With tornado season well under way, it's important to know the chances that you'll still have one this year.
The frequency of tornados in June and thereafter might surprise you. According to Fox Weather, between 1991 and 2020, an average of 1,333 twisters were documented across the nation each year, of which 54 percent occurred between April and June. May is historically the most active month for tornadoes, averaging 294 twisters yearly. That's followed by April and June, each with an average of 212 tornadoes. Tornadoes can actually form at any time of the year. The peak months in the southern states are March or April through June. In the northern states, they most often occur in June through August.
Unusual November tornado outbreaks have been severe, and many include more than 100 tornados.
You should have a tornado plan to keep you as safe as possible during a twister. The safest place in your home is located underground in a basement. You can also go to a hallway or bathroom with no windows.
There is no safe space outside in a tornado. Take tornado watch reports seriously and do not drive or go outside in risky conditions.
The traditional advice if you are caught outside and a tornado is approaching is to lie down in a dry ditch or culvert. This strategy might be better than nothing, but if you are in the path of a tornado, it won't help much. Do not go outside when there is a tornado watch or warning.
Tornados routinely toss cars into the air. If you are in a car in the path of a tornado, get away from your car and seek shelter. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, if there is no shelter, you could stay in the car with a seat belt, head lowered below the windows and covered with a blanket or coat. Other sources say getting in a ditch is better. None of these options are good.
The worst thing you can do is to shelter under an overpass. People who have tried this — if they survived — sustain horrific injuries. There are no handholds and no protection from flying debris and winds.
