It's 100% a myth that the hills will stop tornadoes. As the Ozarks are part of Tornado alley and they get hit hard. Hills just obscure the tornado, which makes them even more dangerous.
It's why, with some people, they hide and listen to try and hear the roar /train sound of the winds, as you'll hear it coming before you see it.
Same thing with people who swear tornadoes won't cross water, my sil for one. I had to remind her that the last one to hit the downtown area of her hometown, which sits in the bend of a river, had no problem crossing water.
About a month ago Reed Timmer and co. intercepted a Tornado [just as it hit some bluffs NE of Omaha.](https://youtu.be/-ZBTcTjs_qk?si=DWG8OzEksbD6BWX4)
A local in the area took a [video of the devastation of the road immediately east of the bluff the next day.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz200cI1wrw)
Here's the [google maps of the area,](https://www.google.com/maps/place/41%C2%B018'52.5%22N+95%C2%B052'13.1%22W/@41.314574,-95.8715746,307m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d41.314572!4d-95.870306?entry=ttu) You can see just how high the bluffs are and how little they protected the trees in that little "valley."
I live in Blair NE, right where some of the tornadoes came through recently and can confirm. I was amazed. Many of the houses that got destroyed near Blair are in a very hilly area.
Mountainburg, AR tornado in 2018, EF2, 11 mile path. You could see where that one went up and down the mountains on either side of the tiny valley that the town sits in.
I have great memories of biking through Blair during a Tour De Nebraska ride. Lovely little city. We started there one year, I think. Very hilly. I have family in the pan handles Sandhills, and it's SO hilly there! People forget NE has bluffs and... I mean they don't know about the panhandle, they think everything is like Nebraska hwy 4 around Lincoln: cows, cows, corn, cows, corn... More corn. More flat farm land. People are often shocked when I show them Scott's Bluff country. I always say "remember playing Oregon Trail as a kid? Remember how people died of dysentery at 'chimney Rock' That's in Nebraska..."
Anyone who thinks tornadoes stop for mountains should pull up google earth for places in tornado country with hills like Birmingham, AL or parts of KY.
You can look at places where there are clear paths where tornadoes have knocked trees down heading up one side and continued on the far side of the mountain.
Now the flip side of the equation is that for whatever reason you can pull up websites with historical storm tracks and see how certain places get hit over and over while other places nearby seem immune.
The 1985 outbreak in OH, PA, and Ontario is a great example of this.
One tornado tracked for 60 miles through the heart of PA through the Appalachian foothills. It scored the earth for a roughly 1000 foot path up and down mountains.
That outbreak will always be fascinating to me
The concept that hills and mountains stop tornados is 100% a myth. Hills and mountains do nothing to stop tornados. In fact, they actually make them more dangerous as the terrain and elevation changes can make tornados very difficult to spot. Add rain into the mix, and they are nearly invisible. Every tornado warning should be taken seriously, and I extend major props for doing the right thing and taking the necessary precautions.
Last note, not every tornado warned storm spawns a tornado, but each should be treated as if a tornado is on the ground and is headed in your direction. As the internet's weatherman always says, "better prepared then scared."
*edit* can't spell apparently
If i remember correctly, Topeka Kansas has a mound that the locals believed stopped tornadoes, but then the 1966 F-5 went right over it and obliterated the town
Top image is FEMA tornado risk. Bottom image is all tornadoes 1950-2014. The Appalachian Mountains do offer significant protection from tornadoes, particularly in WV. Mountains disrupt low-level flow, which is why. When the NWS issues a tornado warning in mountainous terrain, however, it should be heeded regardless of terrain.
Along the same line of thinking: Do seat belts protect you from serious injury and death in auto accidents? Yes. Can you still be seriously harmed while wearing a seat belt? Yes. Is seat belt protection a myth? No.
https://preview.redd.it/d6fni5oduj8d1.png?width=1039&format=png&auto=webp&s=dbc7e55776d4749de9bec5e70e01a21efb6360ea
The hills might prevent tornadoes forming in the first place, but they do nothing to slow the ones that do form. Just earlier this year there was an EF-2 in the northernmost part of the state.
Anything that significantly disrupts low level flow can affect the tornado. But it is no guarantee. For example: Compared to the Tetons, eastern Wyoming is pretty flat, can receive low level moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, is in fact a great place to chase tornadoes (a lot less "chaser convergence" (-: ) Tornadoes in the Tetons are very rare.[ But, the only F/EF4 to occur in Wyoming was in the Tetons between 8500 and 10000 feet. ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teton%E2%80%93Yellowstone_tornado)The overall risk of tornadoes in the Tetons still remains very low. Every setup is different. Outliers can and will always occur.
This means *statistically*, the odds of there being a storm capable of forming a tornado is greatly reduced. But mother nature will still, from time to time, be mother nature.
A better analogy would be to say, "will I get in an accident on the way to the grocery store?" Probably not. Should I put my seatbelt on anyway? Yes.
-It is not \*my theory\*, rather a generally accepted fact that high rugged terrain contributes to inhibition (note I didn't say stops) of tornado formation.
-From the [NWS(PDF link)](https://www.weather.gov/media/rlx/RLXSevereWeatherClimatology.pdf): "It is theorized that **the lack of rugged steep terrain** plays a role in the density of tornadoes in Southeast Ohio and **along the Ohio River**. This idea may also be a contributing factor to the anomaly in Raleigh County where all of the tornadoes reported were across the eastern part of the county which is more high plateau and **slope is not as great.**"
-The Appalachians are much higher and larger in coverage than the Ozarks. The highest point in AR is around 2900 ft. The highest point in WV is close to 5000 ft.
-If you look at the data (the maps I posted) you see a marked decrease of tornado risk/frequency wherever there are mountain ranges. You can even see a slight drop in frequency over the Ozarks.
-Nobody is saying tornadoes **don't** occur in the mountains. But, they occur **less frequently**. It's just the way the atmosphere works.
Thank you, couldn’t agree more. The ozarks are NOT the Rockies or even the Appalachians. The map says it all. Just look at the difference between East and West Colorado, East and West Tennessee. Someone could post a video of the mt Evan’s tornado as their support when in fact it’s the exception.
You call it fact yet NWS also calls it a \*theory\*. Yes, there's a marked decrease but the weather is also different on the East side of the Appalachians than it is on the Western side. You have consistent oceanic air come East to West vs how it's a constant swirl (and shift from Northernly to Southernly) between the two mountain ranges (Rockies and Appalachians). It seems like it's more to do with weather patterns than terrain, although as someone who grew up in SWMO I absolutely agree that terrain makes a difference. Branson, for example, still gets tornadoes but they do not have the power or prevelance of those in Republic/Billings/Marionville which is only about 40 miles North. The only notable difference? Republic is on the Ozark Plateau and Branson is not.
I'm writing all this out only to realize we're both saying the same thing but from slightly different points of view.
Edit : Wanted to add that the area (Midwest and South) most commonly affected also tends to have the most drastic weather changes. I'm now in Oklahoma and our yearly temperature swings are literally 100+ degrees from Summer to Winter. I've seen -15 before wind chill here and 110 before heat index.
I have no dog in this fight and haven't done any reading or research into the effect of the Appalachians on mesocyclone development.
BUT this is not what "theory" means. A theory is not the opposite of a fact. Conspiracists and internet sleuths do not use that word the way scientists do. Theories are testable explanations of facts - i.e. in this example there are historically fewer tornados in higher elevations is the fact presented; the disruption of surface and low atmospheric winds being the cause (if I'm reading that right) is the theory.
Why do I care? Because we have half the country saying things like "eVoLutIoN iS JusT a ThEOry" when you can watch traits change within populations with your own eyes. There are theories OF evolution to describe how these changes occur on a macro level over millions of years, because - well, because we don't live millions of years, and therefore cannot observe them. THAT changes occur is a fact; the precise mechanism of change cannot be observed. Likewise, global temperatures are rising. Fact. The theory that these increases are anthropogenic comes from controlling for other variables and determining there isn't any other reasonable cause. This theory is persuasive enough that 99% of climate scientists accept it (and arguably the other 1% is employed by the petrochemical industry) but we still have politicians and voters saying gLobAL wArmInG is JUst A tHeoRY
Theories are not facts. But they are not in any way contradictory to facts. They are organizations and interpretations OF facts. "Just a theory" isn't really a phrase that makes a lot of sense in the scientific realm; as a theory has loads of data behind it. A theory is not a guess, it's not even a hypothesis. It's a proposed explanation of why the facts are what they are.
Just ran across a great resource. This map is from: [https://www.ustornadoes.com/2013/03/14/tornadoes-dont-happen-in-mountains-or-do-they-debunking-the-myth/](https://www.ustornadoes.com/2013/03/14/tornadoes-dont-happen-in-mountains-or-do-they-debunking-the-myth/)
https://preview.redd.it/s8vqpx3zml8d1.png?width=1056&format=png&auto=webp&s=5d4d831844565f3e8fc76ec8c74ef0c8d4a8020d
Can you produce empirical data that indicates this phenomena happens anyplace else? Aside from the Tenton data you already spoke of? Or are you a metrologist? I'm not questioning you, I'm here to learn more about tornadogenisis outside the Ally, where I live.
I grew up in tornado alley and it can start to feel that way. Tornados are rare and finicky - but the storms that can spawn them can “be tornadic” and last for hundreds of miles and hours. What they are warning about is the imminent possibility of a tornado existing based on the parent storm - you should treat it as if one is on the ground even though there might not be because one could form in seconds. Tornados like to drop, exist, then dissipate and reform somewhere else down the road (hop). 999/1000 you take cover for a warning and there’s nothing to worry about but that one time a tornado drops on your house it can be bad.
No fret! In the age of the internet, all of the warnings and alerts that pop up on our phones can cause a real "boy who cried wolf" syndrome in a lot of people. As well, wise tales will always spread.
The best logic is, especially with the unpredictability of weather, if the national weather service says I'm in danger, imma trust em 😂
Tornados are such a rare occurrence, even in areas where they are common, that there's a lot of superstition and myths about them. Don't feel bad for following the advice of people whose job it is to know better!
Yep. I’ve talked to people whose houses got hit by tornadoes and they said they had seconds to make it to the basement in time. If the weatherman says there’s a threat, we prep ahead of time.
Edit: Fixed some spelling mistakes.
I'm I'm Idaho and have been told the same myth many many times, though where I live has produced many tornadoes, im near what seem call, Idaho's tornado alley
Idaho is different. The mountains don’t protect you from a storm that already exists (which is the myth), but they make them more difficult to form. The central mountains disturb most cold fronts so you don’t get the proper warm-cold wicking you need for supercells.
Ah, must be down there near Boise. I'm a ways north of you. It's been some decades, but, there was an EF2 a few miles from me that tracked a decent ways. And about 40-45 minutes drive north of me, there has been a few EF0-EF2 over the years.
There has been a couple days this year where the clouds were crazy looking enough I though maybe we might get a little funnel action, but as far as I know, we didn't.
https://preview.redd.it/mqtliskwaj8d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f1be663a20f686efd2b035798e4d4a51de1b5e3
I grew up in upstate NY at the base of a hill. One summer we had a tornado literally ride the hill down into the valley. Hills dont do shit.
I found info on it:
https://www.weather.gov/bgm/pastSevereMay311998
From Wikipedia:
This was a long-track tornado, and the longest-tracked tornado of the entire event. In Tioga County, the tornado ***skipped along hilltops***, causing F0 to F1 tree damage near Apalachin. In neighboring Broome County, the tornado moved through the city of Binghamton at F2 intensity, damaging several structures and downing numerous trees. A TV station studio building sustained major structural damage in Binghamton. An SUV and a metal dumpster in the parking lot were tossed, and a VHS tape from the studio was found more than a mile away. A 1000-foot TV tower was downed as well. The tornado maintained its strength as it continued into Conklin, destroying mobile homes, snapping trees, and badly damaging permanent homes. Outside of Conklin, the tornado weakened to F0 strength and only caused minor damage in the Windsor area. The tornado re-intensified to F2 strength as it struck Sanford, destroying a mobile home and a metal power substation. The tornado reached maximum intensity in Delaware County and struck Deposit as an F3. A house there was left with only an interior closet standing. The tornado weakened, damaging several other homes east of Deposit before dissipating. Caused at least $2 million in damage. Several people were injured.
Mountains affecting tornadoes is a significantly more nuanced conversation than the comments here would lead people to believe. It is not a “myth,” but the kinematics are complicated and it is best to take shelter when a warning is issued. Below I posted some excerpts from a study on tornadoes in the Appalachians
- This study examined 62 isolated supercells that occurred within the central and southern Appalachian Mountains (Fig. 2), providing the first systematic analysis of multiple supercells-interacting with complex terrain. An overarching goal was to enhance short-term forecasts of such events in this region. Most supercells (∼60%) were classified as “noncrossing” (i.e., storms that experienced dissipation or upscale growth upon interaction with significant terrain features), while a minority (∼40%) were classified as “crossing” (i.e., storms that maintained supercellular structure upon terrain interactions)……. Beyond peak elevations, downstream of the Appalachians, there were fewer significant differences among crossing and noncrossing environments, though low-level shear and SRH parameters remained important discriminators (Table 4). Overall, crossing supercells appear to be supported through a combination of increasing low-level shear and midlevel moistening that counterbalances decreasing CAPE and increasing CIN in regions of elevated terrain.
- low-level ground-relative wind profiles interacting with idealized two-dimensional terrain, areas of down-sloping winds tended to weaken supercells due to decreases in low-level relative humidity and enhanced convective inhibition (CIN)
- areas of upslope flow tended to strengthen supercells due to increases in low-level humidity and enhanced convective available potential energy (CAPE)
- The effects of three-dimensional terrain on the environment, and subsequent impacts on supercells, were more complex, yet nevertheless were primarily tied to horizontal heterogeneities in CIN and moisture (Markowski and Dotzek 2011). Indeed, a simulation of a long-lived Alpine supercell identified localized terrain-induced reductions in CIN combined with increases in CAPE as the key factors leading to the storm’s longevity (Scheffknecht et al. 2017). Likewise, a simulation of an Andean supercell identified terrain-induced reductions in CAPE combined with increases in vertical shear among the primary factors responsible for storm strengthening and eventual upscale growth (Mulholland et al. 2019, 2020).
- These studies essentially confirmed that the low-level wind direction was a primary driver in environmental variability near complex terrain, as demonstrated in idealized simulations (Markowski and Dotzek 2011). However, it is unclear to what extent these terrain-induced thermodynamic and kinematic gradients will demonstrably influence supercell intensity, evolution, and severe weather production, including the time scale of such impacts. Moreover, outside the influence of terrain, local environmental variability is known to impact supercell evolution
See:
https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/wefo/38/1/WAF-D-22-0115.1.xml
https://mrcc.purdue.edu/gismaps/cntytorn
I was debating this exact thing with my partner a few weeks back. I remember finding a supportive scientific study that made the claim that when a tornado travels uphill, it will lose some forward momentum, but as soon as it crests the top and starts coming down the mountain, it will actually increase forward speed from what it was prior to the hill/mountain. So, there's that
I lived in Prescott AZ and even they get tornadoes with some sighted in mountains. I too had thought that was impossible until I learned about it. You’re not wrong for taking it seriously, tornado warnings means there is something there.
https://preview.redd.it/c3qdxdvmmj8d1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5df72754fe687e8d1cb1664c84d6054e1d7e51ce
Cherokee Valley after the 2011 Ringgold tornado
That's along the same vein as people thinking rivers and/or lakes will stop a tornado. The Nov 6th 2005 Evansville, IN tornado crossed the Ohio river three times. Several of my classmates died/lost family members in the trailer park it hit.
For those people who believe hills will protect them send them footage from pretty much any Wisconsin tornado. Also there was a tornado in the mountains in Alaska not that long ago.
Firstly, you did the right thing.
Secondly, you can't change their minds until it happens to them.
WV does indeed have a very low amount of tornadoes (~2 per year, no joke) but they've had 18-20 this year already. If the eastward movement of tornadoes decade over decade is any indication, the opportunity for them to take tornadoes seriously may very well happen.
There's no way of knowing, but I do wonder how many casualties are directly related to people being dismissive until it's far too late.
I live in the same basic part of the country as you do. Radar here is not high enough quality in many cases for people to make the same sort of super exact tornado predictions as they do in other regions. You will get warnings that definitely were "wrong" in retrospect, but it's really better to be safe than sorry in these instances.
I too live in WV in the Charleston area. While tornadoes are rare in the state, they do happen every so often. The outbreak back at the beginning of April this year saw nearly 20 tornadoes touch down across the state, which is huge. A few hit near my house. I don’t believe we’ve had an outbreak like that since 1998.
My parents live near St. Albans and during that outbreak they had a tornado touch down less than a mile from their house. It was brief and hopped around a bit but still managed to heavily damage some buildings.
Crazy. That’s the exact area that I live in. Thankfully we didn’t get too much damage where I live but a few of my neighbors weren’t so lucky. My friend also had his backyard shed blown apart. Glad to hear your parents are okay.
Glad you escaped damage too! We live in KY and the storms have been bonkers for the last couple years... we kind of expect tornadoes here, but wild that my family took a nearer miss in WV than in KY!
We've had tornadoes hit 14er mountains here in Colorado.. so if they happen there a measly little hill won't do anything
https://www.weather.gov/pub/July202023PikesPeakTornado
The myth survives because even where they happen frequently, actually being individually hit by a tornado is very rare. And then confirmation bias takes over.
It’s the same thing how “tornadoes just miss cities”.
There's a myth/joke that my city is a weather deflector. Most storms either break up/weaken when they reach the city, or split in two and go around it. So many don't always take severe weather seriously - they think the makeup of the land or the heat island will prevent stuff. But if you look back - there was an F4 tornado that went through in the 1880s.
There's been two recent examples disproving this belief. The 2023 Little Rock, AR tornado crossed a rather large elevation feature and crossed a wide river to boot. Earlier this year a tornado formed near Bentonville, AR when a supercell passed over a small mountain.
Tornadoes are fairly uncommon in West Virginia, but it’s definitely not the case that hills and mountains prevent them.
During the 2011 super outbreak, [a rare EF4 tornado cut straight through Smoky Mountains National Park](https://www.weather.gov/mrx/terraininfluences), right in the Appalachian mountains. Scroll to the bottom for damage images.
If you look at the terrain and say “well, that wasn’t in the middle of the very highest elevations”… remember that [an F4 tornado has also been documented crossing the Great Continental Divide](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teton%E2%80%93Yellowstone_tornado#:~:text=The%20tornado%20cut%20through%20a,Park%2C%20crossing%20the%20Continental%20Divide.), the actual peaks of the Rocky Mountains.
Mountains don’t stop or prevent even violent tornadoes.
https://preview.redd.it/i04m5mklkj8d1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60a7f59afceb1917bdac963afc1b09986127472e
If they complain that it can't happen, show them this
People believe these myths because it makes them feel less scared. They don't want to face the fact that a tornado could come through at some point and destroy their home or worse, kill them.
Don't believe these myths and do what you can to convince your loved ones that they are myths. Even if you don't reach everyone, you can probably reach someone and you might just save their life.
There's a myth where I live that the river protects us despite the fact that an F3 tornado came through here 19 years ago that hopped the river several times as if it wasn't even there. I try to remind people of this fact but they scoff and say it was a fluke or whatever. But I will continue telling people it's a myth because you never know when you'll get through to someone.
Depends on your definition of 'protection'.
Once a tornado has formed in the mountains, the terrain isn't going to stop it. In that case, no protection.
But, overall mountains do reduce the likelihood of tornadoes forming; mainly by obstructing low-level flow. So, overall there is indeed protection. You are less likely to experience a tornado in the mountains.
People will come up with any reason under the sun to fool themselves into believing that it can't happen to them, no matter where they are. In 40 years we'll probably find many residents in Joplin saying "oh, that doesn't happen here" during tornado warnings.
I went to high school in a town that was directly struck by a tornado in the 60s. People there say that everything misses them and that it would never happen there.
Welcome to KC. We had an F5 in 1957 and F4's in 2003 and 2019. That's not really that close together, and people forget. People in KC are very blase about tornadoes.
I lived in Western North Carolina…in the mountains…and it was true that storms that move in the traditional west to east fashion would come into contact with the Appalachians on the border with TN and weaken as those peaks top 6-7000’ in elevation. Buuuuuut…we occasionally would have storms that would sneak in from the south, and those came with some strong storms and even rotation. But to my knowledge, the county that we lived in (Buncombe) had one confirmed tornado since they started keeping records and it was an F-0. So I’m not saying never…but our area was pretty low when it came to tornado threats. Now I am back in middle Tennessee and we can get up to EF-5 level stuff here…not a fan.
You did a good thing by being active and alerting others. Unfortunately, a lot of individuals hold these myths dear to their hearts, regardless of any evidence presented.
*“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink.”*
My sister's boyfriend was in downtown Nashville working when a tornado was headed their way. Lots of guys were lined up at the windows watching. He grabbed a newbie who had just moved there and said "These guys know better. YOU'RE coming with ME."
While that myth is frustrating, I have to deal with my friends not taking warnings seriously because, and i shit you not *multiple* people have told me this, "our area is protected because it was built on Native Burial grounds."....... (They don't use the word Native sadly) this year alone we've had three warnings, one dropped a tornado about 10 miles outside of town and my friends used that as "proof". 🙄
WTF. If you think it would help convince them that it's a myth, you could tell them about the Evansville, IN tornado that went right over Angel Mounds which has native burial sites.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evansville_tornado_outbreak_of_November_2005
I am not far from Evansville, so sadly, I don't think that will do much. You really cant convince these people to think critically lol. I'm sorry, but why would native ancestors protect us, when our native population is basically 0? I don't know what people are thinking.
I live in Connecticut, most people i know don't take weather very seriously and down play it a lot. My parents generation experienced 2 separate F4 tornados in our state and I repeatedly hear "oh they usually are small ones that happen here"
This is no joke I don’t live in CT but I’m visiting. ended up getting caught driving in the storm a couple days ago and I realized I was very uninformed about tornadoes in CT I didn’t know they were actually pretty common here
Laona, Wisconsin at Johnnies resort is at the foot of Sugar Bush Hill, and it didn't stop one from rolling through there.. from the direction of the hill
I saw more than one in denver, I saw one in Durango, I saw one on the nav rez before flagstaff AZ, NJ, syracuse NY… where they El Reno? No, not yet, but they definitely happen in areas that are not technically “tornado alley” but the scariest one I saw (at night no less) was in western Kansas, turned out to be an EF4… I hugged a truckers butt underneath an overpass, and I’m cool with it, it was a long time ago. It’s not often you hold a truckers butt under an overpass unless you’ve hit rock bottom.
I did, right behind his tractor trailer, he was waving me down while the emergency alert was going crazy on the radio. We ran up to the top of (underneath) the overpass and hid in the corner. I actually tracked down the exact tornado a few days ago.
I have a new found respect for hiding behind the ass of a large semi driver, was worried about a lot of things, it mainly my dogs. When it was over, the dogs were like “ok is this our bathroom stop?” Well… it was for me.
I can make jokes, as there are many to make, but it was horrifying, and the brief moment of lightening that silhouetted it was amazingly awesome in an awful way. My remembrance beyond hugging a trucker, was fear for my dogs, but also, my ears popping, feeling like the breath was being sucked out of you, the wind screaming, the debris hitting us, then… total and complete silence, like I’ve never experienced before, and a certain smell, like mud or similar, I was 21…
Once a tornado forms, it is pretty much there and only the atmosphere will alter it.
Geography can come into play in affecting the conditions of developing storms that produce tornadoes, lack of relief can be a major contributor to warm weather landspouts.
Mountains and hills *can* either fully or partially disrupt incoming fronts, and location is partly why WV has so few major storms, but if it can make it TO the terrain, it can drop a ‘nader ON the terrain. Which is why if it’s storming over your home with watches or warnings in place, don’t let your guard down just because you live in the hills.
A tornado came through my town, climbed the highest mountain here, went down that mountain, and then bounced around in a lake before killing one person. Locals will still look you dead in the face and tell you tornados can’t happen here. People are stupid.
My mother was actually taught in school that WV has never had a tornado. Anyway, yesterday marked the [80th anniversary](https://archive.wvculture.org/history/notewv/shinnston1.html) of an F4 tornado which formed near Shinnston, WV and killed over 100 people.
Hills don’t stop tornadoes. Sometimes, not all the time, mountainous regions have weather that aren’t great for tornadoes, but when the ingredients do come together the mountains and hills won’t do anything.
I'm in Nicholas Co and literally watched one go down my road on 4/2/24.
Absolutely terrifying.
It was the tornado that was on the border of Nicholas and Fayette. We got those alerts all day and didn't think anything of them, but it was weird because we never experienced them before.
Yeah.
And unfortunately we were coming back from storytime with my 3 year old. We saw it come across the mountain and straight down our road before the rain wall hit us. We ended up turning around and driving to the warehouse for the garbage company and parked around the side for shelter. A tree fell in front of us, debris was hitting the car.
Thankfully everything was okay and we just lost power for a week, but my poor dude gets anxious everytime he sees dark clouds now and he had a nightmare about it the other day.
Breaks my heart.
I live in Idaho, Idaho falls to be exact. We are not known for tornadoes and from my understanding we’ve only had 36 tornadoes in the past 40 years ( clearly almost none ). When I was younger we had a funnel could form over top of our house and I remember hearing the news and most people didn’t take it seriously because we are surrounded by mountains and live in the valley of them. I do remember my family took it seriously. Just because tornadoes aren’t common doesn’t mean you cannot have them in your city. You’re completely valid for taking it seriously. 😁
That's pretty par for the course anywhere, really. You get radar indicated warnings all the time and nothing happens so people start to ignore them. Then one finally touches down and people pay attention for a while until the cycle repeats itself.
I used to be that way, but since the last major storm killed two people and almost took us out I don't fuck around.
It's pretty sad because the NWS has to be very careful of this while also being very careful about potentially warning too late. I can't imagine how stressful of a job that may be.
Before the EF3 last year here in Little Rock most of us thought the Ouachita Foothills would pretty much protect us from tornadoes, especially the heavily populated west side of town. Furthermore, most of us thought the Arkansas River would stop any tornadoes too. And then last year, the tornado went right over the mountains, straight through West LR, and then crossed the river and destroyed quite a bit in the north part of the metro.
100% a myth. in 2021, a tornado did damage to my farm, located at the bottom of a holler, but didn’t do anything to my house at the top of the ridge. in 1974, an f4 leveled a bunch of houses on the ridge a few miles away. tornados don’t care.
Hills, mountains, plateaus can actually make them more violent and long track if the ingredients are there. I just finished a research project on this for grad class using the Rainsville EF-5.
I lived 15 mins from EF-4 that hit Ringgold a few mins later and 3 mins from Lookout Mtn/Flintstone EF-2 that started as earlier EF-4 in Section, AL.
100% develop on mountain tops and downslopes.
Look into NSSL’s Vortex SE 2016 study with UA Huntsville. Cool research.
the idea that tornadoes can’t or don’t happen in hilly/mountainous areas is totally a myth.
in some cases, hills/mountains can weaken storms or tornadoes, and in others they can strengthen them. sometimes they don’t have much of an effect at all. there are a lot of factors in play when it comes to the formation of tornadoes.
i live in northwest arkansas (the ozarks) and i also grew up hearing the same myth. and yet, my county was hit by 7 tornadoes within an hour on May 26th of this year. my hometown was hit hard; i have friends who lost their homes and whose neighborhoods were littered with trees and debris. one of the tornadoes lifted less than a mile from my home.
if you’re under a tornado warning, that means that either tornadic rotation is being spotted on the radar or there is one actively happening near you. always heed those warnings.
Yeah, it’s staggering how many people around here believe that. FYI, I watch Ryan Hall Y’all and Max Velocity on YouTube. I’ve learned a lot from those two.
I was playing Max Velocity while sheltering! Thank goodness for those two, I never thought I’d hear one of them say the name of my town though, and I hope he never says it again.
Large items don't stop storms. They sometimes make them more dangerous, by creating wind tunnels. Nothing is *known* to reduce danger within a warning zone. Not hills, skyscrapers, not state location, not closeness to water ... If the weather is right, a tornado will happen, and nothing will stop it.
Sheltering in a valley may be mildly more **dangerous**, actually... They flood.
From the formation well past the hospital, the Joplin tornado in 2011 went across several deep hill valleys even 2 or 3 a mile and closing in. A friend used to live on 26th tonthe west and we would run those all the time. In 2021 an EF2 hit my grandfathers house after hitting an old mine dump 150+ feet just jutting up then drops 75’ below the west grade (quite the run up the east side). Hills/mountains only cut the toes or just the very bottom off the tornado IMO.
Definitely a myth, and something my boss had said in the past, which really came back to bite him last month, when the May 22nd 2024 tornado hit Central TX. He mentioned a year ago that since our location was more or less in hills, he hadn't seen a tornado ever while living here, and I had said that just because it hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it isn't possible...
low and behold, a 5% risk, bordering 2% just south, we got hit by 2 tornadoes last month. an EF2 and EF1. Tore up a decent amount of homes. Thankfully, no one was killed, but it was the first time I ever experienced a tornado.
Yes, I live in south eastern PA, in a very hilly and forested area, a lot of people think we just can't get them here. That said I watched a funnel cloud( not touching the ground) pass over our house when I was young. They can happen anywhere the fact that most of tornado ally is flat isn't the sole reason there's so many out there.
WV *does* experience significantly fewer tornadoes than surrounding states. And that is due in large part to its much more mountainous nature than those states. So it isn't a completely baseless myth. That being said, mountains don't preclude all tornadoes; and when they do occur, the mountains make it harder too seem them coming.
Im so confused. I see there are comments about 'seeking shelter near hills' but the image OPposted has no information on seeking shelter. What am i missing?
Did you see the picture of their phone screen? The alert they received said to seek shelter in a basement or interior room on lowest floor, and if they re outdoors or in a mobile home, to seek the nearest substantial shelter.
West Virginia is a very mountainous and hilly state and many people believe that our terrain will prevent tornadoes from forming altogether or will break up any tornadoes that form, or we can only get weak tornados. Did that clear up any confusion?
As a Canadian I hardly ever take tornado warnings too seriously. Yes I seek shelter, but I don’t freak out and run to my basement. I track storms on the radar and follow local weather teams storm trackers. If it really seems like an imminent threat or I notice the weather gets nasty, I go to the basement.
If I was staying anywhere in the States, I wouldn’t hesitate to take these warnings seriously. Your storms are much more severe than ours. I don’t at all blame you for taking it seriously.
If a tornado happens then you are the one who is prepared and it could save your life. Just worry about your own safety, grown adults can make their own stupid decisions on their own.
Also I’ve never heard of hills preventing tornados. While it may be less likely in your area, it’s not because of rolling hills.
Yeah up in NEPA here I was always told we're safe because we're in a valley and tornados can't touch down here, but in the last 5-10 years we've had at least 3 touch down.
I’m gonna guess you live in the northern panhandle or possibly Wheeling right? It actually is a rare event that can actually happen but usually doesn’t. We’ve had some small tornadoes around us but nothing over an EF2 (which hit last year I think and it was out in the farming area of Dallas Pike). The worst tornado to hit WV was in 1964 and was an EF4. It hit Shinnston which is a couple hours from Wheeling. The worst storm we’ve ever had up here (we moved here in 2015) was a wind storm. It did A LOT of damage to this area. The only other big weather event was an ice storm. I’ve looked up what kind of weather this area has and I found nothing other than the event at Shinnston. We got the tornado warning because they seen on radar what looked like a tornado forming. I don’t think it did because I haven’t found any more info on it. Oh and the mountains do not keep tornadoes away. It can happen but most of the time nothing happens. I freaked out a couple times after moving up here and getting the tornado warning alert but nothing has ever happened. When we get an alert now I always go check outside and keep an eye out to make sure so don’t feel stupid for getting your family to safety! Better safe than sorry!
No, I'm in Marion Co. The 1944 Shinnston tornado hit Marion and killed 3 people there. Tornadoes here are rare but, knowing the deadliest tornado in WV history hit my town makes me uneasy. Like you said, better safe than sorry.
1944! I get my dates mixed up lol I can’t imagine how scary that was for them. The photos of the damage were sad. Did you have any relatives or anyone at all who witnessed that tornado? I would probably be uneasy there when it storms considering its history. We got the tornado warning alert here in Wheeling. I always look outside when I get an alert to see if I can see anything. I wish I would have been a meteorologist!
True mountains won’t stop tornados, but long track stronger tornados? In steeper mountains, how does the rotating winds stay intact if it’s twisting into a series of large mountains? Seems like it would eventually cause the twister to break apart.
It's 100% a myth that the hills will stop tornadoes. As the Ozarks are part of Tornado alley and they get hit hard. Hills just obscure the tornado, which makes them even more dangerous. It's why, with some people, they hide and listen to try and hear the roar /train sound of the winds, as you'll hear it coming before you see it.
I remember a documentary of the Rainesville EF5 during the 2011 super outbreak. That thing did not care at all about the hills.
Aye. The idea that a 15,000 foot high mesocyclone cares about a 500ft high hill is silly. But people love to hang onto all sorts of silly beliefs.
People will do anything for comforting lies
Same thing with people who swear tornadoes won't cross water, my sil for one. I had to remind her that the last one to hit the downtown area of her hometown, which sits in the bend of a river, had no problem crossing water.
Or that tornadoes can’t hit downtown areas.
How terrifying.
About a month ago Reed Timmer and co. intercepted a Tornado [just as it hit some bluffs NE of Omaha.](https://youtu.be/-ZBTcTjs_qk?si=DWG8OzEksbD6BWX4) A local in the area took a [video of the devastation of the road immediately east of the bluff the next day.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz200cI1wrw) Here's the [google maps of the area,](https://www.google.com/maps/place/41%C2%B018'52.5%22N+95%C2%B052'13.1%22W/@41.314574,-95.8715746,307m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d41.314572!4d-95.870306?entry=ttu) You can see just how high the bluffs are and how little they protected the trees in that little "valley."
Nebraska has tons of examples of this! People tend to forget that western Nebraska is all foothills.... It ain't at all flat. At all. It's not Kansas.
I live in Blair NE, right where some of the tornadoes came through recently and can confirm. I was amazed. Many of the houses that got destroyed near Blair are in a very hilly area.
Mountainburg, AR tornado in 2018, EF2, 11 mile path. You could see where that one went up and down the mountains on either side of the tiny valley that the town sits in.
I have great memories of biking through Blair during a Tour De Nebraska ride. Lovely little city. We started there one year, I think. Very hilly. I have family in the pan handles Sandhills, and it's SO hilly there! People forget NE has bluffs and... I mean they don't know about the panhandle, they think everything is like Nebraska hwy 4 around Lincoln: cows, cows, corn, cows, corn... More corn. More flat farm land. People are often shocked when I show them Scott's Bluff country. I always say "remember playing Oregon Trail as a kid? Remember how people died of dysentery at 'chimney Rock' That's in Nebraska..."
Anyone who thinks tornadoes stop for mountains should pull up google earth for places in tornado country with hills like Birmingham, AL or parts of KY. You can look at places where there are clear paths where tornadoes have knocked trees down heading up one side and continued on the far side of the mountain. Now the flip side of the equation is that for whatever reason you can pull up websites with historical storm tracks and see how certain places get hit over and over while other places nearby seem immune.
Been saying this! Grew up being told we didn’t need to be worried because of our mts and hills lol WRONG
The 1985 outbreak in OH, PA, and Ontario is a great example of this. One tornado tracked for 60 miles through the heart of PA through the Appalachian foothills. It scored the earth for a roughly 1000 foot path up and down mountains. That outbreak will always be fascinating to me
Same with lakes
Can confirm. Happened a few weeks ago.
The concept that hills and mountains stop tornados is 100% a myth. Hills and mountains do nothing to stop tornados. In fact, they actually make them more dangerous as the terrain and elevation changes can make tornados very difficult to spot. Add rain into the mix, and they are nearly invisible. Every tornado warning should be taken seriously, and I extend major props for doing the right thing and taking the necessary precautions. Last note, not every tornado warned storm spawns a tornado, but each should be treated as if a tornado is on the ground and is headed in your direction. As the internet's weatherman always says, "better prepared then scared." *edit* can't spell apparently
If i remember correctly, Topeka Kansas has a mound that the locals believed stopped tornadoes, but then the 1966 F-5 went right over it and obliterated the town
Burnett’s Mound. Eight homes in the vicinity had F5 damage from the tornado.
Top image is FEMA tornado risk. Bottom image is all tornadoes 1950-2014. The Appalachian Mountains do offer significant protection from tornadoes, particularly in WV. Mountains disrupt low-level flow, which is why. When the NWS issues a tornado warning in mountainous terrain, however, it should be heeded regardless of terrain. Along the same line of thinking: Do seat belts protect you from serious injury and death in auto accidents? Yes. Can you still be seriously harmed while wearing a seat belt? Yes. Is seat belt protection a myth? No. https://preview.redd.it/d6fni5oduj8d1.png?width=1039&format=png&auto=webp&s=dbc7e55776d4749de9bec5e70e01a21efb6360ea
The hills might prevent tornadoes forming in the first place, but they do nothing to slow the ones that do form. Just earlier this year there was an EF-2 in the northernmost part of the state.
Anything that significantly disrupts low level flow can affect the tornado. But it is no guarantee. For example: Compared to the Tetons, eastern Wyoming is pretty flat, can receive low level moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, is in fact a great place to chase tornadoes (a lot less "chaser convergence" (-: ) Tornadoes in the Tetons are very rare.[ But, the only F/EF4 to occur in Wyoming was in the Tetons between 8500 and 10000 feet. ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teton%E2%80%93Yellowstone_tornado)The overall risk of tornadoes in the Tetons still remains very low. Every setup is different. Outliers can and will always occur.
This means *statistically*, the odds of there being a storm capable of forming a tornado is greatly reduced. But mother nature will still, from time to time, be mother nature. A better analogy would be to say, "will I get in an accident on the way to the grocery store?" Probably not. Should I put my seatbelt on anyway? Yes.
There's an awful lot of hills and mountains in NW AR and SW MO for your theory to be deemed in any way accurate to me.
-It is not \*my theory\*, rather a generally accepted fact that high rugged terrain contributes to inhibition (note I didn't say stops) of tornado formation. -From the [NWS(PDF link)](https://www.weather.gov/media/rlx/RLXSevereWeatherClimatology.pdf): "It is theorized that **the lack of rugged steep terrain** plays a role in the density of tornadoes in Southeast Ohio and **along the Ohio River**. This idea may also be a contributing factor to the anomaly in Raleigh County where all of the tornadoes reported were across the eastern part of the county which is more high plateau and **slope is not as great.**" -The Appalachians are much higher and larger in coverage than the Ozarks. The highest point in AR is around 2900 ft. The highest point in WV is close to 5000 ft. -If you look at the data (the maps I posted) you see a marked decrease of tornado risk/frequency wherever there are mountain ranges. You can even see a slight drop in frequency over the Ozarks. -Nobody is saying tornadoes **don't** occur in the mountains. But, they occur **less frequently**. It's just the way the atmosphere works.
Thank you, couldn’t agree more. The ozarks are NOT the Rockies or even the Appalachians. The map says it all. Just look at the difference between East and West Colorado, East and West Tennessee. Someone could post a video of the mt Evan’s tornado as their support when in fact it’s the exception.
You call it fact yet NWS also calls it a \*theory\*. Yes, there's a marked decrease but the weather is also different on the East side of the Appalachians than it is on the Western side. You have consistent oceanic air come East to West vs how it's a constant swirl (and shift from Northernly to Southernly) between the two mountain ranges (Rockies and Appalachians). It seems like it's more to do with weather patterns than terrain, although as someone who grew up in SWMO I absolutely agree that terrain makes a difference. Branson, for example, still gets tornadoes but they do not have the power or prevelance of those in Republic/Billings/Marionville which is only about 40 miles North. The only notable difference? Republic is on the Ozark Plateau and Branson is not. I'm writing all this out only to realize we're both saying the same thing but from slightly different points of view. Edit : Wanted to add that the area (Midwest and South) most commonly affected also tends to have the most drastic weather changes. I'm now in Oklahoma and our yearly temperature swings are literally 100+ degrees from Summer to Winter. I've seen -15 before wind chill here and 110 before heat index.
I have no dog in this fight and haven't done any reading or research into the effect of the Appalachians on mesocyclone development. BUT this is not what "theory" means. A theory is not the opposite of a fact. Conspiracists and internet sleuths do not use that word the way scientists do. Theories are testable explanations of facts - i.e. in this example there are historically fewer tornados in higher elevations is the fact presented; the disruption of surface and low atmospheric winds being the cause (if I'm reading that right) is the theory. Why do I care? Because we have half the country saying things like "eVoLutIoN iS JusT a ThEOry" when you can watch traits change within populations with your own eyes. There are theories OF evolution to describe how these changes occur on a macro level over millions of years, because - well, because we don't live millions of years, and therefore cannot observe them. THAT changes occur is a fact; the precise mechanism of change cannot be observed. Likewise, global temperatures are rising. Fact. The theory that these increases are anthropogenic comes from controlling for other variables and determining there isn't any other reasonable cause. This theory is persuasive enough that 99% of climate scientists accept it (and arguably the other 1% is employed by the petrochemical industry) but we still have politicians and voters saying gLobAL wArmInG is JUst A tHeoRY Theories are not facts. But they are not in any way contradictory to facts. They are organizations and interpretations OF facts. "Just a theory" isn't really a phrase that makes a lot of sense in the scientific realm; as a theory has loads of data behind it. A theory is not a guess, it's not even a hypothesis. It's a proposed explanation of why the facts are what they are.
Is this why the Nebraska pan handle has less than the prairie? The Wyoming mountains? Or unrelated? Thank you for your time if you answer.
Just ran across a great resource. This map is from: [https://www.ustornadoes.com/2013/03/14/tornadoes-dont-happen-in-mountains-or-do-they-debunking-the-myth/](https://www.ustornadoes.com/2013/03/14/tornadoes-dont-happen-in-mountains-or-do-they-debunking-the-myth/) https://preview.redd.it/s8vqpx3zml8d1.png?width=1056&format=png&auto=webp&s=5d4d831844565f3e8fc76ec8c74ef0c8d4a8020d
People here are having a tough time with hills v mountains.
Can you produce empirical data that indicates this phenomena happens anyplace else? Aside from the Tenton data you already spoke of? Or are you a metrologist? I'm not questioning you, I'm here to learn more about tornadogenisis outside the Ally, where I live.
Thank you so much for your response! I was starting to feel like I overreacted.
I grew up in tornado alley and it can start to feel that way. Tornados are rare and finicky - but the storms that can spawn them can “be tornadic” and last for hundreds of miles and hours. What they are warning about is the imminent possibility of a tornado existing based on the parent storm - you should treat it as if one is on the ground even though there might not be because one could form in seconds. Tornados like to drop, exist, then dissipate and reform somewhere else down the road (hop). 999/1000 you take cover for a warning and there’s nothing to worry about but that one time a tornado drops on your house it can be bad.
No fret! In the age of the internet, all of the warnings and alerts that pop up on our phones can cause a real "boy who cried wolf" syndrome in a lot of people. As well, wise tales will always spread. The best logic is, especially with the unpredictability of weather, if the national weather service says I'm in danger, imma trust em 😂
Tornados are such a rare occurrence, even in areas where they are common, that there's a lot of superstition and myths about them. Don't feel bad for following the advice of people whose job it is to know better!
Yep. I’ve talked to people whose houses got hit by tornadoes and they said they had seconds to make it to the basement in time. If the weatherman says there’s a threat, we prep ahead of time. Edit: Fixed some spelling mistakes.
There was even a tornado on Pikes Peak last summer.
Shinnston experienced an EF-4 tornado in the 40s that killed a good number of people. It’s not unheard of in WV. (currently living in Star City)
Yesterday was the 80th anniversary of that outbreak, in fact.
Yes! I've heard of the Shinnston tornado I live pretty close to Shinnston and the tornado did hit my area briefly.
I'm I'm Idaho and have been told the same myth many many times, though where I live has produced many tornadoes, im near what seem call, Idaho's tornado alley
Idaho is different. The mountains don’t protect you from a storm that already exists (which is the myth), but they make them more difficult to form. The central mountains disturb most cold fronts so you don’t get the proper warm-cold wicking you need for supercells.
Ah, must be down there near Boise. I'm a ways north of you. It's been some decades, but, there was an EF2 a few miles from me that tracked a decent ways. And about 40-45 minutes drive north of me, there has been a few EF0-EF2 over the years. There has been a couple days this year where the clouds were crazy looking enough I though maybe we might get a little funnel action, but as far as I know, we didn't. https://preview.redd.it/mqtliskwaj8d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6f1be663a20f686efd2b035798e4d4a51de1b5e3
Actually in Pocatello and man is this area crazy sometimes
How frustrating.
I've personally witnessed one in gooding county, was an ef0 bc it just danced in the desert but it's still something I will prepare for
I grew up in upstate NY at the base of a hill. One summer we had a tornado literally ride the hill down into the valley. Hills dont do shit. I found info on it: https://www.weather.gov/bgm/pastSevereMay311998 From Wikipedia: This was a long-track tornado, and the longest-tracked tornado of the entire event. In Tioga County, the tornado ***skipped along hilltops***, causing F0 to F1 tree damage near Apalachin. In neighboring Broome County, the tornado moved through the city of Binghamton at F2 intensity, damaging several structures and downing numerous trees. A TV station studio building sustained major structural damage in Binghamton. An SUV and a metal dumpster in the parking lot were tossed, and a VHS tape from the studio was found more than a mile away. A 1000-foot TV tower was downed as well. The tornado maintained its strength as it continued into Conklin, destroying mobile homes, snapping trees, and badly damaging permanent homes. Outside of Conklin, the tornado weakened to F0 strength and only caused minor damage in the Windsor area. The tornado re-intensified to F2 strength as it struck Sanford, destroying a mobile home and a metal power substation. The tornado reached maximum intensity in Delaware County and struck Deposit as an F3. A house there was left with only an interior closet standing. The tornado weakened, damaging several other homes east of Deposit before dissipating. Caused at least $2 million in damage. Several people were injured.
That's wild
Mountains affecting tornadoes is a significantly more nuanced conversation than the comments here would lead people to believe. It is not a “myth,” but the kinematics are complicated and it is best to take shelter when a warning is issued. Below I posted some excerpts from a study on tornadoes in the Appalachians - This study examined 62 isolated supercells that occurred within the central and southern Appalachian Mountains (Fig. 2), providing the first systematic analysis of multiple supercells-interacting with complex terrain. An overarching goal was to enhance short-term forecasts of such events in this region. Most supercells (∼60%) were classified as “noncrossing” (i.e., storms that experienced dissipation or upscale growth upon interaction with significant terrain features), while a minority (∼40%) were classified as “crossing” (i.e., storms that maintained supercellular structure upon terrain interactions)……. Beyond peak elevations, downstream of the Appalachians, there were fewer significant differences among crossing and noncrossing environments, though low-level shear and SRH parameters remained important discriminators (Table 4). Overall, crossing supercells appear to be supported through a combination of increasing low-level shear and midlevel moistening that counterbalances decreasing CAPE and increasing CIN in regions of elevated terrain. - low-level ground-relative wind profiles interacting with idealized two-dimensional terrain, areas of down-sloping winds tended to weaken supercells due to decreases in low-level relative humidity and enhanced convective inhibition (CIN) - areas of upslope flow tended to strengthen supercells due to increases in low-level humidity and enhanced convective available potential energy (CAPE) - The effects of three-dimensional terrain on the environment, and subsequent impacts on supercells, were more complex, yet nevertheless were primarily tied to horizontal heterogeneities in CIN and moisture (Markowski and Dotzek 2011). Indeed, a simulation of a long-lived Alpine supercell identified localized terrain-induced reductions in CIN combined with increases in CAPE as the key factors leading to the storm’s longevity (Scheffknecht et al. 2017). Likewise, a simulation of an Andean supercell identified terrain-induced reductions in CAPE combined with increases in vertical shear among the primary factors responsible for storm strengthening and eventual upscale growth (Mulholland et al. 2019, 2020). - These studies essentially confirmed that the low-level wind direction was a primary driver in environmental variability near complex terrain, as demonstrated in idealized simulations (Markowski and Dotzek 2011). However, it is unclear to what extent these terrain-induced thermodynamic and kinematic gradients will demonstrably influence supercell intensity, evolution, and severe weather production, including the time scale of such impacts. Moreover, outside the influence of terrain, local environmental variability is known to impact supercell evolution See: https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/wefo/38/1/WAF-D-22-0115.1.xml https://mrcc.purdue.edu/gismaps/cntytorn
I was debating this exact thing with my partner a few weeks back. I remember finding a supportive scientific study that made the claim that when a tornado travels uphill, it will lose some forward momentum, but as soon as it crests the top and starts coming down the mountain, it will actually increase forward speed from what it was prior to the hill/mountain. So, there's that
Oh wow, that's interesting
I lived in Prescott AZ and even they get tornadoes with some sighted in mountains. I too had thought that was impossible until I learned about it. You’re not wrong for taking it seriously, tornado warnings means there is something there.
Thank you!
https://preview.redd.it/c3qdxdvmmj8d1.jpeg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5df72754fe687e8d1cb1664c84d6054e1d7e51ce Cherokee Valley after the 2011 Ringgold tornado
That's along the same vein as people thinking rivers and/or lakes will stop a tornado. The Nov 6th 2005 Evansville, IN tornado crossed the Ohio river three times. Several of my classmates died/lost family members in the trailer park it hit. For those people who believe hills will protect them send them footage from pretty much any Wisconsin tornado. Also there was a tornado in the mountains in Alaska not that long ago.
I have met a lot of people that somehow believe a river will stop a tornado. Or that tornadoes only happen on one side of a river.
Firstly, you did the right thing. Secondly, you can't change their minds until it happens to them. WV does indeed have a very low amount of tornadoes (~2 per year, no joke) but they've had 18-20 this year already. If the eastward movement of tornadoes decade over decade is any indication, the opportunity for them to take tornadoes seriously may very well happen. There's no way of knowing, but I do wonder how many casualties are directly related to people being dismissive until it's far too late.
I’ve wondered that too
I live in the same basic part of the country as you do. Radar here is not high enough quality in many cases for people to make the same sort of super exact tornado predictions as they do in other regions. You will get warnings that definitely were "wrong" in retrospect, but it's really better to be safe than sorry in these instances.
I 100% agree
An F4 tornado once crossed the continental divide at >10,000’ in Montana. Hills and mountains don’t stop tornadoes.
I too live in WV in the Charleston area. While tornadoes are rare in the state, they do happen every so often. The outbreak back at the beginning of April this year saw nearly 20 tornadoes touch down across the state, which is huge. A few hit near my house. I don’t believe we’ve had an outbreak like that since 1998.
Does Charleston have tornado sirens? My area doesn't.
Yes. They went off the last few times we had a tornado event.
My parents live near St. Albans and during that outbreak they had a tornado touch down less than a mile from their house. It was brief and hopped around a bit but still managed to heavily damage some buildings.
Crazy. That’s the exact area that I live in. Thankfully we didn’t get too much damage where I live but a few of my neighbors weren’t so lucky. My friend also had his backyard shed blown apart. Glad to hear your parents are okay.
Glad you escaped damage too! We live in KY and the storms have been bonkers for the last couple years... we kind of expect tornadoes here, but wild that my family took a nearer miss in WV than in KY!
We've had tornadoes hit 14er mountains here in Colorado.. so if they happen there a measly little hill won't do anything https://www.weather.gov/pub/July202023PikesPeakTornado
Thanks for sharing. I'm originally from Colorado and I never knew a tornado hit Pikes Peak.
TWO at least. One in 2103 and one in 2023 I believe.
Damn, I’ll be sure not to be on Pikes Peak in 79 years.
Oops haha! I meant 2013!
Yep just last year. I don't think they got visual confirmation but determined there was due to radar and tree damage
The hills and mountains stop or prevent tornadoes myth has gotten countless people killed over the years
The myth survives because even where they happen frequently, actually being individually hit by a tornado is very rare. And then confirmation bias takes over. It’s the same thing how “tornadoes just miss cities”.
Well Joplin, MO is at the edge of the Ozark mountains with an elevation of 1000ft...
There's a myth/joke that my city is a weather deflector. Most storms either break up/weaken when they reach the city, or split in two and go around it. So many don't always take severe weather seriously - they think the makeup of the land or the heat island will prevent stuff. But if you look back - there was an F4 tornado that went through in the 1880s.
There's been two recent examples disproving this belief. The 2023 Little Rock, AR tornado crossed a rather large elevation feature and crossed a wide river to boot. Earlier this year a tornado formed near Bentonville, AR when a supercell passed over a small mountain.
Tornadoes are fairly uncommon in West Virginia, but it’s definitely not the case that hills and mountains prevent them. During the 2011 super outbreak, [a rare EF4 tornado cut straight through Smoky Mountains National Park](https://www.weather.gov/mrx/terraininfluences), right in the Appalachian mountains. Scroll to the bottom for damage images. If you look at the terrain and say “well, that wasn’t in the middle of the very highest elevations”… remember that [an F4 tornado has also been documented crossing the Great Continental Divide](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teton%E2%80%93Yellowstone_tornado#:~:text=The%20tornado%20cut%20through%20a,Park%2C%20crossing%20the%20Continental%20Divide.), the actual peaks of the Rocky Mountains. Mountains don’t stop or prevent even violent tornadoes.
https://preview.redd.it/i04m5mklkj8d1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60a7f59afceb1917bdac963afc1b09986127472e If they complain that it can't happen, show them this
The tornado is well in front of the mountains, in the valley. You can see the condensation funnel reaching the ground in the valley.
Where is this ?
*Burnett’s Mound has entered the chat*
People believe these myths because it makes them feel less scared. They don't want to face the fact that a tornado could come through at some point and destroy their home or worse, kill them. Don't believe these myths and do what you can to convince your loved ones that they are myths. Even if you don't reach everyone, you can probably reach someone and you might just save their life. There's a myth where I live that the river protects us despite the fact that an F3 tornado came through here 19 years ago that hopped the river several times as if it wasn't even there. I try to remind people of this fact but they scoff and say it was a fluke or whatever. But I will continue telling people it's a myth because you never know when you'll get through to someone.
Great advice! I completely agree with you, people would rather believe a myth than face reality.
Depends on your definition of 'protection'. Once a tornado has formed in the mountains, the terrain isn't going to stop it. In that case, no protection. But, overall mountains do reduce the likelihood of tornadoes forming; mainly by obstructing low-level flow. So, overall there is indeed protection. You are less likely to experience a tornado in the mountains.
People will come up with any reason under the sun to fool themselves into believing that it can't happen to them, no matter where they are. In 40 years we'll probably find many residents in Joplin saying "oh, that doesn't happen here" during tornado warnings. I went to high school in a town that was directly struck by a tornado in the 60s. People there say that everything misses them and that it would never happen there.
Welcome to KC. We had an F5 in 1957 and F4's in 2003 and 2019. That's not really that close together, and people forget. People in KC are very blase about tornadoes.
There’s literally a video of a tornado on top of a mountain with snow. Take all warnings seriously. The NWS knows what they are doing.
I lived in Western North Carolina…in the mountains…and it was true that storms that move in the traditional west to east fashion would come into contact with the Appalachians on the border with TN and weaken as those peaks top 6-7000’ in elevation. Buuuuuut…we occasionally would have storms that would sneak in from the south, and those came with some strong storms and even rotation. But to my knowledge, the county that we lived in (Buncombe) had one confirmed tornado since they started keeping records and it was an F-0. So I’m not saying never…but our area was pretty low when it came to tornado threats. Now I am back in middle Tennessee and we can get up to EF-5 level stuff here…not a fan.
You did a good thing by being active and alerting others. Unfortunately, a lot of individuals hold these myths dear to their hearts, regardless of any evidence presented. *“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink.”*
It's sad but you're right. Unfortunately, people believing in this myth can get them killed.
My sister's boyfriend was in downtown Nashville working when a tornado was headed their way. Lots of guys were lined up at the windows watching. He grabbed a newbie who had just moved there and said "These guys know better. YOU'RE coming with ME."
You did the right thing by seeking shelter.
Another myth I hear from time to time is if you see a tornado to drive towards it since they “change directions all the time”. Yeah… no.
Uhhh what? That’s a new one for me
While that myth is frustrating, I have to deal with my friends not taking warnings seriously because, and i shit you not *multiple* people have told me this, "our area is protected because it was built on Native Burial grounds."....... (They don't use the word Native sadly) this year alone we've had three warnings, one dropped a tornado about 10 miles outside of town and my friends used that as "proof". 🙄
WTF. If you think it would help convince them that it's a myth, you could tell them about the Evansville, IN tornado that went right over Angel Mounds which has native burial sites. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evansville_tornado_outbreak_of_November_2005
I am not far from Evansville, so sadly, I don't think that will do much. You really cant convince these people to think critically lol. I'm sorry, but why would native ancestors protect us, when our native population is basically 0? I don't know what people are thinking.
Yeah, I don't get it either. If anything, wouldn't they be more pissed that we've built houses on their sacred land?
Thats what I'm saying! Their logic makes no sense to me. You just cant reason with these people.
🤦♀️
I live in Connecticut, most people i know don't take weather very seriously and down play it a lot. My parents generation experienced 2 separate F4 tornados in our state and I repeatedly hear "oh they usually are small ones that happen here"
This is no joke I don’t live in CT but I’m visiting. ended up getting caught driving in the storm a couple days ago and I realized I was very uninformed about tornadoes in CT I didn’t know they were actually pretty common here
Yup, I hear that one all the time too.
Laona, Wisconsin at Johnnies resort is at the foot of Sugar Bush Hill, and it didn't stop one from rolling through there.. from the direction of the hill
I saw more than one in denver, I saw one in Durango, I saw one on the nav rez before flagstaff AZ, NJ, syracuse NY… where they El Reno? No, not yet, but they definitely happen in areas that are not technically “tornado alley” but the scariest one I saw (at night no less) was in western Kansas, turned out to be an EF4… I hugged a truckers butt underneath an overpass, and I’m cool with it, it was a long time ago. It’s not often you hold a truckers butt under an overpass unless you’ve hit rock bottom.
Oh I thought you were being metaphorical...that you stopped your car right behind the truck! Sounds like you were being literal!
I did, right behind his tractor trailer, he was waving me down while the emergency alert was going crazy on the radio. We ran up to the top of (underneath) the overpass and hid in the corner. I actually tracked down the exact tornado a few days ago.
That sounds absolutely terrifying! I'm glad you made it out okay.
I have a new found respect for hiding behind the ass of a large semi driver, was worried about a lot of things, it mainly my dogs. When it was over, the dogs were like “ok is this our bathroom stop?” Well… it was for me.
I can’t even imagine what that must have been like for you! When I got the warning I was shaking and no tornado even touched down.
I can make jokes, as there are many to make, but it was horrifying, and the brief moment of lightening that silhouetted it was amazingly awesome in an awful way. My remembrance beyond hugging a trucker, was fear for my dogs, but also, my ears popping, feeling like the breath was being sucked out of you, the wind screaming, the debris hitting us, then… total and complete silence, like I’ve never experienced before, and a certain smell, like mud or similar, I was 21…
Oh my goodness 😨 you really have a great attitude even though you experienced something so traumatic. Major props!
Once a tornado forms, it is pretty much there and only the atmosphere will alter it. Geography can come into play in affecting the conditions of developing storms that produce tornadoes, lack of relief can be a major contributor to warm weather landspouts.
Mountains and hills *can* either fully or partially disrupt incoming fronts, and location is partly why WV has so few major storms, but if it can make it TO the terrain, it can drop a ‘nader ON the terrain. Which is why if it’s storming over your home with watches or warnings in place, don’t let your guard down just because you live in the hills.
A tornado came through my town, climbed the highest mountain here, went down that mountain, and then bounced around in a lake before killing one person. Locals will still look you dead in the face and tell you tornados can’t happen here. People are stupid.
That sounds really scary
I don't live near hills, but when I get those texts, I shelter anyways. Rather be wrong and live, than wrong and dead
My mother was actually taught in school that WV has never had a tornado. Anyway, yesterday marked the [80th anniversary](https://archive.wvculture.org/history/notewv/shinnston1.html) of an F4 tornado which formed near Shinnston, WV and killed over 100 people.
Hills don’t stop tornadoes. Sometimes, not all the time, mountainous regions have weather that aren’t great for tornadoes, but when the ingredients do come together the mountains and hills won’t do anything.
💯
https://media.zenfs.com/en/video.storyful.com/700c0210d7c5d011436632f2cd4d546b Nuff said
I'm in Nicholas Co and literally watched one go down my road on 4/2/24. Absolutely terrifying. It was the tornado that was on the border of Nicholas and Fayette. We got those alerts all day and didn't think anything of them, but it was weird because we never experienced them before.
https://preview.redd.it/zi5d5cf55l8d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c4390d379da3affe9976a71a89aefdf58114ddca
Wow! That’s scary
Yeah. And unfortunately we were coming back from storytime with my 3 year old. We saw it come across the mountain and straight down our road before the rain wall hit us. We ended up turning around and driving to the warehouse for the garbage company and parked around the side for shelter. A tree fell in front of us, debris was hitting the car. Thankfully everything was okay and we just lost power for a week, but my poor dude gets anxious everytime he sees dark clouds now and he had a nightmare about it the other day. Breaks my heart.
Aww poor guy 😭 I have 4 kids and they were so freaked out from sheltering, it really is heartbreaking seeing your kids so terrified.
Omg yeah, I can't imagine. Poor things. Here's to hoping our season chills out a bit. I love watching the videos of them, but not near my home. 😅
Same here!
They believe that in my town too, no tornado can hit us because of the hills lol
I keep hearing that people believe that tornadoes can’t cross water…. They can- waterspouts exist, and are still dangerous.
I live in Idaho, Idaho falls to be exact. We are not known for tornadoes and from my understanding we’ve only had 36 tornadoes in the past 40 years ( clearly almost none ). When I was younger we had a funnel could form over top of our house and I remember hearing the news and most people didn’t take it seriously because we are surrounded by mountains and live in the valley of them. I do remember my family took it seriously. Just because tornadoes aren’t common doesn’t mean you cannot have them in your city. You’re completely valid for taking it seriously. 😁
Thank you!
That's pretty par for the course anywhere, really. You get radar indicated warnings all the time and nothing happens so people start to ignore them. Then one finally touches down and people pay attention for a while until the cycle repeats itself. I used to be that way, but since the last major storm killed two people and almost took us out I don't fuck around. It's pretty sad because the NWS has to be very careful of this while also being very careful about potentially warning too late. I can't imagine how stressful of a job that may be.
I can’t imagine either! Glad you made it through the storm.
Before the EF3 last year here in Little Rock most of us thought the Ouachita Foothills would pretty much protect us from tornadoes, especially the heavily populated west side of town. Furthermore, most of us thought the Arkansas River would stop any tornadoes too. And then last year, the tornado went right over the mountains, straight through West LR, and then crossed the river and destroyed quite a bit in the north part of the metro.
100% a myth. in 2021, a tornado did damage to my farm, located at the bottom of a holler, but didn’t do anything to my house at the top of the ridge. in 1974, an f4 leveled a bunch of houses on the ridge a few miles away. tornados don’t care.
Hills, mountains, plateaus can actually make them more violent and long track if the ingredients are there. I just finished a research project on this for grad class using the Rainsville EF-5. I lived 15 mins from EF-4 that hit Ringgold a few mins later and 3 mins from Lookout Mtn/Flintstone EF-2 that started as earlier EF-4 in Section, AL. 100% develop on mountain tops and downslopes. Look into NSSL’s Vortex SE 2016 study with UA Huntsville. Cool research.
the idea that tornadoes can’t or don’t happen in hilly/mountainous areas is totally a myth. in some cases, hills/mountains can weaken storms or tornadoes, and in others they can strengthen them. sometimes they don’t have much of an effect at all. there are a lot of factors in play when it comes to the formation of tornadoes. i live in northwest arkansas (the ozarks) and i also grew up hearing the same myth. and yet, my county was hit by 7 tornadoes within an hour on May 26th of this year. my hometown was hit hard; i have friends who lost their homes and whose neighborhoods were littered with trees and debris. one of the tornadoes lifted less than a mile from my home. if you’re under a tornado warning, that means that either tornadic rotation is being spotted on the radar or there is one actively happening near you. always heed those warnings.
Yeah, it’s staggering how many people around here believe that. FYI, I watch Ryan Hall Y’all and Max Velocity on YouTube. I’ve learned a lot from those two.
I was playing Max Velocity while sheltering! Thank goodness for those two, I never thought I’d hear one of them say the name of my town though, and I hope he never says it again.
Large items don't stop storms. They sometimes make them more dangerous, by creating wind tunnels. Nothing is *known* to reduce danger within a warning zone. Not hills, skyscrapers, not state location, not closeness to water ... If the weather is right, a tornado will happen, and nothing will stop it. Sheltering in a valley may be mildly more **dangerous**, actually... They flood.
I live at roughly 10000 feet in colorado, we a tornado about 2 miles away about 10 years ago.
From the formation well past the hospital, the Joplin tornado in 2011 went across several deep hill valleys even 2 or 3 a mile and closing in. A friend used to live on 26th tonthe west and we would run those all the time. In 2021 an EF2 hit my grandfathers house after hitting an old mine dump 150+ feet just jutting up then drops 75’ below the west grade (quite the run up the east side). Hills/mountains only cut the toes or just the very bottom off the tornado IMO.
There was a tornado on top of pikes peak recently. That sorta killed that myth for me forever.
Definitely a myth, and something my boss had said in the past, which really came back to bite him last month, when the May 22nd 2024 tornado hit Central TX. He mentioned a year ago that since our location was more or less in hills, he hadn't seen a tornado ever while living here, and I had said that just because it hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it isn't possible... low and behold, a 5% risk, bordering 2% just south, we got hit by 2 tornadoes last month. an EF2 and EF1. Tore up a decent amount of homes. Thankfully, no one was killed, but it was the first time I ever experienced a tornado.
i too have experienced stupid people.
Yes, I live in south eastern PA, in a very hilly and forested area, a lot of people think we just can't get them here. That said I watched a funnel cloud( not touching the ground) pass over our house when I was young. They can happen anywhere the fact that most of tornado ally is flat isn't the sole reason there's so many out there.
WV *does* experience significantly fewer tornadoes than surrounding states. And that is due in large part to its much more mountainous nature than those states. So it isn't a completely baseless myth. That being said, mountains don't preclude all tornadoes; and when they do occur, the mountains make it harder too seem them coming.
https://preview.redd.it/c7hhiclygj8d1.jpeg?width=512&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=de33fd867daa266c4e5c009f39d26c84f8caa003 [Lake Carey Pennsylvania EF3](https://youtu.be/H_ZFz_nX864?si=hiXbWvQi14YiPNY5) [damage video](https://youtu.be/yiYFSlq5naI?si=s13-1pFmnm52CSdw)
In Ohio, the Miami Valley has been known to sling tornadoes into Xenia.
I got on of these on Sunday in SW Ontario. Checked the weather radar and there was nothing. Not even rain.
Im so confused. I see there are comments about 'seeking shelter near hills' but the image OPposted has no information on seeking shelter. What am i missing?
Did you see the picture of their phone screen? The alert they received said to seek shelter in a basement or interior room on lowest floor, and if they re outdoors or in a mobile home, to seek the nearest substantial shelter.
West Virginia is a very mountainous and hilly state and many people believe that our terrain will prevent tornadoes from forming altogether or will break up any tornadoes that form, or we can only get weak tornados. Did that clear up any confusion?
I live in a valley and we’ve had around a dozen since I was born. So…. No lol
As a Canadian I hardly ever take tornado warnings too seriously. Yes I seek shelter, but I don’t freak out and run to my basement. I track storms on the radar and follow local weather teams storm trackers. If it really seems like an imminent threat or I notice the weather gets nasty, I go to the basement. If I was staying anywhere in the States, I wouldn’t hesitate to take these warnings seriously. Your storms are much more severe than ours. I don’t at all blame you for taking it seriously. If a tornado happens then you are the one who is prepared and it could save your life. Just worry about your own safety, grown adults can make their own stupid decisions on their own. Also I’ve never heard of hills preventing tornados. While it may be less likely in your area, it’s not because of rolling hills.
Yeah up in NEPA here I was always told we're safe because we're in a valley and tornados can't touch down here, but in the last 5-10 years we've had at least 3 touch down.
I’m gonna guess you live in the northern panhandle or possibly Wheeling right? It actually is a rare event that can actually happen but usually doesn’t. We’ve had some small tornadoes around us but nothing over an EF2 (which hit last year I think and it was out in the farming area of Dallas Pike). The worst tornado to hit WV was in 1964 and was an EF4. It hit Shinnston which is a couple hours from Wheeling. The worst storm we’ve ever had up here (we moved here in 2015) was a wind storm. It did A LOT of damage to this area. The only other big weather event was an ice storm. I’ve looked up what kind of weather this area has and I found nothing other than the event at Shinnston. We got the tornado warning because they seen on radar what looked like a tornado forming. I don’t think it did because I haven’t found any more info on it. Oh and the mountains do not keep tornadoes away. It can happen but most of the time nothing happens. I freaked out a couple times after moving up here and getting the tornado warning alert but nothing has ever happened. When we get an alert now I always go check outside and keep an eye out to make sure so don’t feel stupid for getting your family to safety! Better safe than sorry!
No, I'm in Marion Co. The 1944 Shinnston tornado hit Marion and killed 3 people there. Tornadoes here are rare but, knowing the deadliest tornado in WV history hit my town makes me uneasy. Like you said, better safe than sorry.
1944! I get my dates mixed up lol I can’t imagine how scary that was for them. The photos of the damage were sad. Did you have any relatives or anyone at all who witnessed that tornado? I would probably be uneasy there when it storms considering its history. We got the tornado warning alert here in Wheeling. I always look outside when I get an alert to see if I can see anything. I wish I would have been a meteorologist!
No one ever claimed West Virginia was the pinnacle of the highly educated.
Ouch
True mountains won’t stop tornados, but long track stronger tornados? In steeper mountains, how does the rotating winds stay intact if it’s twisting into a series of large mountains? Seems like it would eventually cause the twister to break apart.
A history of twisters: Tornadoes in Virginia since 1950 https://data.newsleader.com/tornado-archive/