the debris-shredding scenario in mind, it’ll make it a lot easier to dive out of the car onto the ground if there’s a tornado coming. Maybe. I haven’t been there myself so I can’t say for sure. That’s why they say the old adage of opening the windows to equalize pressure in the house to keep it from getting imploded by the tornado is false. Not only is the pressure differential not so strong as to implode the house, but an open window isn’t going to be as effective as the Cadillac getting thrown through the living room and into the kitchen. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/51 "2011-05-26T18:36:45Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I really didn’t realize until very recently that the primary danger from a tornado is being shredded by debris, rather than being sucked up into the sky. I always used to wonder why lying in a ditch was supposed to protect you from being sucked up into the sky. Well, it’s not: It’s supposed to protect you from getting shredded by debris. > > I think that if you have the debris-shredding scenario in mind, it’ll make it a lot easier to dive out of the car onto the ground if there’s a tornado coming. Maybe. I haven’t been there myself so I can’t say for sure. I wonder how much a tornado actually “sucks” (as in hoovers stuff up like a vacuum) and is more very fast wind running parallel to the ground. Certainly in a tornado air is being sucked up and if you get lifted off the ground it will want to spiral you up into the air. However, in a ditch (even a shallow one), air should be passing over your head parallel to the ground. As long as that air flow is not sufficient to dislodge you then you should be ok. A shallow ditch might be enough for this (plus you are lying flat). I certainly could be wrong but I did not think of a tornado as “suction” like you’d get from a straw slurping up water. It’d be scary as hell no doubt and I admit it seems counter-intuitive to get out of the car or the house or whatever but it probably is your best chance. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/52 "2011-05-26T18:45:40Z")
> [@Kilmore](#): > > That’s why they say the old adage of opening the windows to equalize pressure in the house to keep it from getting imploded by the tornado is false. [Mythbusters tested this](http://mythbustersresults.com/hurricane-windows). They found that windows open or closed made little difference (at least in a hurricane). I wouldn’t mind if they revisited since the guy MsWhatsit linked to earlier stated that the pressure change was so sudden it caused him and others to bleed from their ears. That is a pretty dramatic and fast pressure change. The hurricane-like conditions they tested would not account for this effect. That said he did not describe anything blowing up because of it so I dunno. Clearly it was the high winds and I doubt an open window would help. Just wondering and would be fun to see them test. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/53 "2011-05-26T19:42:15Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > I really didn’t realize until very recently that the primary danger from a tornado is being shredded by debris, rather than being sucked up into the sky. I always used to wonder why lying in a ditch was supposed to protect you from being sucked up into the sky. Well, it’s not: It’s supposed to protect you from getting shredded by debris. This thread is dashing all of my misconceptions too. It just occurred to me that it’s analogous to what’s happening in the inside of a blender or a food processor. When you look at the visible particles in a blender, the vast majority of them are whirling sideways. Granted, there’s some up-and-down movement, but very little. If you drop something on top of the contents of the blender, it doesn’t get immediately pulled down to the bottom, and neither is the stuff on the bottom shooting its way to the surface. At least, I’m guessing that the two are analogous, but I don’t know enough about the mechanics of fluids to say for certain. Of course, there are any one of a number of people here who do know—hopefully one will happen along shortly and feel compelled to comment. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/54 "2011-05-26T20:10:30Z")
[This](http://youtu.be/JKc4Inezm3k) video is all kinds of awesome. Tuscaloosa woman loses house in tornado, one of her cats has been missing for a few weeks, until…(is it dusty in here?) Another weird thing is that her whole house is gone except for one small wall, with untouched dishes inside it. ---
**Author:** ![ovalseven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbce88/32.png) [@ovalseven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ovalseven)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/55 "2011-05-26T20:28:45Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > There was a famous video several years ago showing people seeking shelter under a highway overpass. This has, unfortunately, caused people to believe this is the right thing to do. It’s not. This one? It’s the one I see on TV most often. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/UJyVT1bnBX4/maxresdefault.jpg "News Crew Hit by Tornado | National Geographic") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJyVT1bnBX4) ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/56 "2011-05-26T20:29:14Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > Do tornadoes backtrack? I’m wondering if one of the safest places is somewhere the tornado has already been. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/57 "2011-05-26T20:40:13Z")
> [@Gangster\_Octopus](#): > > Get thee to a Taco Bell…or McDonald’s…or almost any restaurant and hide out in the cooler. You’d need something more akin to a bank vault. My exwife nearly died hiding in a walk in cooler, during a tornado. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2011, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/58 "2011-05-26T22:16:24Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > People in interior rooms and basements have often survived extremely strong tornadoes. It certainly does matter where you hide. Though if your point is that in an EF-4 or EF-5 tornado it doesn’t much matter where you hide _outside_, you may have a point. I meant outside. [Although judging by these photos, hiding from an EF-5 inside is marginally safer than hiding outside.](http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Before-and-after-Devastation-Joplin-MO-tornado/ss/events/us/052611joplinbefore) But, as they say, dying by a tornado is just like falling asleep…inside a giant blender. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/59 "2011-05-27T00:27:34Z")
Has anyone heard about the teenage boy who was sucked out of the sunroof of his car? Did this incident really happen and does anyone have any information about this? I heard this story a couple of days ago and I’d really like to know if there was a happy ending to this terrible story. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156/60 "2011-05-27T00:30:35Z")
> [@medstar](#): > > Has anyone heard about the teenage boy who was sucked out of the sunroof of his car? Did this incident really happen and does anyone have any information about this? I heard this story a couple of days ago and I’d really like to know if there was a happy ending to this terrible story. Yes, this happened, and as of now, there has not been a happy ending, although the family is still searching. [Info here.](http://blogs.pitch.com/plog/2011/05/will_norton_still_missing.php) (That page includes a link to the “Find Will Norton” Facebook page that has more info, but not everyone has Facebook access.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dying-in-a-tornado/583156.md?page=4)