How to Tell If A Tornado Is Coming to Erie

5/19/2021 (Permalink)

After you have successfully gotten through a tornado safe, who cleans up the damage? SERVPRO of West Erie County does!

Tornadoes can be very scary and dangerous to you and your family alike. With everything, preparation can always make the scary situations easier to navigate. Tornadoes are no exception to this. It is important to know when a tornado might be imminent so you can adequately prepare!

Aside from an obviously visible tornado, or a tornado siren/warning, how can you identify signs of a tornado? SERVPRO of West Erie County is here with ways you can identify if a tornado might pop up.

Tornado Formation

Before we get into signs of tornadoes, we should know how tornadoes form. The NOAA explains that the exact reason tornadoes form is not completely understood, however we do know they result from supercell thunderstorms. These massive thunderstorms have 100 mph+ gusts of wind, and when one of those gusts goes vertical it can create a rotating cylinder within the storm. Thus, giving us our tornado.

Identifying a Tornado on a Radar

During major storms we often look at weather radars on TV or Weather Apps on our phones. You can identify a tornado on a weather radar! If you see a “hook” appear on the radar, there is a good chance there is some rotation, and possibly a tornado.

Visible Signs

Weather reporting is not always accurate, and tornadoes can pop up quickly. That is why it is important to be aware of your surroundings and identify signs of a tornado. Again, assisted by the NOAA, here are some Key Signs of Tornadoes:

• Strong, consistent rotation in the clouds
• Whirling debris or dust under a cloud base - sometimes tornadoes do not have funnels
• Heavy hail or rainfall followed by dead calm or fast wind shift
• Loud and constant rumbling, that does not fade like thunder does
• Small, bright flashes of light on the ground level could be powerlines knocked down
• Persistent lowering of cloud base

You can use all three of these sections to confidently identify tornadoes and prepare accordingly.

After you have successfully gotten through a tornado safe, who cleans up the damage? SERVPRO of West Erie County does! We have the expertise, equipment, and experience to handle any disaster.

Call us today at (814) 806-1987 for all your storm damage needs or visit our Website to see our full array of services!