[LordHelmit]

Originally Posted by linicx

Tornadoes are common in the Midwest. It is a fact of life. Most of the time it is nothing more serious than wind, rain, broken tree branches and sometime small hail. Tornado generally moves SW to NE. And they usually follow a path of least resistance... which means highways and no trees to disrupt it. Tulsa is a green tree city.

Tulsa is not the target city that OKC and Jopin, MO are. The last tornado of any size I remember played on auto row along I-44. They had great car sales that year! I like the area around Utica Square. It is near hospitals and doctors with some shopping nearby. It is a very nice family neighborhood of older, well-maintained homes.

This is not true at all, tornadoes will move whichever way the storm takes it. The tornado doesn't care if there is a neighborhood or a field.

OP, not to scare you or anything but it is Oklahoma and it does see tornadoes. The last fatal tornado was 04/24/93 where 7 were killed and 100 injured in an F4. There were also fatal tornadoes in 1983, 1981, 1974, 1974 again, and 1942. There have been 2 F4's, 9 F3's, 19 E/F2's, and too many E/F1 and 0's to count. This is from records going back to 1955.

OK County has indeed had much more.

Unfortunately Tulsa is sort of under the firing line this weekend.

[Jaimie567]

Thank you everyone!!

[jfrebel]

One thing to keep in mind is tornados aren't like hurricanes. Tornadoes hit a small path and thats it.


even the monster mile wide tornadoes leave most people in OKC unscathed.
if you live here you can count on being in a tornado warning a couple times a year at least. the odds of you actually getting hit? less than your chances of dying in a car crash.
and even then if you DO get hit odds of survival are in your favor if you simply take your tornado precautions. plan ahead and know what to do, and do so when warnings are issued and you'll be fine.

[Rubi3]

Originally Posted by LordHelmit

This is not true at all, tornadoes will move whichever way the storm takes it. The tornado doesn't care if there is a neighborhood or a field.

OP, not to scare you or anything but it is Oklahoma and it does see tornadoes. The last fatal tornado was 04/24/93 where 7 were killed and 100 injured in an F4. There were also fatal tornadoes in 1983, 1981, 1974, 1974 again, and 1942. There have been 2 F4's, 9 F3's, 19 E/F2's, and too many E/F1 and 0's to count. This is from records going back to 1955.

OK County has indeed had much more.

Unfortunately Tulsa is sort of under the firing line this weekend.

You have posted information that is not true.

[teakboat]

Looks all true to me. Different large landforms may favor the production of tornadoes such as the plateau near Amarillo, but a few tall trees or a small hill are not going to protect a neighborhood or direct the tornado in a different direction.

[mydogstinks]

We moved here several months ago and I said the first thing we'd do is put in an above ground storm shelter. Come to find out, few people spend the money on it and just take refuge in an interior, windowless room in the house. We've been told most would rather have a whole house generator than a tornado shelter.

As for schools, we looked at Jenks since we heard such great things but ended up in Owasso because we liked the small town feel. We are very happy with our decision. I can't speak to the middle school and high school, but the elementary school our kids are in is phenomenal.

[StillwaterTownie]

Originally Posted by mydogstinks

We moved here several months ago and I said the first thing we'd do is put in an above ground storm shelter. Come to find out, few people spend the money on it and just take refuge in an interior, windowless room in the house. We've been told most would rather have a whole house generator than a tornado shelter.

It probably reflects how the Tulsa area in recent decades hasn't had any devastating F-5 tornadoes that killed several dozen people the way it happened in Moore in 1999 and again in 2013. It can be difficult to escape death or serious injury from a F-5 tornado, since they can take everything away, leaving only the cement slab foundation. I probably would not have had a safe room built in my new house in 2004 had Moore not have had such an awful killer tornado in 1999.

I can see how spending money on generators can be seen as more important than tornado shelters. People living in Oklahoma small towns and on farms and ranches can possibly go without electrical power for over a week, caused by an ice storm.

[Rubi3]

A few years ago there was an horrific ice storm here and I had no electricity for eight days. Fortunately, my home is gas and electric, so there was heat and hot water. I stayed in the living room and used the oven in the kitchen to heat that area. It was so nice when OG&E came by and everything returned to normal.

[nightbird47]

Originally Posted by Rubi3

A few years ago there was an horrific ice storm here and I had no electricity for eight days. Fortunately, my home is gas and electric, so there was heat and hot water. I stayed in the living room and used the oven in the kitchen to heat that area. It was so nice when OG&E came by and everything returned to normal.

Was that 2007? A friend of mine would slip out of the bedroom where they had a fireplace and the household was staying to tell friends they were okay, then hurry back to the warmer room. It was that which convienced me to get gas heat. I could heat the living room and boil something on the stove to heat the kitchen.

I'm thinking of finding something to put on the pipes which run up to the sink as twice this winter the cold water froze up enough I had to resort to the hair dryer. That's what would really worry me with prolonged feezing weather. I couldn't get out the front door since the snow banked up against it and the screen door wouldn't open. Now with the new storm door, its set just a little high with a board to seal the bottom so it doesn't snow me in.

I keep looking at shelter prices wishing I could actually afford one. Just room for me and the pets is fine.

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by nightbird47

Was that 2007? A friend of mine would slip out of the bedroom where they had a fireplace and the household was staying to tell friends they were okay, then hurry back to the warmer room. It was that which convienced me to get gas heat. I could heat the living room and boil something on the stove to heat the kitchen.

I'm thinking of finding something to put on the pipes which run up to the sink as twice this winter the cold water froze up enough I had to resort to the hair dryer. That's what would really worry me with prolonged feezing weather. I couldn't get out the front door since the snow banked up against it and the screen door wouldn't open. Now with the new storm door, its set just a little high with a board to seal the bottom so it doesn't snow me in.

I keep looking at shelter prices wishing I could actually afford one. Just room for me and the pets is fine.

Yes.

Broken limbs and downed power lines everywhere.