Our attempt to protect the tow vehicle
Our Close Encounter With A Tornado Storm
We had just finished dinner and I was picking up trash left by less thoughtful campers around our campsite at North Carlson Lake, located in the rural farm country of western North Dakota, when a truck passing by circled around and approached me.
The gentlemen in the truck informed me that a large thunderstorm was approaching and weather alerts had predicted winds up to 60 MPH and hail. I asked him what size hailstones were predicted, but he didn’t know.
I thanked him and he proceeded down the campground where he spotted our friends who were out for an after-dinner walk and informed them as well. He even offered the use of one of his outbuildings for shelter from the storm if we wanted to drive about a mile up the road to his farm.
Once our friends returned we discussed what to do and used weather apps to view radar images of the storm on our smartphones. The colors of the radar echo showed nothing more severe than a storm we would experience at home in the Pacific Northwest, where we never experience large, vehicle-damaging hail storms, so we decided to stay put and “watch the show.”
The tail end of the storm
Camping in the middle of a tornado storm
As we were watching the storm approach, we spotted a large two-engine airplane emerge from the menacing clouds. My friend commented that it looked like one of those airplanes that he sees on storm chasing shows on TV.
No sooner had he said that when the plane made a sweeping turn and reentered the storm. Taking the farmer’s warning a little more seriously, we used the mats we normally have under our awnings to cover the hoods and roofs of our tow vehicles in the hopes it would prevent damage if we were to experience large hailstones.
The storm arrived over us dropping heavy rains with only moderate winds and no hail. No sooner had we thought we were “in the clear” then tornado alerts from the National Weather Service started going off on our smartphones informing us to “Take Shelter Now.” The only form of shelter anywhere in the campground or surrounding area was a concrete vault toilet with a side for Men and a side for Women.
The rainbow after the storm
Fortunately, it was still daylight and we had a clear field of view if a tornado were to approach or descend upon us, so we stayed in the RVs diligently watching, hoping to not need to use the bathroom!
The storm luckily moved on with no damage to life or vehicle, leaving us with one more adventure in RVing to share with you.
For those of you that find yourself RVing through tornado country, I suggest you read this blog entry to prepare yourself.
See also: Insane Video Shows Tornado Flipping Over RVs In Storage Lot
Dave Helgeson’s many roles in the RV industry started before he even had a driver’s license. His grandparents and father owned an RV dealership before the term “RV” had been coined, and Dave played a pivotal role in nearly every position of an RV dealership. He and his wife Cheri launched their own RV dealership in the Pacific Northwest. The duo also spent 29 years overseeing regional RV shows. Dave has also served as President of a local chapter of the Recreational Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA), worked on the board of advisors for the RV Technician Program of a local technical college, and served as a board member of the Manufactured Home and RV Association. Dave’s reputation earned him the title of “The foremost expert on boondocking,” bestowed by RV industry icon, the late Gary Bunzer (The RV Doctor). When he’s not out boondocking, you’ll find Dave in the spotlight at RV shows across the country, giving seminars about all things RVing. He and Cheri currently roam in their fifth travel trailer, with Dave doing all the service, repair and modifications to his own unit.
I was caught in a tornado long ago. Was traveling an interstate in Indiana when a storm came up. Stopped under an overpass and parked the motorcycle then climbed as high up under the road deck as I could get. Watched the winds pickup the motorcycle from it’s stand and drop it back down. Debris was flying by in a blur. Then it was gone again,, mere moments for the whole event. Watching the seven hundred pound bike lift is as the close as I care to ever be to a twister.. I remember the many corn stalks littering the highway.
While camping with our rig I get nervous when storms are brewing……. usually hook back up thinking the whole rig together would be safer somehow. Dorothy knows…………
Hi Dave,
When was this ??
The evening of August 12th
We went through a tornado in summer 2019 in TN. We never got an alert for a warning,only a thunderstorm. Was a scary few moments being in an RV. . Lucky no damage but all around us had damage.
We went through a hailstorm in Colorado a few years ago that busted the roof vents to pieces as well as knocking out the skylight for the shower. It was 30 minutes of absolutely terror.
we just lost our 2 month old 5th wheel to a tornado. in lacona iowa. no injurys.
We read your article with interest as we too lived through a tornado producing storm in Wrightstown Wisconsin on July 20 of this year. We too heard the alerts on National Weather Service. We took shelter in the parks clubhouse. I will not mention the park but will tell you they were not prepared for what happened.
We had reports of 4 tornadoes approaching. When it hit, the park went into “gray out”, meaning the winds and rain completely obliterated the ability to see more than 50 yards or so. It passed in less than 2 minutes. When it was over we saw multiple trees down and multiple trees with their tops gone. Debri was all over the park. Electricity was gone as was water. Two RV’s had tree limbs in their roofs. We were spared except for a night with no electricity, no generator and a guy next to us that ran his generator so close our carbon Monoxide alarm went off in the trailer. It was our worst night of our trip and we have now been on the road since May 28th.
We are still on this trip as this is written. I am riding my bicycle across the US and my Sweetheart is driving support and pulling a 23″ Solair Travel Trailer. In 2 days we will end this epic journey in Brunswick Maine.
Video of the trip and specifically the storm’s aftermath is on YouTube. If there is interest, simply search YouTube using my name.
Tom Standley
Tornados suck! If you find yourself on the road with one, try to determine its direction of travel and attempt to drive 90° to it.
Our first year out from Washington State in 2010 found us at wonderful Wompatuck State Park, about 30 minutes south of Boston. Hurricane Earl was predicted to slam through and the park was subsequently emptied and closed. Hmmmm, where to place our 34′ Gulfstream and tow car?
We motored into Hingham, one of many charming Mass towns, poking around sturdy looking buildings. When we came upon the brick Masonic Lodge we pulled over and approached those doing maintenance on it. As my husband is a Mason they were delighted to tuck us up behind and next to, the Lodge. Plugged us in, offered the use of their shower – wonderful folks.
Luckily the hurricane petered out – tons of heavy wind and rain though – and all was well. Take careful precautions.
Sometimes it’s hard to avoid a storm. But staying to watch it could be the last thing you ever do.
The stories here are the success stories. These are the people who survived, and I’m happy they did.
But you might not be that lucky. Know that you can’t out-drive a tornado, because they twist and turn. Sticking yourself up under the overpass during a tornado actually exposes you to more wind than lying flat in a ditch.
Our friend still mourns the loss of her brother in the Springfield, MO tornado. He drowned in water and mud in his car when he was flipped into a ditch upside down. He thought he was out-driving it.
Whether it’s straight line winds, hail or a tornado, why chance it? By the time the storm arrives your visibility is so reduced you can’t tell where the “sturdy building” is. Those of us who live in Kansas don’t rush to the basement the minute the sirens go off. But we don’t sit outside when we can take shelter.
My DW and I have been through tornados.
In December 2018. We were the only people in Brushy Lake in Sallisaw, Oklahoma. We were sitting in our Avenger 27RLS watching the walls bow in and out. The tornado was 4 miles away but the winds were 85 miles an hour. We finally ran to the brick restrooms to wait the storm out.
In July 2019a tornado again came into Sallisaw. My DW made us get into our 2019 Ram and get out of there,she did not want to go through that again. We rode that one out beside a big brick church. In March 2020 we went through Nashville at 2:00 in the afternoon.We were in our TT in Knoxville when the tornados hit.
Last year my wife and I were going home in our homebuilt teardrop from our week in Custer and the bad lands. we were heading east on I 90 through South Dakota when we got the alert of heavy T storms and winds. Weather then reported a tornado on the ground five miles behind us and heading down 90 straight east. I immediately pulled into a rest area and took over driving from my wife. She wanted to stay put, but I knew at 70 MPH we would outrun it. We did, but blew a fuel pump near Rochester, MN, had to be towed, but fortunately we were allowed to spend Sat. and Sun night in the repair shop parking lot, until they opened
Monday morning, $1200 and off to home by 10:00.
As a native of Kansas, I was in a mobile home hit by a tornado in 1969.
Trust me when I say ” please respect the power of nature” !
Things can be replaced, but people can’t !!!