How Long Do Tornadoes Last?

When you hear that a tornado is headed towards your area, your first thought is probably "how long do tornadoes last?"

Unfortunately, there is not only one time length that tornadoes last. Therefore, knowing how long you need to prepare to be in hiding for or how long after it starts you can venture out again are difficult assumptions to make.

You might see one touch down and dissipate after only a few seconds, leaving very little damage or evidence of its existence behind. However, at other times, tornadoes go full force and can last up to an hour, or even more on occasion.

In general, most tornadoes will not last for more than 10 minutes. You must be careful about venturing outdoors after a tornado has passed-or after you think that it has passed. Always make sure to check your local weather station or call an emergency hot-line to find out about any special precautions.

Path of a Tornado

When you ask how long a tornado lasts, perhaps you are not necessarily thinking about the time that it takes to pass all the way through. Maybe you are considering the physical amount of ground that is covered during the duration of such a natural disaster.

• At their shortest, tornados can be about 100 yards to one mile wide. For something that we consider to be so powerful, that distance is not incredibly great.
• Tornadoes are generally never anymore than 15 miles long.

Therefore, if you hear that a tornado is going to hit a town 30 miles away from you, you will probably not get the actual tornado. However, you could get other weather and there is always the chance that the tornado goes outside of its normal realm! You must always be prepared.

Tornado Safety

Now that you have read about how long tornadoes last for, you might be wondering how you should remain safe during that period of time. You should acquaint yourself with this information, especially if you live in an area where tornadoes often occur.

Here are some guidelines to keep you safe:

• Find shelter. If your home has a basement, go there. If not, go to the center of the house. No matter where you are, stay away from all of the windows and the doors. If you are outside, look for a sturdy structure immediately or get into a ditch or depression in the ground if no shelter is available.
• Pay attention to the weather warnings. Doing so will give you time to prepare.
• Bring water, first aid kit, battery operated radio, flashlight, extra batteries, canned foods, hand operated can opener, non perishables, work gloves, sturdy shoes, and instructions on how to turn off home utilities (if it is safe to do so) into your shelter.
• Contact local weather centers or emergency hotlines to see if they have tips specific to your area.

Figuring out safety measures for a tornado goes beyond just the actual time frame of the storm. You also must consider the dangers that lurk once the storm has passed.

• Electrical wires could have gotten knocked down and you might get electrocuted.
• Heavy pieces of debris could still be rolling around and you need to make sure that you do not get crushed.

The reason that tornado safety is included with the length of tornadoes is because you need to realize that just because you think that the physical storm has passed, that does not mean you can always just resume life as usual right away.