Staying safe during tornadoes
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
Two sheds by Stephen Vanzin’s pool in Mt. Pleasant Township were destroyed by Thursday’s tornado.
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
The tornado ripped part of the chimney off of Stephen Vanzin’s home in Mount Pleasant Township.
The master bedroom in Stephen Vanzin’s Mount Pleasant Township home was destroyed after a tornado ripped the roof off his home.
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
Ron Swope sorts through debris Friday morning after a tornado leveled the barn at Swope’s Berries & Bees in Hopewell Township.
Jon Andreassi/Observer-Reporter
Workers at the Cecchetti Farm in Hopewell Township attempt to salvage oats that were drained out of a silo destroyed by the tornado.
According to the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, Thursday’s severe weather included 10 confirmed tornadoes in the region, three of which touched down in Washington County.
So far this year, a total of 28 tornadoes have been confirmed in the NWS’s Pittsburgh forecast area, including 15 in the month of October.
The weather service noted that from 1950 through 2020, a total of 10 confirmed tornadoes occurred during the month of October.
“It has been a far more active season, with respect to tornado activity,” said Lee Hendricks, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh. “This year has been well above normal for Western Pennsylvania. We can’t really point a finger at why yet.”
Western Pennsylvania typically experiences four to five tornadoes a year, he said.
So, what can you do if you find yourself in a tornado?
The NWS provided the following tips:
- Listen to local news or purchase a NOAA emergency weather radio to stay updated about tornado watches and warnings.
- If you are at home when a tornado warning is issued, go to your basement, a safe room, or an interior room away from windows. Don’t forget pets, if time allows.
- If you are at work when a tornado warning is issued, follow your tornado drill and proceed to your tornado shelter location quickly and calmly. Stay away from windows and do not go to large open rooms such as cafeterias, gymnasiums, or auditoriums.
- If you are outside, seek shelter inside a sturdy building immediately if a tornado is approaching. Sheds and storage facilities are not safe. Neither is a mobile home or tent. If you have time, get to a safe building.
- Being in a vehicle during a tornado is not safe. The best course of action is to drive to the closest shelter. If you are unable to make it to a safe shelter, either get down in your car and cover your head, or abandon your car and seek shelter in a low-lying area such as a ditch or ravine.
Also, it’s important to be aware of the difference between a tornado warning and a tornado watch.
A tornado warning means a tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. Seek shelter immediately because there is imminent danger. Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If in a mobile home, a vehicle, or outdoors, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris. Warnings are issued by your local forecast office. They typically include a much smaller area – around the size of a city or small county – that may be impacted by a tornado identified by a forecaster on radar or by a trained spotter who is watching the storm.
A tornado watch means tornadoes are possible in and near the watch area. If a tornado watch is issued, the NWS recommends reviewing and discussing your emergency plans and checking supplies and your safe room. Be ready to act quickly if a warning is issued or you suspect a tornado is approaching. Watches are issued by the Storm Prediction Center for counties where tornadoes may occur. The watch area is typically large.
Also, the NWS and other agencies send out wireless emergency alerts to cellphones within a certain radius when a tornado, flash flood, evacuation order or other immediate emergency is happening, so make sure your cellphone or other mobile device is set up to receive them.
Hendricks pointed out that while tornadoes have gotten attention this fall, flooding and flash flooding are the natural disasters that cause the most damage and most loss of life annually in Southwestern Pennsylvania.