Tornado Safety Tips Every Family Should Know

Ever watched those wild videos of tornadoes flipping cars and houses around like matchbox toys? These twisting columns of air can rip apart entire neighborhoods in minutes, with winds screaming past 200 mph in the nastiest ones. You can't stop Mother Nature's fury, but you sure can keep your family safe by knowing what to do when twisters threaten.

What Makes These Storms So Dangerous

Tornadoes happen when hot, sticky air crashes into cool, dry air during thunderstorms. This collision creates spinning motion that can tighten into those scary funnel clouds everybody recognizes. Tornado warning signs include a roar that sounds like a freight train, golf ball-sized hail, and that telltale funnel stretching from clouds to ground.

Weather folks use the Enhanced Fujita Scale to rate tornado strength from EF0 up to EF5. The EF0 twisters carry winds around 65-85 mph that can snap tree branches or rip weak siding and shingles from houses. But those monster EF5 storms? They're packing winds over 200 mph that can flatten brick houses and launch cars through the air like footballs.

Here's something to keep in mind: most tornadoes crawl along at about 30 mph - roughly the speed you'd drive through your neighborhood. But don't get any bright ideas about outrunning one! These things change direction without warning, speed up to 70 mph, or sometimes just park themselves and spin like crazy.