Bicycle touring safety in Tornado Alley

Greensburg tornado
by Osprey@flickr.com

Update: May 8 — “What Adventure Cycling Association says about tornadoes”

The tornado that quite literally wiped Greensburg, Kansas, off the map on Friday struck about 50 miles south of Larned, one of the longed-for stops on the TransAmerica bicycle route across the Great Plains.

While our hearts go out to those suffering in the twister's aftermath, let's consider some ways to stay safe in tornado country while pedaling through on bicycle tours.

Exposed

First, the safest locations touted for shelter during tornadoes might not be available to bicyclists out on the open road. Time and again, the experts say that if you're caught out in the open during a tornado, the safest place to be is lying flat in a ditch or low area.

The ditch is safest because the danger from falling trees, slashing debris, powerlines and lightning is greater than the tornado itself. Keep your head down, and just be careful that the ditch doesn't fill with storm water.

Otherwise get to just about any kind of shelter — except for mobile homes, cars or other vehicles.

Safety tips on tornado websites say the best place to be is in a storm shelter (refer to opening scenes of the “Wizard of Oz”). Lacking that, a basement is a good place to be, especially if you can hide under a bench or table for protection against falling debris.

If you're stuck without a basement, the first floor of a structure is best, especially an interior room without windows. Finding a windowless ground-floor bathroom is best; crouch face down in the bathtub.

Where and when

While Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, South Dakota and eastern Colorado are generally considered to comprise Tornado Alley, NOAA reports anywhere east of the Rockies is likely to have tornadoes.

Numbers vary from year to year, but an average 800 tornadoes hit every year. Kansas and Texas led the list of reported tornadoes in 2004 and 2005, with Iowa coming in third. Kansas led the list in 2005 with 135 tornadoes.

There is no nationwide “tornado season,” but NOAA reports that regional tornado frequency is tied with the progression of the warm season. Starting in the south in February through April, most of Tornado Alley is active by mid-summer.

Tornadoes are related to strength of thunderstorms, and generally reach their peak in the afternoon and evening hours.

What to look for

If the weather is looking a little dicey while you're riding, check in on the radio for tornado reports. A watch means a tornado is possible; a warning means a tornado has been spotted and to take shelter immediately.

What's dicey weather? According to the Tornado Project:

— The sky turns a sickly greenish or greenish black color;

— A hail fall, combined with a watch or warning, is a really bad sign;

— A strange quiet that occurs right before or after a thunderstorm;

— Clouds moving by very fast, especially in a rotating pattern;

— A sound like a waterfall or rushing air, which becomes like a roar of a train or a jet;

— Debris being pulled upward.

Seek help

Don't be shy about seeking or asking for help. My friend and I pedaled through Kansas on our 1984 cross-country trip. An older couple we ran into said they were camping at the Nickerson city park when a neighbor stopped by to tell about a tornado watch and invited them to stay at the house. At first they declined, but the neighbor became insistent.

They were glad they finally agreed. Although there was no tornado, they made new friends and a hard thunderstorm hit and they were much happier inside. And they realized that riding out a tornado in a structure is much better than in a two-person pup tent.

More info

Some good links to check are the NOAA Tornado website, quick Tornado Safety Tips, and Tornado Project online.

Also check out the Storm Prediction Center at NOAA.

Images from Greensburg tornado disaster at Kansas.com