Recent comments in /f/news

GreenStrong t1_jdm0h8f wrote

The National Weather Service issues tornado watch’s several hours ahead of time to let people know that a tornado is possible, and they issue geographically specific warnings as soon as they form. Cell phones alert people, and there are even special analog radios that respond to the warnings, but stay silent otherwise.

Typically, people do have a few minutes of warning when these monster tornadoes are coming, but they are powerful that almost no shelter can withstand them. Small tornadoes arise and pass very quickly. The NWS often sends out warnings based on radar before they fully form, but they are inherently unpredictable. I was near a small tornado once, I was sitting outside on a porch enjoying the storm, and there were only a few seconds between when rain started blowing in on me and roofs blowing off off houses 200 yards away.

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