Spring in Texas means bluebonnets, warm days and, unfortunately, unwelcome menaces in the sky — tornadoes. An average of 118 tornadoes touch down in Texas each year, with more than half occurring in April, May and June, according to the Texas Almanac.

In the event of severe weather in the North Texas region, the UNT community can turn to several sources of information — including the UNT web site, official e-mail messages from the university, 88.1 KNTU-FM, NTTV and campuswide television monitors — regarding official severe weather warnings, storm tracking and building emergency plans. If severe weather moves into the Denton area, UNT community members should also listen for the city of Denton warning system located on campus.

Gus Myers, director of risk management for UNT, says when it comes to tornado dangers, UNT has two things in its favor — massive buildings and an emergency warning system. Speakers are mounted atop three poles on campus. The warning system is tested on the first Wednesday of every month, using the actual warning sound.

If a tornado is spotted near UNT, those speakers would emit a three-minute siren loud enough to be heard across the campus. When the sirens are sounded, Myers says, people on the UNT campus should go to the basement or the first floor of the building they are in. He advises people to seek shelter in an interior hallway or small room, staying away from windows and keeping their heads covered.

Specific tornado emergency plans are in place for campus buildings. Evacuation and emergency procedures are posted by building on the risk management web site, which is www.unt.edu/riskman.

Myers says tornadoes are rated on a fierceness scale from F-0 (winds 40 to 72 mph, toppling chimneys and breaking tree branches) to F-5 (winds 261 to 318 mph, lifting buildings off their foundations). Fortunately, Myers says, only about 2 percent of tornadoes are F-4 and F-5. Most are F-0 or F-1.

Still, it's wise to be prepared in the event of a tornado.

First, Myers says, it is important to know the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning. The National Weather Service issues a tornado watch when weather conditions are right for tornadoes to form. A tornado warning is issued when a funnel cloud has been spotted by a trained observer or detected on radar.

During a tornado watch, Myers recommends looking for clues in the sky, such as a greenish hue or a wall cloud from which a twister could drop. He also recommends listening to local radio or television news for tornado warnings. Denton city officials broadcast warnings through the city's cable TV system, interrupting all stations.

In the event of a tornado off campus, Myers advises the following:

• At home, go to a basement or first-floor bathroom, closet or other small, windowless room at the center of your house. Get under heavy furniture, if possible, and cover your head with blankets or pillows. Keep windows closed and stay away from them.
• If you're in your car, leave it. Never try to outrun a funnel cloud. Take shelter in the nearest sturdy building or get in a ditch, culvert or other low-lying area, or under a major bridge or overpass if no other shelter is available. Stay away from large trees and metal poles.
• The same applies if you're in a mobile home and have no storm cellar nearby. Mobile homes are easily tossed by winds and damaged by debris during a tornado.
• No matter where you are, determine where you need to go in the event of a tornado before you need to go there.

BY NANCY KOLSTI nkolsti@unt.edu

Other featured articles in this issue

• UNT plans second annual beautification day
• Cleanup continues at Clark Hall following small fire
• Regents approve honorary degree, authorize new athletic center completion
• Staff awards presented at sack lunch
• April brings University, Alumni Appreciation, Honors days
• UNT student is a Truman Scholarship finalist
• Faculty Senate hears provost's academic plan for future of UNT
• Division of University Relations, Communications and Marketing earns three national awards
• TAMS students are semifinalists in national science competition

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