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Tornado Watch

bobr9

143439
Planning my first cross country trek to the Salem rally from NE Georgia. Likely that I will be crossing through parts known for their tornados. Recent activity in Oklahoma has got me thinking about my strategy for avoiding them. I can monitor weather to some degree on cell phone, but you always have the issue of running out of coverage. Have FM radio in my C3 helmet, but normally don't use. Wondering what the more seasoned LD travelers do to avoid running into the really bad weather. Thanks....
 
Planning my first cross country trek to the Salem rally from NE Georgia. Likely that I will be crossing through parts known for their tornados. Recent activity in Oklahoma has got me thinking about my strategy for avoiding them. I can monitor weather to some degree on cell phone, but you always have the issue of running out of coverage. Have FM radio in my C3 helmet, but normally don't use. Wondering what the more seasoned LD travelers do to avoid running into the really bad weather. Thanks....

You mentioned Cell phone and Radio.... Other options would be Travel Plazas such as Pilot, Love, Flying J and others along with some fast food places...usually have TV broadcast going with local weather and alerts. Most have monitors and most have wi-fi.
Most Law Enforcement officers have good communications and have the latest watch and warnings.

I prefer Cell phone and IPAD apps...but without service I check the above mentioned.

Hope this helps!
 
Not the most common thing on BMW MC but my J&M CB has weather radio band that I listen to every so often on longer rides.

It also helps to have a working knowledge of meteorology to make some of my own predictions based on available observations.
 
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/noaa-superres-radar-us-hd/id505555988?mt=8

RADAR US HD app for Iphone. I just added this app last month and it's been very useful so far. It doesn't do everything and does need cell coverage to update. Provides active radar in HD, loops, color coded warning boxes for flash flood / severe thunderstorm / tornado warnings with time to expiration. A whopping $2.99 which has been an excellent value for me.

FYI and good luck. I'm riding to Top of the Rockies Ralley from Iowa and hope to not need it.

Mark
 
Not the most common thing on BMW MC but my J&M CB has weather radio band that I listen to every so often on longer rides.

It also helps to have a working knowledge of meteorology to make some of my own predictions based on available observations.

With the exception of potential traffic jams is it safe to assume you can outrun a tornado by heading in the opposite direction?
 
With the exception of potential traffic jams is it safe to assume you can outrun a tornado by heading in the opposite direction?

In my experience I'd add: roads impassable due to flash flooding, hail and/or high winds making two wheels difficult if not impossible, and more than one tornado.
 
Some TIPS:)

Tornadoes run in a NE'erly direction most often. Almost always in a Northerly direction, SO!. You get near a bad storm, your best solution is pick a path SSW to avoid it. I have been around a few and this has worked everytime. Just watching the Weather Channel the other night confirmed this logic. I also have had folks living nearby OFFER me their home shelter, very nice folks. The odds are way in your favor of never having an issue with knowledge above. One more tidbit, is you can get within a few miles or closer many times to tornadoes IF you have the grit and wits to escape its path. Debris in sky is usually a very bad sign and too close, but I have seen it falling dozens of miles away from storm. Usually black items flying about are roof material and hurt, look like birds out of control... Not birds! Don't worry so much, as riding the middle USA has storms, bad ones indeed and mostly avoidable as you travel. Watch' em close and take turns, off your normal route to avoid. Randy
 
tornadoes

Being in Moore, OK, I have way too much knowledge about this. Download any of the many smartphone weather apps that have an alert feature and set it to monitor your location, connect it to your C3, and you should be good if you have it set for both severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings. I'd also take a quick glance at the weather radar feature on it at gas stops.
I've ridden thru thunderstorms and been caught out in hail and can attest it's no fun. Straight line winds can get very high and hail hurts. Good luck on your trip, don't worry about the weather, just be aware and prepared to take precautions if needed.
 
With the exception of potential traffic jams is it safe to assume you can outrun a tornado by heading in the opposite direction?

No

In my experience I'd add: roads impassable due to flash flooding, hail and/or high winds making two wheels difficult if not impossible, and more than one tornado.

What he said and more.

Tornados can and do travel in any direction in Fly-Over-Land

spc.noaa.gov: The Onlie Tonado Safety FAQ
ncdc.noaa.gov: Tornado Myths, Facts and Safety
crh.noaa.gov: Overpasses and Tornado Safety: Not a good mix.
nws.noaa.gov: Thunderstorms, Tornados and Lightning...
2wheeltouring.net: Motorcycle Safety Severe Weather.pdf

Drama sells advertising on 24 news cycle stations. Stay aware. Look around. Observe the weather. Seek shelter if you need to. Most important enjoy your trip.
 
Also from Oklahoma:

I would say all you need is a good weather app...

The recent storms we have had here in the Oklahoma City metro area were very much a big weather news topic days in advanced. We all knew there was potential for bad weather before hand, though potential doesn't usually mean EF-5...

I was in Arkansas on a trip, when i checked the weather they were forecasting some nasty weather, so we headed back to the Oklahoma a couple of hours early. We ended up riding through Shawnee which was hit a week before Moore with a tornado, just a couple of hours before the tornado came through. When i arrived home the black clouds were forming in the west just as predicted.

Long story short, now days, you'll know when the storms are coming and where they are heading in advanced. Use common sense and understand the concept of potential.
 
Planning my first cross country trek to the Salem rally from NE Georgia. Likely that I will be crossing through parts known for their tornados. Recent activity in Oklahoma has got me thinking about my strategy for avoiding them. I can monitor weather to some degree on cell phone, but you always have the issue of running out of coverage. Have FM radio in my C3 helmet, but normally don't use. Wondering what the more seasoned LD travelers do to avoid running into the really bad weather. Thanks....


Not modern high-tech...but I carry just a normal weather radio....it has an alarm system for bad weather, as well as other hazards. If the sky looks [ify] ? I keep it close,& the alarm volume up.

Closest I've been to dangerous weather [while on the road] was 30 miles, as per the warning & the map. Had a small one [Tornado] while in a motel in Ft Doge,Ia but no real threat.

Only plan I have if confronted with one on the road? Is try and figure where it's going?...and go the opposite. {IMO} that's about all we have.

I started to head out last year? for Kansas...something kept telling me NO!...so I just didn't. Made that decision on Thurs,Eve....Sat { I think it was}? Joplin, Mo got hit hard..F-5...glad i wasn't there. And given the time line?...I might have been...
 
Yes, they usually run in SW->NE direction and usually occur after noon. Yet another reason riding in the morning is nicer.
 
And the good news is tornadoes are lots less prevelant in July.

Voni
sMiling
 
The radios on the LT's have a weather channel. I don't know about the other BMW models that have factory radios.
 
Can you pretty much get a weather radio signal most anywhere, or is it like cell phone coverage? Thinking of picking up one of those small weather band radios.
 
There are 10 NOAA weather frequencies. As you move through an area the strongest signal is the nearest and most relevant for your immediate conditions. All weather radios will receive the same 10 freq.

I personally like the JM CB because they have the weather band as an option in addition to the intercom, iPod and CB function. Of course I prefer old skool and lower tech options for most things :gerg
 
While several others have already mentioned several websites for weather reporting, one I didn't see mentioned was the Jet Stream.

http://www.intellicast.com/National/Wind/JetStream.aspx

As the Jet Stream dips down over the plains, there will be cold air behind it with warm arm on the front side. It's along this boundary of where the cold air meets the warm air where the tornado spawning storms are most likely to generate. By checking on where the Jet Stream is on any given day, you can route your course to avoid the area of the frontal boundary.

As most tornadoes spawn in the central plains, you could also chart a longer route which takes you more directly up north and then west across the northern plains. While the northern plains are not immune to tornadoes, the further north you go , the less likely you are to encounter tornado weather. If you stop for the night in places with Internet access, check the weather before going to bed and again when you get up -- check for the position of the Jet Stream as well as other weather factors.
 
We just got back from a trip that took us through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri. We had no weather issues at all. The folks we talked to along the way told us that the tornadoes were pretty much done with. Oddly enough, there was a tornado that hit in Oregon about 20 miles from my town while we were gone. Of course Oregon tornadoes are much different (weaklings) compared to mid-west tornadoes.

As for another web site, we used Weather Underground on our trip, the full web version, not the phone version. Down at the bottom of the page there is a trip planner. You can plug in your start point, start date/time and end point. It then maps your route for you and included weather along the way for the approximate time you should be there. You can use this to get an easy picture of any trouble weather spots on the way. It is pretty accurate.
 
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