Starting in elementary school all US students are practicing tornado drills and how to stay safe during a tornado. I never imagined that it would become real. In recent years there has been a great number of tornado activity in our midwestern state and it seems like an anomaly. However, it indicates (with the frequency that this occurs) that tornado valley is in fact shifting.
Earlier today (Sunday March 30th) I was sitting with my boyfriend watching tv when my phone made the dreaded weather alert signal and then the tornado sirens started going off. We scrambled to get shoes on and grab our cat (who definitely did not want to go into her carrier and gave me some deep scratches). We went outside and then into our basement where we stayed for half an hour or more. Luckily, we were safe and nothing major happened, but it makes me think about the tornadoes that Michigan has seen the past few years. Like the detrimental one in Portage last year. This made me want to look more at the damage caused by tornadoes and why we are seeing more in Michigan than previous years.
According to the State of Michigan website my previous statement is in fact false. It states that we see about 15 tornadoes a year here in Michigan. However, like everywhere else the warning time for tornadoes is only 10 to 15 minutes. This is such a crazy amount of time. This barely gives people the opportunity to gather their families and get to a safe place. Furthermore, there is another issue with tornadoes in Michigan. Many houses are not built to sustain the extremely high winds that come with a twister. This is especially true for mobile homes. Mobile homes are popular because they tend to be cheaper and a good place for lower income families to live. But, they are not great against tornadoes. “A relatively weak tornado could blow past a well built home, but tear a mobile home apart.” This information comes from the National Weather Service as they attempt to debunk myths about tornadoes. One such myth talks about tornado size and shape determining its strength. The National Weather Service says that tornadoes' strength can only be measured by the destruction that it causes and a measurement of winds. This is such a horrible way to define the strength of a natural disaster.
I wonder what we will see in terms of tornadoes in the years that come. Will climate change impact the amount of tornadoes that we see here in Michigan or will the tornadoes become stronger and more destructive?
The above Image is from the Michigan Page for Severe Weather Awareness. It is a true depiction of how disastrous these monstrous storms can be.
Good tie into current and even local events. True, more extreme weather shifts are related to climate change. We see a lot of dramatic shifts in weather in Michigan so I wonder if those extremes will continue to grow.
ReplyDeleteWe will definitely have to watch and see where things continue to shift in the coming years. I am also curious about this, what will happen and how will climate change impact this?
DeleteI heard somewhere they are saying the tornado valley is shifting more north so we very well could see more. The effects were awful! And at the same time northern michigan is having a freak ice storm! We must keep an eye on our weather because it is no longer moving like clockwork.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I heard about this too. I did not focus entirely on that, But it is definitely something I would be interested in looking more into. It was so weird that the entirety of the state seemed to be impacted at once and in different ways.
DeleteI was also really scared too by the possible tornado near our school! It's wild to think how quickly things can change.
ReplyDeleteI feel you there. I saw a report of the gas station over on West Main being completely destroyed or at least knocked over by the winds. It is so scary.
DeleteI think records of tornado touchdowns are indicating that "Tornado Alley" is shifting eastward as weather patterns change on a broader scale, so I expect Michigan and the midwest to begin to see more of the destructive storms previously associated with Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, etc.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I live in the greater Kalamazoo area, so I was here for the May tornadoes that came through last year. My home was never directly in their path, but I could hear the low rumble of the tornados in the distance (it's true what they say about them sounding like a speeding train). It turned out there were at least three separate touchdowns in SW Michigan, and they did some serious damage. Some homes and businesses still haven't fully repaired, and in some areas of Portage especially, you can see how the tops of trees were snapped clean off and stripped of bark and leaves. Never got an emergency declaration somehow.
Thank you for your response. It is most informative to learn more about what happened in Portage last year. I knew it happened and it was extremely detrimental, but I never did enough research.
Deletethe last tornado that hit kzoo, I saw the damage and couldn't believe what I saw, how easily the trees got pulled up,mit wont stop until we change
ReplyDeleteI like how current this post is, it is crazy how the weather patterns have changed in michigan over the last couple of years.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy how much the weather has changed in Michigan a few years ago while I was home with my parents in Westland we had I believe 2 tornados near my house and we sheltered in the basement hoping they didn't pass over us.
ReplyDeleteI used to think Michigan was relatively safe from the effects of the climate crisis, with having fairly moderate seasons (although even that is under fire from climate change) and access to fresh drinking water. However, hearing that we are inching towards having out own tornado alley is extremely disheartening.
ReplyDeleteThe weather has been so terrifying lately. I've seen multiple videos of the ice storms that happened in northern Michigan on news platforms. The ice is so heavy that it is snapping trees, not just young skinny trees, but full-grown mature trees breaking under the weight. I've heard that the power and internet is still effected.
ReplyDeleteThis is concerning, especially because Michigan wasn't built to withstand the brunt of natural disasters. We have to become architecturally more sound to prevent the type of insurance claim fiasco that can happen when millions of trees crush houses, and gas stations topple over (as it did near my apartment this weekend with the 80mph wind gusts)
ReplyDeleteThe increasing frequency of tornadoes in Michigan raises concerns about climate change’s impact on severe weather patterns, highlighting the need for better preparedness and resilient housing structures.
ReplyDeleteIts scary seeing a rise in tornadoes and from your own experiences seeing what they can do.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experience, Olivia. I’m so relieved to hear that you, your boyfriend, and your cat are safe. It’s truly concerning how quickly tornado situations can escalate with such little warning time. I’ve also noticed the increase in tornado activity here, and it raises serious questions about the role of climate change. Your point about mobile home safety is especially important, we really do need greater awareness and stronger support systems to protect vulnerable communities.
ReplyDeleteA terrible tornado hit downtown Kalamazoo in 1980 - 12 years before I got here - and people were still talking about it. The frequency of tornadoes has been increasing due to climate change, causing spikes in home owners insurance in the Midwest.
ReplyDeleteI am a firm believer that tornado alley is shifting as well as the seasons. I was so surprised when coming to Kzoo to hear that we sometimes get tornados. I'd never heard of such a thing in Michigan. Just a couple weeks ago I was out on my porch, and they were practicing the sirens, I thought about how annoying it was but didn't realize a week or two later I would have to think about what I would do with two cats who hate being picked up. It's a scary thing and yet I feel like I would enjoy being a storm chaser.
ReplyDeleteI have luckily never witnessed a tornado myself though have been in areas of potential effect, upon reading this blog and with my current knowledge of climate change I am unsure if this will be true much longer. The fact that warning times are so short is terrifying, and I hope that advancements in storm tracking may change that soon
ReplyDeleteI remember the tornado drills, and I have even had to participate in a few here at western in the residence halls, as well as a couple tornado warnings. I feel like I have noticed the frequency of tornadoes increasing along with the rise of climate change effects.
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ReplyDeleteI appreciate that you made a post focusing on something that is affecting us right now - it really helps realize how real climate change is, especially when you think about the tornado that touched down in Portage last summer. I know that things have been terrible further south as well and that there was a tornado emergency (the most severe level of tornado warning) in Missouri with the recent bout of storms, not to mention the flooding.
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