Springtime in Texas means keeping an eye on the sky

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.

According to Gus Myers, director of risk management for UNT, 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.

He 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 Fridays at noon, triggering a series of chimes from each speaker. The system is also 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 the University Union, the Eagle Student Services Center and other buildings.

Here's what Myers says to do in the event of a tornado off campus:

• 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. 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

• Coordinating board approves UNT College of Engineering
• Arts patrons give UNT College of Music $1.2 million gift
• Rogers' Story of North Texas updated
• MIT dean to speak at TAMS commencement
• Faculty Senate approves proposal about undergraduate admissions policy
• UNT faculty members offer seminars to local teachers
• Elm Fork Explorer's Camp planned this summer
• UNT professor aids in improving hospital food

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