Speaking of construction and technology seems everyone as of late in the media is talking about Joplin, Missouri's new "tornado proof" hospital being built. Here is one of the latest videos I ran across from the Weather Channel. I guess it is possible to build a structure now days to withstand a tornado, even the glass. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PMQ_sU2pVfk
One issue I have with OKC metro's warning policy is they sound the sirens for all metro areas if any part of the city is within a tornado warning polygon.
We heard sirens all night in far north OKC (178th/May..we are talking like 20 miles north of the threat).
My fear is that one day a south metro tornado will be warned, and then a few minutes later a new north metro tornado will pop up. The people will assume that the sires are just recycling the warnings from the south metro tornado. Too many sirens in my humble opinion.
Yes I finished your book last week which got me thinking about this during the Friday weather. Really interesting read! I'm working on "Warnings" this week. :-)
Unfortunately I can't think of a good solution. OKC is broken into 8 wards that change every year based on census data. I'm assuming the tornado sirens can't be updated every year to adapt to the updated GIS data.
(Keep in mind I'm just an amateur storm spotter) One idea I had is to develop software that links the GIS coordinates from the metro wards with the tornado sirens positioned in those areas.
So when a tornado polygon is drawn over a specific area on the map, the software would figure out which OKC metro wards are impacted and activate those sirens.
Someone would still pull the switch on the sirens, but the software would help decide which sirens in the metro sound.
Easier said than done I'm sure. And probably expensive! But that is the fun at being an armchair critic. :-)
Thank you for coming to read my tornado coverage from Saturday and Saturday night. As there were about 100,000 brand new readers, please allow me to introduce myself. I the retired Sr. VP of AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions and retired Fellow of the American Meteorological Society. Specialized for 50 years in extreme weather forecasts and warnings. I invite you to bookmark this site: https://www.mikesmithenterprisesblog.com/ Timely forecasts of tornadoes, floods, blizzards and hurricanes are provided. On slower weather days we talk about global warming, science and issues of interest to society. On Sundays, we usually lighten things a bit. For real-time storm warning bulletins, you can follow me here: @usweatherexpert . Thanks again for reading! ---Last night's Coverage --- After 16 straight hours, I must call it a night. All of the information below is current as of 1:10am. Thank you for reading and goodnight. As of 12:35am, much of south central Oklahoma has no electr
Unfortunately, the forecast is working out. A tornado watch is already in effect in Oklahoma and Texas. This watch is in effect until 1pm. Thunderstorms are developing in the southeast Texas Panhandle. They will move northeast and strengthen. Please keep a close eye on the weather in these areas. I'll have comprehensive forecast up in 60-90 minutes.
The forecast path of the center of Hilary has shifted a bit to the west. This increases the threat to the Southland, especially in terms of flooding. Rainfall Note the heavy rains are forecast for Los Angeles County. Serious flash flooding may result. Because the forecast path has shifted to the west, that increases the threat of serious flooding in Los Angeles County north into Yosemite and the southern Sierra. It lessens the threat in Utah and western Arizona. While the threat of widespread flooding in Utah and Arizona lessens, note that some thunderstorms with localized heavy rain show up on the map. In Nevada, the more western path increases the risk of serious flooding around Mt Charleston and into the central part of the state. Here is the updated (9am PDT) flash flood risk map. Wind There are already about 40,000 people without power in California, mostly in the center of the state. The maps above are the peak gusts forecasted with the storm. The highest winds, in general,
I'll pass it along to my team. Thanks for writing it.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your opinion on ICF construction and tornado safety?
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of construction and technology seems everyone as of late in the media is talking about Joplin, Missouri's new "tornado proof" hospital being built. Here is one of the latest videos I ran across from the Weather Channel. I guess it is possible to build a structure now days to withstand a tornado, even the glass.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PMQ_sU2pVfk
@Dr. I don't have an opinion on that as I am not a structural engineer. Sorry.
ReplyDelete@Todd: Yes, it is possible to make it tornado resistant although not completely tornado proof.
Great article.
ReplyDeleteOne issue I have with OKC metro's warning policy is they sound the sirens for all metro areas if any part of the city is within a tornado warning polygon.
We heard sirens all night in far north OKC (178th/May..we are talking like 20 miles north of the threat).
My fear is that one day a south metro tornado will be warned, and then a few minutes later a new north metro tornado will pop up. The people will assume that the sires are just recycling the warnings from the south metro tornado. Too many sirens in my humble opinion.
@David: A version of your fear materialized in Joplin in May, 2011. It is described in my book, "When the Sirens Were Silent."
ReplyDeleteYes I finished your book last week which got me thinking about this during the Friday weather. Really interesting read! I'm working on "Warnings" this week. :-)
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I can't think of a good solution. OKC is broken into 8 wards that change every year based on census data. I'm assuming the tornado sirens can't be updated every year to adapt to the updated GIS data.
(Keep in mind I'm just an amateur storm spotter) One idea I had is to develop software that links the GIS coordinates from the metro wards with the tornado sirens positioned in those areas.
So when a tornado polygon is drawn over a specific area on the map, the software would figure out which OKC metro wards are impacted and activate those sirens.
Someone would still pull the switch on the sirens, but the software would help decide which sirens in the metro sound.
Easier said than done I'm sure. And probably expensive! But that is the fun at being an armchair critic. :-)