Tornado Storm

[The Glamour Nazi]

Well, the storm has hit my city. It's pretty crazy, I'm on the road, we saw a tree fall over and the wind is about "h... 60-70 MPH right now, and we're in a smartcar... XP.

[Pale Dim]

You have a smartcar? Really? 

*back on topic*

I saw that video last night. I really cannot imagine the fear those people went through.

[alex]

storms are just sweeping the nation right now! it's crazy! there's a storm headed my way at the moment, high winds, 70-80mph, tornado warnings, the works. we are getting ready to take cover, though I've been through a few tornadoes and my area usually comes out okay, minor damage.

zv, about the end of the world stuff, I think there's been a few signs myself, but I don't think we are anywhere close. I think the bible prophecies will be really obvious, no question about it.  "oh THAT'S what the bible meant"  x)

(portal veteran is zv right? because I'll feel like an idiot if not.. I've been gone awhile)  

EDIT: four confirmed dead in Oklahoma City, but I think they are still searching

[MagmarFire]

The tornado thing being a prophesied thing is kind of inconclusive at this point, in my opinion. Tornado outbreaks like this are not unheard of, after all. Look at the Super Outbreak of 1974, and there have been dozens of other tornado outbreaks during the past twenty years alone, let alone the entire century past. As tragic as the deaths caused this year are, the number is still beaten by the 600+ fatality-causing Tri-State Tornado of 1925 (and that was one tornado!).

[Pale Dim]

If you think about it (from what I heard), the weather has been wacky-wacky like this every time there has been a nuclear incident anywhere in the world. Remember Japan and the nuclear incident? The weather was also (from what I heard) misbehaving when Chernobyl became a ghost-town, Three Mile Island had an incident (I keep forgetting how severe it was), and maybe even when Japan was bombed during WWII. Scientists also had to do weather checks whenever they performed explosion tests with Nuclear weapons. If that is the case, then I believe we have nothing to worry about, it's just the Radiation in the air that is having an effect in the weather. But if that is also the case, we should probably think twice before sticking our tongues out in the rain...

As tragic as the deaths caused this year were, the number was still beaten by the 600+ fatality-causing Tri-State Tornado of 1925 (and that was one tornado!).

I forgot about that one, now that you mention it.

[The Glamour Nazi]

I'm not sure which would look cooler, a bunch of tiny tornadoes destroying a town, or seeing the town destroyed by one HUGE tornado. I know it's sorta off topic, but you gotta wonder...

And really, the Earth does through these bad weather cycles. These things happen every couple years.

[Keaton]

I'm not sure which would look cooler, a bunch of tiny tornadoes destroying a town, or seeing the town destroyed by one HUGE tornado. I know it's sorta off topic, but you gotta wonder...

And really, the Earth does through these bad weather cycles. These things happen every couple years.

Well that's horrible to think about but I'm always a fan of a giant supertornado.

Also the earth is technically coming out of an ice age still

[Deku]

I was actually watching a report on the news where scientists think that most "big tornadoes" aren't really one big tornado. They now think that whenever we see a "big" tornado, it's a bunch of small tornadoes rotating around each other. Because all we see is one big debris cloud, we assume that it's only one tornado.

[Keaton]

Yeah, I saw that report too.  Reminded me of the Dyson cyclone vacuum.

[MagmarFire]

I was actually watching a report on the news where scientists think that most "big tornadoes" aren't really one big tornado. They now think that whenever we see a "big" tornado, it's a bunch of small tornadoes rotating around each other. Because all we see is one big debris cloud, we assume that it's only one tornado.

I actually think that's still a debated concept in the scientific community (at least Wikipedia thinks so), but there is little doubt that the concept of a "multi-vortex tornado" exists, as they, too, have been documented.

And, of course, you can't argue that they are pretty much the Chuck Norris of tornadoes. Come to think of it, if I recall correctly, there are many regular-sized tornadoes that have multiple vortices in them, as well.

[Pale Dim]

Does anyone here even know what the inside of a Tornado looks like? I need that info for a fanfic I'm writing.

But anyway, if this kind of thing happens so frequently, I really don't see it as a sign of an apocalypse. We really don't have anything to worry about!

[Keaton]

The absolute inside of a tornado, if it's large enough, is really calm.  It's like being surrounded by a sheet of flying debris without actually touching any of it.  Can't say for sure what it's like inside a smaller one, though.

[MagmarFire]

A smaller one is possibly quite similar if you're in the absolute center, but then again, if the vortex has a small enough radius, it's likely the calm becomes negligible. You'd still be in huge danger of getting bludgeoned or flayed alive.

[Deku]

Death from a tornado can result in a multitude of ways. The most common is being struck by high velocity debris. The second most likely way it could kill someone is making a structure collapse on someone. Other ways they kill are by tearing people literally in half, or throwing them out of the vortex at high speeds. Even if you're tossed into an open field with no trees or buildings, you're still going to be traveling at over a hundred miles an hour. In any case, I've never heard of someone getting sucked into a tornado and living.

Did anyone see the movie Twister? It's pretty old, and has crappy effects, but I happen to remember one scene vividly. This guys is holding the cellar door shut, and the tornado rips the door off, and sucks him up along with the door. I wish I could find that scene.

[Pale Dim]

I have heard a few reports of people being sucked into Tornadoes and surviving. Very few, but they exist. I'm pretty sure that not many people, if they were sucked into the Joplin tornado, are still alive. The death toll is STILL rising.