Preparing an RV for Severe Hail and Tornado Threats

[John Stephens]

I have escaped hurricanes in our coach, but have never encountered bad weather while staying in it. We are presently in St. Charles County, northwest of St. Louis in Missouri, and weather is forecasted to be possibly the worst I have witnessed in my life. The area is in a Level Four warning, out of five, so this is serious. They say to expect baseball size hail and large, long-track tornadoes between 2 PM and 8 PM for our area. It is now 8 AM.

Here are my questions to the members who are more familiar with what to do in situations such as this:

Should we attempt to stay in the RV park we are in? We have FHU, but can disconnect quickly and take off if necessary. We are towing, and the car is presently parked behind the coach. We are in 370 Lakeside Park and are located approximately 100 yards from the lake.

If we should leave, where should we go? The area designated level four is large and will take hours to leave.

If we stay, should we pull in our slides? The wind is beginning to increase in speed now, and I can hear the slide toppers flapping. I'm afraid they may rip if the slides are left out. However, if the slides are brought in, it will make the coach less stable. This is a tossup in my mind.

I will appreciate any help anyone can provide to me in short order.

 

[UTTransplant]

Growing up in tornado alley (Oklahoma), your first task is to find the nearest tornado shelter. Once you know where it is, disconnect your hoses and cords. Bring in your slides. If you can get somewhere you are tail into the wind, that’s the best position. Don’t leave your toad connected since you may need it to get to shelter. Go to the shelter if you get a tornado watch; don’t wait for the tornado warn! A tornado warning means a tornado has been seen by a trained spotter, and you should already be in a shelter by then. We have been in a sever hailstorm with softball sized hail, and we did get damage to the MH and the toad. The MH had a fist sized hold punched into the front cap and two solar panels broken. The truck had a bunch of large and small dents. But don’t read anymore! Find where that shelter is located

 

[richclover]

 

[richclover]

I’ll second what UTTransplant said. That’s a big area to try to get out of.
I’d keep my toad ready to roll, packed with a few days of essentials.

 

[CamperAL]

Hello,

Most campgrounds have places to go for severe weather. See if they have a place of safety for the campers. Trying to outrun bad weather in your vehicles are not a good idea.

The weather you are experiencing is expected to come through Indiana later today.

 

[John Stephens]

Growing up in tornado alley (Oklahoma), your first task is to find the nearest tornado shelter. Once you know where it is, disconnect your hoses and cords. Bring in your slides. If you can get somewhere you are tail into the wind, that’s the best position. Don’t leave your toad connected since you may need it to get to shelter. Go to the shelter if you get a tornado watch; don’t wait for the tornado warn! A tornado warning means a tornado has been seen by a trained spotter, and you should already be in a shelter by then. We have been in a sever hailstorm with softball sized hail, and we did get damage to the MH and the toad. The MH had a fist sized hold punched into the front cap and two solar panels broken. The truck had a bunch of large and small dents. But don’t read anymore! Find where that shelter is located

Pam and Kevin, thanks for the advice, but I'm ahead of you, having already found where the closest safe spot is located. The park has two bathhouses that have been designated safe places, and they will take our three large dogs in an emergency. I grew up in the Midwest and have had two tornadoes come through my backyard, so my lack of experience is with what to do with the coach in times like these.

I have drained my black tank and disconnected the sewer hose so it doesn't flap in the wind. I have also brought in my two driver's side slides because that is the side the wind is coming from. Your advice is slightly off-base regarding the tornado watches and warnings because we are already under a tornado watch for the entire area, and it will be several hours before the fun begins. We were instructed by the park to wait to go to the bathhouses until park security tells us to evacuate, and that won't happen until a warning is given.

I'm leaving my electric and water connected until the winds get worse, and I'm leaving my dining room slide out on the leeward side of the coach. Unfortunately, I can't turn the coach so it is tail into the wind. I'm leaving my jacks down for increased stability. If anyone disagrees with these actions or inactions, please explain why so I can make an informed decision.

 

[Kirk]

Unfortunately, I can't turn the coach so it is tail into the wind. I'm leaving my jacks down for increased stability. If anyone disagrees with these actions or inactions, please explain why so I can make an informed decision.

Since you are not able to put the tail into the wind, you are moving in the right direction. I would use to jacks to lift it as much as possible from the chassis to stiffen the movement. I would also fill the freshwater tank and at least partially fill the waste tanks as well to make the rig just as heavy as possible. More weight makes it more difficult for wind to move it. ASAP I'd bring in all slides as the wind can switch directions as the front passes and wind gets under the slides to make it less stable. Remember that the stability comes from the jacks and suspension where they touch the ground so things that widen the RV beyond where it has contact are bad. Make sure that anything which can be blown around is inside or if not yours, moved away from the RV. (I grew up in Kansas with tornadoes. Resided in north TX since 1989.)

 

[TheBar]

I also grew up in Oklahoma. In an RV always drove to avoid tornados when possible. Tornados are serious even if you are in a shelter which aren't always that well built. And there's always a chance of being trapped in one from debris blocking the entrance.

If you care about your RV I would head for Topeka, KS ASAP. Looks like it will stay clear according to future radar projections and you should have time to get there.