Tornadoes come complete with a one-two punch. Not only can their winds be in excess of 100 mph but also the central pressure of a tornado is so low that it can cause windows to explode outwards. There once was a thought that if you opened the windows of your house, this would help to equalize the pressure and reduce the damage potential. Wrong! First, opening the windows in your house actually does relieve some pressure on the roof but exerts more pressure on the walls. Second, the roof that you have saved by opening the windows may come off due to the high winds. Third, most houses have enough vents to handle rapid change in pressure and, if not, then the approaching storm may add a few more vents that weren’t originally there. Fourth, many people have opened their windows only to get a large amount of rain pouring through. And fifth and perhaps most importantly, you’re not suppose to be opening windows in an approaching tornado, you’re suppose to get to safe shelter. That’s why we say to take shelter IMMEDIATELY!

Another old theory that has been abandoned has to do with taking shelter in the southwest corner of your basement. We no longer tell you to do that. After the April 3rd, 1974 outbreak, the experts found that if a tornado came up on the west side of your home, the southwest corner of the basement did alright. However, if the storm came up on the east side then debris might actually be flung into the southwest corner. The end result is we don’t want you to try to figure out on what side of the house the tornado will travel; we want you to get to the basement and get under something sturdy.

We have already had a number of severe weather episodes this year. It’s beginning to look like a very active spring is shaping up. If you don’t have a severe weather plan for your family, develop one now.