Obviously theres the given, stay low, get in a ditch etc.
But lets say Im out in a storm at night, should i stay under my tarp or should i haul my ass out in the rain and find some ditch to jump in? (no stupid questions lol)
I'm just looking for info that might save my life in these situations, I don't want to die from something I easily could have prevented.
Anyone know how to fight tornadoes?
Sorry I wasn't yet a member when you posted this. As a Storm Chaser, we are often caught out in the open during severe weather; however, being caught out on foot is really tough.
Lightning: Don't be the tallest thing around. Find cover. If you can't find cover; Get wet, the wetter the better, but don't stand, sit or lie in water. Why get wet? Lightning is conducted by moisture and will tend to travel along the wettest part of anything it strikes. If you are dry, and you get struck, the electricity will be conducted THROUGH you by your blood; but if you are soaking wet, the lightning will travel (hopefully) along your skin outside your body.
It is the same reason why some trees are struck by lightning and blow up; as opposed to some trees getting struck with no visible signs of damage. It all depend on the path the bolt takes. Stay away from heat sources and if in a group, spread out. Lightning is attracted by heat.
Power lines also can provide some protection, but don't stand directly under a power pole or power tower. Standing 50 feet away is a good distance.
If you are freight hopping, a boxcar with a wooden floor is an excellent place, but a grain hopper with it's metal floor is very bad. It actually is more dangerous than standing outside, because the metal will conduct the lightning and electrocute you. Trains usually stop during very severe weather, so standing 20 or so feet away should provide some protection from lightning.
Tornadoes: Tornadoes form in the left rear quadrant of Supercell Thunderstorms. You can spot them during lightning flashes at night, but don't rely on this. It is also common for hail to precede a tornado, but not always, and when close, tornadoes sound like the rumble of a speeding train, or large waterfall gush.
The best shelter is reinforced concrete or steel and low ground or underground is possible. A cave deep inside would be great! If there is nothing around, lay as flat as you can with some immovable object between you and the direction the tornado is come at your from. This can be even the ditch along side a dirt road or cement divider of a highway. If you have any kind of head covering put it on, and turn your head away from the approaching funnel.
If you are on a freight train, the Locomotive is the best place crouched in the bathroom. Pad yourself, because a strong tornado can tip over a locomotive. Do NOT stay in a railcar! Even a 100-ton fully loaded one is no match for a tornado. If you are directly in the tornado's path (You can tell this by the funnel appearing to grow in size but not moving) you could lay between the rails closest to the rail facing the tornado. This of course, assumes the train has stopped during the storm. Be aware that the wheels are NOT attached to the train car, so if it does tip, those wheels could roll off and crush you.
Make sure your backpack is OFF.
If you do have to lay down out in the open to avoid a tornado, make sure you lay down upwind of any heavy objects that could roll on top of you. This could be a stopped car, large boulder, or even wooden structure nearby.
I think that about covers it.