# Tornado Weather



## Golden Mom (Apr 25, 2004)

Hi Everyone! Well after having tornadoes in the area (15 miles west from us) on Thursday, we decided to venture out anyway. School was cancelled due to high water. We already had reservations at a state park near us. We left Friday morning - weather was great! Saturday - weather was great! We did a lot of bike riding (scooter for me), and just hanging out. We had our nephew with us who is the same age as my daughter. It's better than having a second child. They never fight








Anyways, on Sunday morning it was raining, but cleared up within a couple hours. We rode bikes again, went to a naturalist event, went into town. Came back, and the ranger said we had some storms headed our way. Note: he said storms, not tornadoes) In the meantime, I fixed lunch, then our nephew's mom came to pick her son up. While she was there, a Tornado Warning came. Between 3 adults and 3 kids, we packed that Outback down in 15 minutes (loaded and hitched). The rangers came by and told us to go to the bathhouse. However, my DH is a fireman and we were in constant contact with the fire dept., they kept us informed where the tornado was landing and it was south of us. So without dumping we decided to head home. (20 minute drive). We made it fine. The tornadoes hit about 20 miles south of us. If we didn't have the constant contact of the fire dept. we would of definitely hit the bathrooms along with the other 200 people still there. Our only concern was we were basically sitting (ducks) in an open field.

We are headed out again on Sunday. Gatlinburg area. (6-7 hour drive) We figure we will take our black water with us there. I put an extra packet in, just in case. We will have full-hookups then.

So this is a definite trip to put in the journal. Hope everyone else had a safe holiday. sunny


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## CamperDC (Oct 30, 2003)

Glad to hear that all is well and that the park ranger was on top of things. We put a weather radio in our TT for this reason. I have been through some big storms while camping and the possiblity of a tornado has always concerned me.

Have fun in Gatlinburg. Let me know what CG you stay and how it was. We would like to take a trip there someday.

Doug


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## summergames84 (Mar 6, 2004)

Nothing like a hair-raising adventure for your holiday weekend! Glad all is well.


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

I tell you that is one thing I don't miss about living in Missouri. Of course we have Volcanos here in Washington State LOL.


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## Firefighter2104 (Apr 25, 2004)

Golden Mom is right it was the fastest sit down in our 16 years of camping. I was talking on two different radios all the way home. We had at last count 6 touch downs all 20 miles south of us. If we stayed at the park one of those would have gone right over us. 

To close for me


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## Golden Mom (Apr 25, 2004)

In case you haven't put 2 & 2 together: Golden Mom & Firefighter2104 are husband and wife









Have a great day! sunny


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## Twins Make 4 (Apr 25, 2004)

Glad everything worked out for the good. Must have been a little stressed tying that baby down in 15 minutes.

However, I was wondering about one thing. Are you suggesting that the Outback is not Tornado proof? I was told by the dealer that we could use the Outback in the event of any weather conditions, earthquake, such as we have here in CA, volcanoes as in Y-Guys situation, essentially anything up to nuclear winter. I'm quite sure that the Outback I bought is basically a bomb shelter on wheels. All this security and just over 5,000 lbs. dry! Amazing!

Is there no limit to what these Outbacks are capable of?

At least that's whay my dealer told me :


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## Golden Mom (Apr 25, 2004)

The only place I would be in a tornado is in a basement. With winds over 120 MPH, there is no other safe place. When we first got married, we lived in a mobile home and anytime any bad weather came up, I was out of there. The mobile home had tie downs, but even then you could feel the shaking in high winds. The TT has nothing. You are just sitting on top the ground. That wind could pick up that TT and take you miles away.

If your dealer believes it is safe to stay in a TT in bad weather, then I've got some "land" in Florida to sell him









Have a great day! sunny


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Here in ND, we have more tornadoes, floods and other natural disasters than we have people!







A couple weeks ago at the fire station, we had a tornado disaster drill. (mass casualty type) Later that evening, 6 tornadoes touched down all around us!









Glad I wasn't camping!


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## pjinthedacks (Jan 17, 2004)

We finally picked up our new 2003, 25FBS on May 21st (purchased on Jan 11, the coldest week in this past New York winter) and took it to the Cooperstown, NY area for the initial shake down cruise. Everything was fine until the alert weather radio went off at about 1AM with a tornado warning. Having had a confirmed tornado just miss our home last summer (within 500 ft. of a touchdown) it was a very long hour that we tracked the storm. Fortunately, all went well! The only problem at all with the Outback is a leak that we can't seem to find. We thought we had it fixed by tightening the hose clamps on the pump at 8:30 at night but when we checked this week after 7 inches of rain in 10 days the carpet is soaking wet. The second shake down cruise starts tomorrow afternoon and rain is predicted for Saturday- no tornado predictions as of yet. Hopefully, we will be able to take care of the problem or back to the dealer it will go. Finally, I have been monitoring this site since we first started looking at Outbacks and found it it very helpful. Keep up the great work!!


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Welcome to OUTBACKERS! Love those weather alert radios! I'm getting a new one this summer. Gotta have that S.A.M.E. technology!

Bad weather seems to follow me too!~


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## wes1966 (Feb 22, 2004)

Hello all,

We just did our first long camping trip over Memorial weekend. I took thursday and friday off from work so to make it a 5 dayer. Weather was wonderful a little windy (of course this is Kansas and a little wind to us is hurricain to others) a few days. Well low and behold Kansas lives up to its name for the wizard of oz effect. Saturday evening was like right out of the Twister movie. We heard about the weather coming in and decided to head for home. We were only 15 minutes from house to camper. My wife was worried about the camper and I told her that it was insured. After we got home tornados were popping down all over the place so I decided to go check out the weather situation with my camera. I only drove about 6 miles west of town and saw 3 tornados at one time WOW







. I snapped some pics and emailed them to the local news station and they had them on the news. After all the weather cleared we went back to the camper and enjoyed the rest of our weekend.


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

pjinthdacks;

You wouldn't have been staying at Glimmerglass State Park were you? I have tent camped there a few times in the past, and the last time I was there, about 10 years ago, was a stormy night, and I ended up sleeping in the 'ole Bronco II (I was still single at the time) after the tent blew down on top of me.

Been thinking about heading back with the Outback to take the kids to the Hall of Fame.

Tim


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## pjinthedacks (Jan 17, 2004)

hatcityhosehauler;

Actually, we stayed at Shadow Brook Campground just a little north of Glimmerglass. As die hard Yankee Fans, we couldn't pass up the Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, about half of the building is closed for renovations but, we went anyway. they will reopen the entire building in 2005.


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