He is right....a overpass is one of the worse places to be. You would actually be safer lying on flat land with your head covered than an overpass. If you cant get in a strong building, a ditch or culvert is the best place to be. An overpass also acts like a wind tunnel which will amplify the wind even more. A 200 mph tornado could produce 300 mph through that bridge. Plus the fact that up in the bridge you are higher off the ground where the winds are stronger and there will be more things flying.
Im not just making this up, Any meteorologist will tell you the same thing.
Im not a meteorologist however my Degree is in Aviation science with a minor in meteorology ( how I ended up in the trucking business, I do not know.) I am also one of our local storm spotters for a news channel, so when we have a tornado warning, Im usually in my car driving towards it. I made damn sure I paid attention in the storm spotter classes when they were telling us where the safe places are.
When im out there chasing and if I get stuck in the wrong area at the wrong time, my optimal spot is going to be in a ditch near an overpass with a video camera on all those people who thought the overpass was the best place to be. There flying bodies will make me a hit on Youtube.

 

That and YouTube is going to start paying people for their videos.

Share the wealth!

 

Hey TIMBERWOLF, don't you work for CCC, i'm glad you were behind the storm because in that 60 mph truck you'd have never gotten out of the way Anyway, just seeing the coverage on the news, had no idea it was this bad, stay safe out there, and keep it in the right lane.

 

Okay, so let's take a hypothetical situation in which I am driving my big truck down the highway, and I'm in the path of a tornado.

I pull over to the side of the highway, set my brakes, and head for the nearest ditch. The tornado hits, picks up my truck, and carries it ten miles away.

My question is this:

How would I show that time and distance in my log book??

 

Try explaining that to DOT.

Better yet, if it kills someone when it lands, they'd find a way to pin it on you lol.

 

I hired a driver a while back who used to work for a meat packer down in Oklahoma. Was coming out of the plant fully loaded and the sky went green. Next thing he knew, a twister had picked his rig up and thrown him into a nearby field. He was shaken up, but had no serious injuries. However, the thing that stuck with me is that he said it took him 2 weeks of showers and hard scrubbing to get the mud out of his skin and ears. The wind basically tattoo'd him with mud hard enough that it penetrated layers. This is the same kind of wind that drives pieces of straw through trees. That's why it's so important to be out of the debris zone.

 

If you ever have the chance, check out National Geographic and Discovery Channel. They like to put on shows about tornado's and what to do and not to do. The video's you see of people taking an overpass as cover do not show what exactly happened. The tornado did not hit the bridge directly, therefore they were safe. I remember a story of a guy who tried to do the same thing but the tornado did get a direct hit on the bridge, it sent him flying a quarter of a mile away. He survived with only cuts and bruises.

Do not try to outrun a tornado, they do skip and when they do, you may be the next touchdown point. You may have a half mile lead and pulling away when it decides to skip/jump. You think it is over and slow down only for it to drop back down out of the clouds right in front of you. Just duck and cover until it has definately passed over you. If no low spot is around, get a low as you can to the ground and try to make yourself as small as possible.

I cannot remember which side it is of a tornado, but their is one side you do not want to be on. The winds can be just as strong on that side as the center of the tornado itself. I think it's the southwest side that is the danger zone as you are basically getting blasted with microbursts out of heck.

 

You bring up an excellent point. Years ago the mantra was to seek protection under an overpass. Then a news camera crew took that advice and went through total hell -- a hell that was filmed in detail. What was later discovered is that wind is tunneled and accelerated through the overpass arch so .. deadly winds become even deadlier .. also whatever debris is also channeled with a greater likelihood of striking something.

Being in a semi is not good. Also .. cars cannot outrun a tornado so .. A truck has no chance. But we do have a lot more surface area and exposure. Get into a ditch is the best advice.

One thought .. I have never known an atheist in a free fire zone or in the middle of a tornadic storm. If you have a Deity .. it is time to get right with him, her .. it .. whatever ...

 

Also .. cars cannot outrun a tornado so

Bet my Stealth Could :P

 

Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!! :shock: