We have some storms rolling through tomorrow that have the potential to create isolated tornadoes, and I can't stop obsessing over it. Every time I see that we have thunderstorms in the forecast, I religiously check weather radars and reports throughout the day. This isn't something that's always been a fear of mine, I used to love hitting the bong and watching thunderstorms. But after having a close call last year while out delivering, and tornado sirens going off in the middle of the night a few weeks ago, I've developed quite the phobia.
Tornadoes aren't SUPER common where I live, but we had two yesterday and one a few weeks ago. All of them were super weak, and they petered out after a few miles. But the fear of a gargantuan EF-5 tearing down my apartment building is a constant fear of mine when storms are in the forecast.
I used to be afraid of this but at a certain point I was able to radically accept the inescapableness of the unlikely event and just enjoy the storm. Kind of hard to just whip that up for yourself though.
That's where I need to get. Tornadoes always made me nervous, but I used to get an excitement out of it.
Yeah, exactly. There's a fine line between nihilism and the acceptance of one's own mortality, but it's one of the few places where fear isn't.
Hmm, I grew up in tornado alley, so tornadoes were kind of mundane to me. Maybe it’ll help if you go over tornado safety stuff and come up with a plan for what you would do in your home if a tornado were to come close. Like, rehearse and everything. It is a valid fear, for sure. Having a plan ready will make you safer
Thanks for the response. I think my lack of exposure to tornadoes is what makes them scarier to me when we have the possibility for one developing.
I've been watching videos about the hazards they present, and what safety precautions to take. The biggest danger is flying debris, so the first thing to take care of is getting indoors in sturdy shelter. My biggest fear is that I live on the top floor of a two-story apartment building, and in order to get to the ground level I have to go outside to access the laundry room. When we had a tornado warning a few weeks ago, I felt trapped because by the time the sirens started going off, it was already storming super hard outside. I didn't want to take my cat outside with severe thunder and lightning, so we took shelter in the bathroom away from windows.
I feel like bunkering down inside the bathroom should be okay, because the odds of a gigantic violent tornado are very low in my state. I'd like to believe that the most damage that could happen would be debris crashing through the windows, or possibly the roof getting torn off.
If you have a neighbor you can make friends with in the ground floor apartment below you or close to a stairwell exit, you can ask to wait out the storm in their hallway or bathroom. I'd keep your cat in a carrier and have some treats handy, especially if your neighbor has other pets. A battery operated radio can also be a useful item in those situations. When the sirens go off, text the neighbor and get things ready to move to whatever ground level space you can safely but quickly. Having someone to wait out the storm with helps. I once lived in a very small complex where we'd befriended all of our neighbors and would gather all of our blankets and pets into our downstairs neighbor's place and have a good time waiting it out together.
You’ll know when a tornado is super close - it sounds like the deep rumble of a train going past. If you don’t hear that, then you’ll probably be alright to quickly run over to the laundry room if it makes you feel safer. Heck, my parents would always sit on the patio for a while and watch the storms go by whenever the sirens started (but I had to stay in the closet under a mattress, since I was just a kid).
Follow your instincts, though. Lightning is nothing to fuck with either. It’s always unlikely that you’ll actually get hit directly by a tornado, so you’ll probably be just fine if you hang out in your bathroom away from windows.
Storms are indeed spooky. Honestly, you should get into storm chasers and watch extreme weather guys. I started this way and it has turned into a complete fascination. Where I live hurricanes are an issue, I even had all my shit ruined by one a few years ago in North Carolina, and even if it was pretty traumatic the storms themselves are fucking amazing. Also trump showed up and made a dumb joke about the boats being everywhere and hit someone with a paper towel roll.
They're the closest real life thing to something like a dragon. truly powerful and chaotic. Respect them, fear them a bit, but don't live in fear and keep yourself as in the know as you can about potentially scary weather in your area so you can be prepared and know how to find safety.
that's my advice I guess. They're horrifying, but that also makes them amazing.
Honestly, you should get into storm chasers and watch extreme weather guys. I started this way and it has turned into a complete fascination.
That's the weird thing, I regularly watch a meteorologist who streams on YouTube covering severe weather across the whole country. He explains what's on the radar, shows live feeds of his stormchaser partners, and gives live updates of dangerous developments. It's exciting and fascinating seeing the severe weather. And there's an odd comfort in knowing that it's something we all deal with.
Where I live hurricanes are an issue, I even had all my shit ruined by one a few years ago in North Carolina, and even if it was pretty traumatic the storms themselves are fucking amazing.
Shit, hurricanes are way more scary than what I have to deal with. It's cool that you were able to come to terms with the fact that hurricanes are a part of life where you're from, and to learn to live with it. I can do that with tornadoes.
