Signs of a possible tornado

  • Published
  • By Staff
  • 22nd Air Refuelng Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  McConnell's Weather Flight urges people to seek safe shelter immediately after any visible signs of a tornado.

Signs of a possible tornado include:

-A sickly greenish or greenish black color to the sky.
-If there is a tornado watch or warning posted, people should considered hail as a real danger sign.
-A strange quiet that occurs within or shortly after a thunderstorm.
-Clouds moving by very fast, especially in a rotating pattern or converging toward one area of the sky.
-A sound a little like a waterfall, or rushing air at first, but turning into a roar as it comes closer. People have compared the sound of a tornado to both railroad trains and jets.
-Debris dropping from the sky.
-An obvious "funnel-shaped" cloud that is rotating or debris such as branches or leaves being pulled upwards - even if no funnel cloud is visible. 

People can seek shelter:
-In a storm shelter - within a basement or outside of a building entirely.
-In a basement, away from the west and south walls of a building.
-Hiding under a heavy work-table or under stairs can help protect people from crumbling walls, chimneys and large airborne debris. Old blankets, quilts and an unused mattress can also help to protect people against flying debris and should be stored in or near a shelter area.
-In a small, windowless, first floor, interior room, such as a closet or bathroom. People can also climb into a bathtub and place a couch cushion over their head for protection.
-If there is no downstairs bathroom in a house or building and first-floor closets are all packed with stuff, a hall may be the best shelter.
-People should put as many walls as possible between them and a tornado.