Tornado myths
From Freepedia
Twisters have become a source of some persistent myths. Even though storm chasing has been around for decades, artifacts of legend and lore tend to proliferate alongside mainstream scientific understanding. (See also the myths debunked section in the Super Outbreak article.)
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Bridges provide safe shelter
Highway overpasses are adequate shelter if a tornado approaches while you are on a road. False.
Sensational footage taken by a television crew hiding from a tornado under an overpass during the 1991 Andover, Kansas Tornado helped to convince many that bridges are good shelters when a tornado is nearby. The members of the television crew (and several other travelers) survived by huddling high underneath the bridge and bracing themselves against support columns while a weak tornado appeared to pass directly over the bridge.
In reality, when directly hit by tornadoes, the confined spaces beneath overpasses increase the speed of the winds due to the Venturi effect, and thus make them potentially less safe. In the case of the Andover tornado footage, it was discovered that the tornado did not pass directly over the bridge, but instead over the ground slightly south of the bridge and camera crew, exposing them to much weaker winds.
Houses explode due to pressure differential
Opening your windows during a tornado equalizes pressure and helps prevent property damage. False.
Since windows are typically the most fragile external feature of a house, they are in more danger from flying debris. Opening them during an active tornado wastes time and effort that could be spent on other, more useful protective measures. Homes do not "explode" when hit by a tornado, though it often appears so. Commonly, a tornado will break the windows first, allow strong winds to enter the home. These winds may then push on the underside of the roof upwards, blowing it off. Without the roof, the walls lose structural support and will often fall outwards. Observing the wreckage after the collapse may give the impression the house was pushed apart from the inside.
Tornadoes are attracted to trailer parks
Twisters are attracted to mobile homes. False.
Trailer parks consist of low-cost mobile homes with less structural integrity than traditional houses, and are typically in areas with few topographical features to limit the destructive effects of high winds. A weak storm that leaves little damage to well-built structures might devastate a trailer park. Mobile homes do not attract tornadoes, they are more susceptible to damage from them.
