I'll put in my two cents here.....I live in the southern part of Birmingham and I am weather literate. I knew far in advance that any tornado that formed yesterday had the potential to do incredible damage. Even though I live in a well-built brick home with a basement, my policy on days like yesterday is to get the hell out of dodge if a strong circulation is coming my way and maintains a good radar sig for several scans. Right after 7pm, after the monster had roared through town, a tornado was spotted on the ground about 30 miles from me and heading my way. My house was in the center of the warning cone. A tornado emergency had been issued by BMX. I got the kids in the car and went 3-4 miles north on Hwy 280 towards Birmingham to achieve what I knew was a safe distance. Hwy 280 is the busiest road in the state and it was virtually deserted. We drove at a safe speed, obeyed traffic laws and had no problem getting to safe ground.
I would do it again every time.
However, if James Spann had told people to do exactly what I knew to do, the roads would have clogged immediately and thousands of people would have been exposed to grave danger. We need to separate what is common sense to weather savvy folks from what would cause the general public to panic.
Well put. I would have done the same as you, and I have in the past.
Historic Tornado Outbreak April 27, 2011
in Weather Forecasting and Discussion
Posted
Well put. I would have done the same as you, and I have in the past.