I have had my fill of the word “tornado” for a lifetime. In December 2021, a tornado outbreak brought a total of 71 confirmed twisters across the Midwest, in a span as far west as the northwest Arkansas/Oklahoma border, as far south as mid-Alabama, as far north as just southeast of Chicago in Indiana, and as far east as Maysville, Kentucky. Out of those twisters, a fairly large amount, including the EF4 that tore through Mayfield, Kentucky and the two EF3 twisters that affected the Bowling Green, Kentucky area, followed a northeasterly route from mid-Arkansas to northeast Kentucky, tracking way too close to the BangShift Mid-West headquarters for my taste. We got lucky. I’ve endured Pacific Northwest windstorms, derechos, haboobs (sandstorms), earthquakes, monsoons, floods, blizzards, mudslides, and one hurricane. I can handle most of them, but the tornados properly scare the hell out of me, because you can’t do a damn thing except prepare and hope you did enough. If you wind up in the path of a twister, whatever happens next is up to fate, or is in God’s hands, or…well, insert the phrase of your choosing here.
The last thing anybody should be doing when an active, known tornado system is rolling through the area is driving around in your vehicle. Take note from stormchasers who tail twisters for a living: they drive properly armored, built-up tanks. You don’t want to know what happens to the underprepared. But in case you were wondering, here’s a taste of what could happen. The driver of this Chevrolet truck got caught up in a twister that swept through Elgin, Texas a couple of days ago. Luckily, other than a couple of scrapes on his arm and a newfound love for life, the driver of this Chevrolet Silverado is okay. The Chevrolet looks like seven shades of hell, which is to be expected after being spun like a top on asphalt, but it did drive away.
Never underestimate what Mother Nature can send your way. You are small, you are light, and she will always win whatever fight you think you can manage.
The most common storm chase vehicle is the Toyota rav4. Most chasers drive tens of thousands of miles per year and need economy and awd in a pinch.