Oklahoma Severe Weather Discussion - June 2013

[SoonerDave]

And it would have if the storm wasn't being "pushed" south by a boundary.

Was it the boundary pushing it, or was the tornado riding the intense circulation of the storm itself? Its hard not to notice the arc that tornado took, and while I certainly may be wrong, the first thing I thought of was that it was simply riding the storm's own rotation due to its own amazing intensity.

I think we have to look back at this storm and be thankful, in spite of the damage, for a couple of things:

1. That the tornado, in its 2.6-mile-wide maximum, seems to have existed at that point primarily in less-populated areas.
2. That the thing didn't blow into either El Reno proper, or endure farther east or southeast into W and/or SW OKC. I shudder at the thought of a 2.6 mi tornado plowing anywhere near I-240, and that could span as far south as SW 104th or as far north as SW 44th. The destruction would have been nearly incomprehensible.
3. That, in spite of the fact we had at least five tornadoes here in the OK county area, that we didn't have multiple similar storms throughout the middle of the state churning out F5's across the state. It looked like it might start that with the storm in Stillwater.

Please don't think I'm minimizing the loss of life and destruction that we did encounter; I'm simply saying we should all take a step back and think about just how close we came to a monumental disaster for our city, both in terms of loss of life and property. Its sobering.

[Anonymous.]

MD out for panhandle into Colorado area. Just like yesterday.






MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0955
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0340 PM CDT TUE JUN 04 2013

AREAS AFFECTED...SE CO...FAR SW KS...WRN OK PANHANDLE

CONCERNING...SEVERE POTENTIAL...WATCH POSSIBLE

VALID 042040Z - 042215Z

PROBABILITY OF WATCH ISSUANCE...60 PERCENT

SUMMARY...A SEVERE THREAT IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS SERN CO OVER
THE NEXT FEW HOURS. WIND DAMAGE AND HAIL SHOULD BE THE PRIMARY
THREATS. WW ISSUANCE MAY BE NEEDED ACROSS PARTS OF THE MCD AREA.

DISCUSSION...LATEST SFC ANALYSIS SHOWS A TROUGH EXTENDING NWD INTO
SE CO WHERE WINDS ARE BACKED WITH AN EASTERLY COMPONENT. IN
RESPONSE...SFC DEWPOINTS ARE IN THE LOWER TO MID 50S F ACROSS SERN
CO WHERE MLCAPE VALUES ARE ESTIMATED IN THE 500 TO 1500 J/KG RANGE.
IN ADDITION...OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THAT MODERATE DEEP LAYER
SHEAR IS IN PLACE ACROSS SE CO WHERE 0-6 KM SHEAR VALUES ARE
ESTIMATED AT 45 TO 50 KT. THIS COMBINED WITH 850 TO 500 MB LAPSE
RATES AROUND 8.5 C/KM SHOULD SUPPORT HAIL WITH THE MORE INTENSE
CELLS. ISOLATED LARGE HAIL COULD OCCUR WITH CELLS THAT OBTAIN
ROTATION. A WIND DAMAGE THREAT MAY ALSO DEVELOP AS CELLS MOVE EWD
INTO THE HIGH PLAINS WHERE SFC-TEMP DEWPOINT SPREADS EXCEED 30
DEGREES IN MANY LOCATIONS.

..BROYLES/WEISS.. 06/04/2013

[Bunty]

There's a FLASH FLOOD WATCH out for central and south central Oklahoma, which includes the OKC metro area, lasting until Thursday at 7PM:

Updated: Tue Jun-04-13 04:06pm CDT
Effective: Tue Jun-04-13 04:06pm CDT
Expires: Thu Jun-06-13 07:00pm CDT

Severity: Severe
Urgency: Expected
Certainty: Possible

Status: Actual
Type: Alert
Category: Met
Areas affected: Atoka; Bryan; Canadian; Carter; Cleveland; Coal; Garfield; Garvin; Grady; Hughes; Jefferson; Johnston; Kingfisher; Lincoln; Logan; Love; Marshall; McClain; Murray; Noble; Oklahoma; Payne; Pontotoc; Pottawatomie; Seminole; Stephens

Instructions: Monitor weather forecasts and information. Make plans to get to higher ground if flooding begins in your area.

Message summary: ...excessive rainfall possible from late wednesday through early thursday afternoon...
...flash flood watch in effect from wednesday morning through thursday evening...

The national weather service in norman has issued a flash flood watch for portions of central oklahoma...east central oklahoma...northern oklahoma...southeast oklahoma and southern oklahoma...including the following areas...in central oklahoma...canadian...cleveland...grady...kingfish er...
Lincoln...logan...mcclain...oklahoma...payne and pottawatomie. In east central oklahoma...pontotoc and seminole. In northern oklahoma...garfield and noble. In southeast oklahoma...atoka...Bryan...coal...hughes...johnsto n and marshall. In southern oklahoma...carter...garvin...jefferson...love...mu rray and stephens.

* from wednesday morning through thursday evening
* heavy rainfall from last weekend has left soils nearly saturated across much of northern...central...and southern oklahoma. Additional heavy rainfall is expected from wednesday afternoon through thursday afternoon. Localized rainfall totals of 2 to 4 inches will lead to flash flooding and eventual flooding of rivers and streams.

* flooding may lead to sinkholes and road washouts. And rivers...creeks...and streams may rise out of their banks...flooding nearby residences and businesses. Never attempt to cross water over a roadway if you cannot tell how deep it is. Remember...turn around don't drown.

FROM: Stillwater Weather - Advisories, Watches, Warnings, Etc.

[venture]

MESOSCALE DISCUSSION 0956
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
0506 PM CDT TUE JUN 04 2013


AREAS AFFECTED...CENTRAL/ERN PORTIONS TX/OK PANHANDLES...WRN
OK...PORTIONS NW TX.


CONCERNING...SEVERE POTENTIAL...WATCH LIKELY


VALID 042206Z - 042300Z


PROBABILITY OF WATCH ISSUANCE...80 PERCENT


SUMMARY...SVR TSTM THREAT IS INCREASING...AND WW MAY BE REQUIRED FOR
MUCH OF THIS AREA WITHIN THE HOUR.


DISCUSSION...WEST TX MESONET AND CONVENTIONAL SFC DATA...ALONG WITH
LOW-REFLECTIVITY RADAR LOOPS...SHOWS PROMINENT AND HEAT-AIDED
MESOLOW OVER BRISCOE COUNTY TX. DRYLINE ARCS NWD TO INTERSECTION
WITH QUASISTATIONARY FRONT OVER HANSFORD COUNTY TX...AND SEWD FROM
LOW ACROSS PORTIONS MOTLEY/KENT/SCURRY COUNTY TX SWWD TOWARD BIG
BEND REGION. PANHANDLE/SOUTH-PLAINS DRYLINE SEGMENT RESIDES AHEAD
OF AND NEARLY PARALLEL TO VERY HOT THERMAL AXIS WHERE TEMPS W OF
DRYLINE ARE IN 100-108 F RANGE. DRYLINE MAY MOVE SLIGHTLY FARTHER E
IN NEXT HOUR OR SO...BUT SHOULD RETREAT THIS EVENING.
MEANWHILE...RELICT OUTFLOW BOUNDARY FROM MORNING MCS WAS BECOMING
DIFFUSE...BUT STILL EVIDENT FROM ABOUT VGT-SPS-LTS THEN ARCHING WWD
AND SWD INTO MESOLOW. CONVERGENCE AND BACKING OF SFC WINDS SHOULD
REMAIN RELATIVELY MAXIMIZED ALONG THAT SEGMENT OF OLD OUTFLOW
BOUNDARY IN SW OK AND NW TX...AS WELL AS AROUND LOW ITSELF...BUT
ALSO SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT ALONG DRYLINE FROM JUST S OF LOW NWD
ACROSS NRN PANHANDLE TO SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT. GREATEST BUOYANCY IS
EVIDENT NEAR MOIST AXIS OVER NWRN OK...WHERE MLCAPE 3000-4000 J/KG
IS SUPPORTED BY MID-UPPER 60S F SFC DEW POINTS PER OK MESONET...WITH
AWOS READINGS BEING TOO HIGH. ALTHOUGH STRONGEST LIFT IS DISPLACED
FROM HIGHEST CAPE/WEAKEST CINH FOR NOW...PRIND TSTMS THAT DEVELOP
INVOF LOW/DRYLINE WILL HAVE POTENTIAL TO MOVE EWD AND SEWD INTO
FAVORABLY BUOYANT AIR MASS...AMIDST AT LEAST MRGLLY FAVORABLE 30-40
KT EFFECTIVE SHEAR MAGNITUDES.


LATER THIS EVENING...COMPLEX OF TSTMS MAY MOVE SEWD FROM WW 276 INTO
THIS REGION AS WELL...REF WW 276 AND SUBSEQUENT/ACCOMPANYING
MESOSCALE DISCUSSIONS FOR FURTHER DETAILS ON THAT SCENARIO.


..EDWARDS/KERR.. 06/04/2013

[venture]

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 277
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
540 PM CDT TUE JUN 4 2013

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
WESTERN OKLAHOMA
NORTHWEST TEXAS

* EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY AFTERNOON FROM 540 PM UNTIL MIDNIGHT
CDT.

* PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE...
SEVERAL DAMAGING WIND GUSTS WITH A FEW SIGNIFICANT GUSTS TO 80
MPH POSSIBLE
SEVERAL LARGE HAIL EVENTS WITH A FEW VERY LARGE HAIL EVENTS TO
2.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER POSSIBLE
A FEW TORNADOES POSSIBLE

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 90
STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 35 MILES EAST
NORTHEAST OF GUYMON OKLAHOMA TO 50 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF
MINERAL WELLS TEXAS. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE
THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU7).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY
DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.

&&

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 276...

DISCUSSION...SCATTERED DISCRETE STORM DEVELOPMENT APPEARS UNDERWAY
NEAR THE DRYLINE ACROSS THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS. LOWER/MID
TROPOSPHERIC FLOW FIELDS ARE GENERALLY WEAK...BUT DEEP LAYER SHEAR
IS SUFFICIENT FOR UPDRAFT ROTATION IN THE PRESENCE OF THERMODYNAMIC
PROFILES CHARACTERIZED BY STEEP MID-LEVEL LAPSE RATES AND LARGE
CAPE. A COUPLE OF TORNADOES MAY NOT BE OUT OF THE QUESTION...BUT
SIZABLE LOW-LEVEL TEMPERATURE-DEW POINT SPREADS WILL CONTRIBUTE TO
STRONG/COOL OUTFLOW...WHICH PROBABLY WILL QUICKLY UNDERCUT
MESOCYCLONES.

AVIATION...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT
TO 2.5 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 70
KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM
MOTION VECTOR 29020.

Tornadoes

Probability of 2 or more tornadoes	Low (20%)
Probability of 1 or more strong (F2-F5) tornadoes	Low (<2%)

Wind

Probability of 10 or more severe wind events	Mod (50%)
Probability of 1 or more wind events > 65 knots	Mod (30%)

Hail

Probability of 10 or more severe hail events	Mod (50%)
Probability of 1 or more hailstones > 2 inches	Mod (30%)

Combined Severe Hail/Wind

Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events

High (80%)

[ou48A]

I think we have to look back at this storm and be thankful, in spite of the damage, for a couple of things:

1. That the tornado, in its 2.6-mile-wide maximum, seems to have existed at that point primarily in less-populated areas.
2. That the thing didn't blow into either El Reno proper, or endure farther east or southeast into W and/or SW OKC. I shudder at the thought of a 2.6 mi tornado plowing anywhere near I-240, and that could span as far south as SW 104th or as far north as SW 44th. The destruction would have been nearly incomprehensible.
3. That, in spite of the fact we had at least five tornadoes here in the OK county area, that we didn't have multiple similar storms throughout the middle of the state churning out F5's across the state. It looked like it might start that with the storm in Stillwater.

Please don't think I'm minimizing the loss of life and destruction that we did encounter; I'm simply saying we should all take a step back and think about just how close we came to a monumental disaster for our city, both in terms of loss of life and property. Its sobering.

I agree with you 100%

I’m frightened by the thought of what would have happened had this EF5 - 2.6 mile wide tornado continued on a north westerly track into Yukon and across the heart of OKC.

Eventually, someday, maybe not in our life time, a large EF 5 is going to move through the heart of OKC. But we need to be smart enough to learn from our experiences and do what we can to mitigate the eventual circumstance. Over time, there are things we can do to make our self’s safer and lower the damage rates.

[venture]

We saw this on the radar images above...

NWS Norman @NWSNorman
The tornado count for May 31 will rise as analysis continues, including an anticyclonic EF2 tornado SE of the El Reno tornado. #okwx

[soonerguru]

You can almost hear her boss in the background telling her to promote the myth that an EF5 is not survivable staying put in your home.

I'm sure he is doing a little dance now since this new information came out. Worlds widest tornado is good for headlines.

Edit:Sorry, U.S widest tornado

I don't know if you've seen the F5 damage areas in Moore, but I don't see anyone surviving that unless they are underground. Houses were swept from the foundations and, in some cases, the foundations were pulled out of the grounds. People need to understand an interior bathroom is not going to cut it in an F5.

[soonerguru]

But that isn't true. The vast, vast majority of the people in Moore, in Joplin that were in these interior spaces, did survive. It is unusual, not unheard of, but unusual for people in their bathtub to be killed, even in an F5. Those odds are better than getting in your car unless you leave way early and don't get stuck in traffic.

Sid, the people who survived were either in the section with F3 damage, underground, or out of the way. The sections hit by the F5 were raked like a lawn mower. While it is absurd for people to get in their cars at the last minute, it is also dangerous to promulgate the idea that an interior room is safe refuge from an F5.

[mkjeeves]

We also saw in other threads where some above ground engineered tornado shelters made it just fine in an F5 in Moore. (Oz Shelters were some of them.) It may be time to change the default "below ground shelter" we've been hearing for so long.

[jn1780]

Sid, the people who survived were either in the section with F3 damage, underground, or out of the way. The sections hit by the F5 were raked like a lawn mower. While it is absurd for people to get in their cars at the last minute, it is also dangerous to promulgate the idea that an interior room is safe refuge from an F5.

No one said that. You have next to zero chance if you get caught in a tornado in a car which I'm sure would happen to a lot of people if a tornado hit the northern sides of town. There's a decent size margin of error predicting where the tornado will go exactly 15-20 minutes ahead of time and if everyone on the north side of town flies south the roads are going to become clog especially if it happens during rush hour.

And not everyone the survived the F5 tornado fled south or had an underground shelter. There's a lot more than 23 people that were in the F5 damage zone.

People should note that this happen before rush hour and that there are a lot more escape routes from Moore since it is on the outer edges of town.

[Anonymous.]

Storms look to be taking on a complex a lot like last night.

[venture]

Tornadoes

Probability of 2 or more tornadoes	Low (20%)
Probability of 1 or more strong (F2-F5) tornadoes	Low (<2%)

Wind

Probability of 10 or more severe wind events	High (80%)
Probability of 1 or more wind events > 65 knots	Mod (30%)

Hail

Probability of 10 or more severe hail events	Mod (50%)
Probability of 1 or more hailstones > 2 inches	Mod (30%)

Combined Severe Hail/Wind

Probability of 6 or more combined severe hail/wind events

High (>95%)

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 278
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
940 PM CDT TUE JUN 4 2013


THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A


* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN KANSAS
NORTHWESTERN AND NORTH CENTRAL OKLAHOMA


* EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING FROM 940 PM
UNTIL 500 AM CDT.


* PRIMARY THREATS INCLUDE...
NUMEROUS DAMAGING WIND GUSTS LIKELY WITH A FEW SIGNIFICANT GUSTS
TO 80 MPH POSSIBLE
SEVERAL LARGE HAIL EVENTS WITH A FEW VERY LARGE HAIL EVENTS TO 2
INCHES IN DIAMETER POSSIBLE
A FEW TORNADOES POSSIBLE


THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 100
STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 55 MILES NORTH
NORTHWEST OF HUTCHINSON KANSAS TO 35 MILES WEST OF OKLAHOMA CITY
OKLAHOMA. FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE
ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU8).


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...


REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY
DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.


&&


OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 276...WW 277...


DISCUSSION...FURTHER UPSCALE GROWTH OF THE ONGOING SEVERE MESOSCALE
CONVECTIVE SYSTEM ACROSS THE CENTRAL HIGH PLAINS IS EXPECTED DURING
THE NEXT FEW HOURS. AIDED BY WEAK TO MODEST WESTERLY DEEP LAYER
MEAN FLOW...ACTIVITY MAY ACCELERATE EASTWARD ALONG A FRONT
NEAR/SOUTH OF THE INTERSTATE 70 CORRIDOR OF KANSAS...WHILE ALSO
DEVELOPING SOUTHWARD INTO A STRENGTHENING SOUTHERLY LOW-LEVEL
JET...TOWARD CENTRAL OKLAHOMA. STRONG STRAIGHT LINE WIND GUSTS ARE
EXPECTED TO BECOME THE PREDOMINANT SEVERE WEATHER THREAT...BUT ONE
OR TWO TORNADOES MAY NOT BE OUT OF THE QUESTION...IN ADDITION TO THE
CONTINUING RISK FOR SEVERE HAIL.


AVIATION...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL SURFACE AND ALOFT
TO 2 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 70
KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. MEAN STORM
MOTION VECTOR 29035.

[kbsooner]

I'm not suggesting don't go underground if you can. I want every home in Oklahoma to have an underground shelter. But if you don't have such a shelter, the very best place you can be is in your bathroom, in the tub. Wrap yourself up with blankets like a corndog if you can and throw something big on top of you. A mattress is usually what people say but that can be hard for some people to manage. Just about anything that will span the width of the tub will be better than nothing.

A tub is a great place as long it is not next to an exterior wall and its in a small bathroom. Once the roof goes, it is usually the exterior walls that follow. I believe the kids that were lost in the Piedmont F4 had taken refuge in the tub. If not in a shelter, you want as many interior walls between yourself and the exterior.

[venture]

Sid, the people who survived were either in the section with F3 damage, underground, or out of the way. The sections hit by the F5 were raked like a lawn mower. While it is absurd for people to get in their cars at the last minute, it is also dangerous to promulgate the idea that an interior room is safe refuge from an F5.

You do realize the only EF5 damage was at Briarwood Elementary right? EF4 damage was also fairly isolated in the grand scheme of things as well. Being hit by EF4 or 5 strength winds is going to be very rare.

Storms look to be taking on a complex a lot like last night.

Yup just as expected. Classic northwest flow. This is how June should be. Though I would much prefer seeing these in the daylight because the shelf clouds which these complexes can be Independence Day quality photo ops.

A tub is a great place as long it is not next to an exterior wall and in a small bathroom. Once the roof goes, it is usually the exterior walls that follow. I believe the kids that were lost in the Piedmont F4 had taken refuge in the tub. If not in a shelter, you want as many interior walls between yourself and the exterior.

Yup. As many walls between you and the outside if at all possible. For me that is the center hallway of my house. The bathrooms are all on exterior walls and the closets are too small or have a door facing an exterior wall.

[Anonymous.]

Watch out including OKC until 5am. Repeat of last night.

Good rains here people... Good rains.

[soonerguru]

You do realize the only EF5 damage was at Briarwood Elementary right? EF4 damage was also fairly isolated in the grand scheme of things as well. Being hit by EF4 or 5 strength winds is going to be very rare.

No, I didn't realize that. I just saw slab after slab where homes used to rest. Didn't see any closets or bath tubs standing. This was in the area around Plaza Towers.

[venture]

HRRR at 5AM

[venture]

No, I didn't realize that. I just saw slab after slab where homes used to rest. Didn't see any closets or bath tubs standing. This was in the area around Plaza Towers.

There is a lot that goes into getting an EF5 from damage. There may only have been a slab but if the homes didn't have anchors for the walls and such, then all of that has to go into it. I'm not minimizing the human impact here, we are talking about the science and factors that go into the rating.

[ou48A]

There maybe people surviving direct hits from EF 5 tornadoes but many of them are suffering serious injuries than in some cases are life altering in major ways.

Life altering injuries need their own category along with the death and injury rates.
I know of cases where the injuries put the person in wheel chair for life.
I’m not sure if the heath care cost are included in the total cost of damage but they need to be.
We can do a lot more to reduce injuries.

[OKCisOK4me]

Venture,

Here's a good one for ya. Now, obviously, I know that this was probably the fiction in the movie, but (like in Twister where Bill Paxton takes his leather belt and wraps it around the well pipes on the farm to keep them from being sucked into the vortex) would it be at all possible for some kind of belting system to be built into a tub. Like some kind of waterproof ports that you open to reveal straps that go from one side to the other to hold you securely in the tub?

Obviously, the tub would have to be well secured to the foundation and the tub itself would probably cost a lot, but could you see this as a possibility?

Also, reading past comments about bathrooms being along exterior walls...

Maybe it should be written within the building laws of Oklahoma that all newly constructed homes must have an interior bathroom if the house is not built with a storm shelter already in the plan. Considering a lot of homes are still built cookie cutter, then sold to individuals after being built, I think this would be a strong selling point.

[OKCRT]

Venture,

Here's a good one for ya. Now, obviously, I know that this was probably the fiction in the movie, but (like in Twister where Bill Paxton takes his leather belt and wraps it around the well pipes on the farm to keep them from being sucked into the vortex) would it be at all possible for some kind of belting system to be built into a tub. Like some kind of waterproof ports that you open to reveal straps that go from one side to the other to hold you securely in the tub?

Obviously, the tub would have to be well secured to the foundation and the tub itself would probably cost a lot, but could you see this as a possibility?

Also, reading past comments about bathrooms being along exterior walls...

Maybe it should be written within the building laws of Oklahoma that all newly constructed homes must have an interior bathroom if the house is not built with a storm shelter already in the plan. Considering a lot of homes are still built cookie cutter, then sold to individuals after being built, I think this would be a strong selling point.

You been watching way too much Tv. Might as well tie a rope around your neck and hook it to the toilet because you will end up with the same results.

[venture]

Venture,

Here's a good one for ya. Now, obviously, I know that this was probably the fiction in the movie, but (like in Twister where Bill Paxton takes his leather belt and wraps it around the well pipes on the farm to keep them from being sucked into the vortex) would it be at all possible for some kind of belting system to be built into a tub. Like some kind of waterproof ports that you open to reveal straps that go from one side to the other to hold you securely in the tub?

Obviously, the tub would have to be well secured to the foundation and the tub itself would probably cost a lot, but could you see this as a possibility?

Also, reading past comments about bathrooms being along exterior walls...

Maybe it should be written within the building laws of Oklahoma that all newly constructed homes must have an interior bathroom if the house is not built with a storm shelter already in the plan. Considering a lot of homes are still built cookie cutter, then sold to individuals after being built, I think this would be a strong selling point.

I don't think it would matter. Paxton and Hunt surviving the "Growling Terror of Wakita" would have probably been punctured a few times by flying debris.

However your tub strap example...it's going to come down to the type of tub and where it is located to even be effective. If mine were in the center part of the house, I'm still not putting much faith into the fiberglass tub.

Easiest way to make it easy is just put safe rooms in the build code to put one in the center part of the house and call it good.

[venture]

Damaging wind is increasing in the NW...will move towards OKC in the next few hours.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN NORMAN HAS ISSUED A


* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
EXTREME NORTHERN ELLIS COUNTY IN NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA...
HARPER COUNTY IN NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA...
CENTRAL WOODS COUNTY IN NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA...
NORTHERN WOODWARD COUNTY IN NORTHWEST OKLAHOMA...


* UNTIL 115 AM CDT


* AT 1207 AM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM LOCATED 8 MILES WEST OF BUFFALO...MOVING EAST
AT 45 MPH.


HAZARDS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...
DESTRUCTIVE WINDS IN EXCESS OF 75 MPH...
QUARTER SIZE HAIL...

[venture]

Storm model guidance has the main existing complex move east over Northern OK. Then a 2nd complex firm up behind it and move SE. Looks like this 2nd one, if it forms, could back a good punch by rush hour.