St. Louis weather has a reputation for being pretty dang unpredictable. You might need your winter coat for your morning commute only to be sweating by lunch! With so many sudden temperature changes, our city tends to get a lot of tornado warnings. While most of us are seasoned professionals at this point, it never hurts to go over a few reminders.
When to act
During a good old Midwest storm, it’s not all that remarkable to get a tornado watch alert. This essentially means that the elements are just right for creating a potential tornado. At this point, go over your safety plan, charge your phone, and have things ready just in case you need to duck into the basement or cellar. A tornado warning means a tornado has been spotted, and you are in its path. Basically? It’s go time.
Staying Safe
I know what you’re thinking, but no, you should not head to the front porch to try to spot a tornado. Instead, you should go to the basement or cellar if that’s an option. If not, go to either a hall or a bathroom on the lowest floor so you can be as far away from windows as possible. Wait there until the National Weather Service has called off the warning.
While many think there are ways to keep your windows tornado-proof, take it from the experts: the best thing to do is leave them be and move away. Some people say masking tape over the windows can stop any projectile objects, but this is absolutely false. Another myth is that opening your windows will lead to less damage by equalizing the pressure. Again, this is unfortunately not the case. Instead, opening the windows will allow damaging winds into your house while also forcing you to waste precious time in one of the most dangerous spots. Instead, leave your windows alone and move away.
If damaging winds do take a toll on your windows, give us a call. At St. Louis Glass Works, we know how to take care of the Midwest weather. Call us today to find out more.