Why You Don’t Stay in Your Car During a Tornado

Apr 19, 2011; 11:44 AM ET

Folks, this is why you don’t want to stay in your car during a tornado. Note the signpost protruding from the back and the engine sticking out over the hood in the front. And this was a mere EF-1 twister with winds of “only” 100 mph. Imagine what an EF-5 with winds over 200 mph could do!

As Featured on AccuWeather.com Facebook

Read My Blog “Tornado Fact Check from the North Carolina Tornado Outbreak of April 16th 2011“

This photo was taken by the National Weather Service in Atlanta, Georgia, who described the storm thusly in their official report. This tornado was one of over 50 tornadoes confirmed (see links below) from the weekend outbreak.

“A National Weather Service survey team determined that an EF-1 Tornado touched down 7 miles east-northeast of Fort Benning at approximately 4:50 AM EDT on Saturday, April 16, 2011. The tornado had wind speeds up to 100 MPH with a path length of one quarter of a mile and a path width of 50 yards. The tornado removed one fourth of the roof of a dormitory on base along with portions of the exterior wall of the same building. This was the only building that was damaged. There were 30 trees downed by the tornado along with numerous cars that were flipped and damaged.”

*As of Noon Tuesday

More NWS Storm Surveys from this outbreak: National Storm Prediction Center (289 Tornadoes Reported – 261 In Two Days) | NWS Raleigh, NC (25 Tornadoes Confirmed) | NWS Columbia, SC (1 Tornado Confirmed) | NWS Atlanta, GA (3 Tornadoes Confirmed) | NWS Birmingham, AL (15 Tornadoes Confirmed) | NWS Jackson, MS (12 Tornadoes Confirmed)*