A Mind Blowing Experience

By Jana Foggan; Edited by Angela Fontenot

As the dark storm clouds began to fill the skies, everything suddenly became quiet. People began to see clouds spiral out of the sky into a funnel and makes its way towards the ground. At that moment people become worried and prepared to take immediate action once the tornado started on its treacherous path.

Tornadic Storm in Hammond

NOTE: This video was filmed for experience purposes ONLY! DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!

One of the key steps in the event of a tornado is taking shelter. Much of Louisiana is known for being under sea level and it is nearly impossible to have basements unless people lived close to Mount Driskill in the north central portion of the state. Otherwise, the best idea to be protected from the storm is to get into the lowest level of a structure such as a closet or the interior of a bathroom, and cover up to protect from debris.

Tornadoes, like hurricanes, are a form of nature’s most destructive phenomenon known to man. While tornadoes are not frequent, it is still good to know enough about them, including the necessary preparations.

Tornadoes tend to scare most people, but at the same time, they can be quite exciting for thrill seekers.
Skywarn storm spotter Autumn Hartman says, “My first thoughts are I go grab the camera and get outside to spot and take pictures.” Tornadoes amaze some people; however, if they get too close the experience can be quite frightening.

When storm chasers are viewed on television, they are viewed as asking to be killed in the most serious of situations. Although they show no fear on the camera, the anxiety is definitely bottled up inside. “I think the scariest moment is when it gets very quiet and calm," said Hartman. "You stand there looking around, and then from out of nowhere you begin to hear the winds pick up and the rain begins to pour.”

Tornadoes are quite unpredictable. The storms can cause people to have a sense of panic and worry.
Kansas resident Ashley Wilson stated, “Prior to, you feel concerned about the weather as you are anticipating the worst at the same time."

Tornadoes are known to stay on the ground anywhere from a few minutes up to hours depending on the severity of the storm. People look for the light at the end of the tunnel once the storm has passed.
Hartman stated, “I feel calm because that means most times I can finish what I was doing earlier or go to bed.”

As we gain a better understanding of how tornadoes behave, it is also good to know the psychological factors that come with experiencing storms.
People may experience several different things during tornadoes and severe storms, but what matters the most is that they are prepared and aware of the factors before, during and after the storm.

It's Not Just Kansas Anymore

By Jana Foggan and edited by Alexandra Hedrick and Terri Taylor

Everyone knows the catchy tune of “Dixieland” as a song of pride of the South. When skies begin to thicken with strong storms, hail and bubbling, dark green clouds, anyone can bet that once the few sirens or severe weather alerts ring, they definitely would not wish they were "away down south in Dixie.” The reason that people feel this way about incoming severe weather in the southern part of the country can be described in two words: Dixie Alley, located in the southeastern United States.

Dixie Alley, located in the southeast, appears to be the latest target for tornadoes in the United States. The name Dixie Alley derived from a devastating tornado outbreak that occured in 1971 in the Mississippi Delta, which caused several tornadoes to rip through the Southeast.

Dixie Alley is relatively smaller in size compared to Tornado Alley and is located in the heart of the Southeast. The area includes Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and the upper Tennessee valley in northern Alabama, all of which comprise Dixie Alley's "hot spot."

Another quality of Dixie Alley is that on average, more tornadoes touch down in this region than anywhere else in the country. According to ABC 33 meteorologist James Spann, Dixie Alley has twice as many killer tornadoes in the region which may be based on the inhabitants of the area.

Dixie Alley also sees more tornadoes year-round. However, these tornadoes are mainly in the fall and winter months due to intense frontal systems that pass through the area, causing a great deal of damage and cooler temperatures.

A vast majority of the country hears about tornadoes touching down or being spawned off of supercell thunderstorms in Dixie Alley more frequently than those that occur in the plains of Tornado Alley. In the Southeast alone, there were more reports of EF-5 tornadoes, the strongest and most violent on record from a scale of zero to five, between January 1950 and October 2006.

Forrest Lambert from Extreme Weather Storm Chasing said, “There’s three, not four ingredients. The thunderstorm is the so-called mom to the tornado. That would be called the thunderstorm offspring. The three ingredients are moisture, instability and lift.”

When it all comes down to it, Dixie Alley really is not all that different from the midwestern Tornado Alley. The main differences are the locations of the two, their population barriers and time of year that tornadoes are apparent.

Spann said the number of the most violent tornadoes ranging from EF-3 to EF-5 is about the same in both regions. Both have frequent tornadoes during November and December and strong tornadoes that occur at any time, especially during the evening and overnight.

“Dixie Alley sees more powerful tornadoes in the fall and wintertime than Tornado Alley sees in the spring and summertime,” Lambert said.

One of the most important factors that come with severe storms and tornadoes is the devastation left behind. Most tornadoes strike in Dixie Alley during the late night hours and catch several people off guard. Tornadoes are most likely to strike where there are manufactured homes in densely populated areas, leading to higher fatalities with little or no warning.

Even though Louisiana is not known for tornadoes and severe weather besides hurricanes, it is still important for the public to learn more about the atmosphere as well as the area they live in, especially down in Dixie Alley. Tornadoes are also likely to strike even when there is a slight chance for them to occur in the area.

Whether the time of year is at the dead heat of the summer or with the ever -- changing fall weather, people in Dixie Alley can really afford to let their guard down. Once residents of Dixie Alley become more aware and make the proper preparations for these dangerous storms, they will enjoy life “living in the land of cotton."





Dixie Alley Story on NOLA.com

Tangipahoa: The Tornado Target

By Jana Foggan; Edited by Amanda Lee and Kali Johnson



HAMMOND-Strong, violent thunderstorms passing through the area make a path for dark green skies, which is unusual for several people. All is quiet, except for the emergency alerts heard on car radios and television sets. For miles, nothing is in sight until a medium-sized funnel cloud appears and starts twisting and rotating to the earth below.

Jana Foggan-Cumulonimbus clouds, or thunderheads (shown here), is the start of most tornadoes.

This image is one generally seen in the event of the most violent natural disaster known to the human race: the tornado. Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that extend to the ground from the most severe thunderstorms on our planet: the supercell thunderstorm. While Louisiana is not located in the Great Plains region, the state has seen its fair share of violent thunderstorms as well as tornadoes.

During the regular tornado season, storms tend to form during the spring and summer months. In Louisiana, storms can form anywhere at any given time. The hottest spot in the state tends to be Tangipahoa Parish located in southeastern Louisiana.

Natives of Louisiana can say that they have never seen or heard a tornado up close and personal, but Paula Brooks, 2007 Southeastern Louisiana University alum, has had her fair share of experiencing the wrath of Hammond's weather during her time at Southeastern. "I often hear of tornadoes in areas near water such as Orleans, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Lake Charles," Brooks said about the tornado hot spot regions.

While tornadoes are not as common in the Southeast as they would be in Oklahoma, Texas, or Kansas, it is still very important for the people of Hammond and surrounding areas to know about these vicious storms and the necessary precautions needed in the event of a storm. People who live in the Great Plains could tell all of the warning signs, but very few could tell you warning sights and sounds other than from the television alerts. Brooks stated, "The sky is often strange looking, dark, and funny colored when there is a danger of tornadoes. Large hail can often be an indicator as well. Low swirling clouds are definitely a tornado in the making."

From Brooks' experiences with commuting to and from Southeastern's campus from Gonzales and Baton Rouge, the sights and sounds of a tornado in progress can be amazing yet frightening. Tornadoes often leave people wondering what they should do or where to go since no one in the state, especially in and around Hammond, have basements they can run to for safety. "Tornado awareness is very important because it can save someone's life. It is important in the Hammond area because Tangipahoa is often affected by severe weather and tornadoes, and there are thousands of students on Southeastern's campus. Tornadoes usually occur with little or no warning so it is important for people to know what to do and where to go when one is approaching," said Brooks.

The advice given by Brooks should not be taken for granted, especially if students, faculty, and life long residents are in the Hammond area. Louisiana does not have warning systems such as sirens as several people would find in the Midwest, but Brooks suggested excellent methods that could save more lives not just for people in Tangipahoa but for those living elsewhere in the Southeast and throughout the country where tornadoes are not as frequent. "Towns should have an alarm system that sounds when a tornado is approaching. The emergency broadcast system is a good method of warning the public through television and radio. People should stay indoors and avoid going outside and seek shelter behind walls and avoid rooms with glass," Brooks said.

It may be easy for natives to take notice to the tornado warning signs, but for some individuals, it may not be as easy. There will always be a group of people in particular who may not be able to get out or know where to go in case a tornado strikes. In that group of people, Brooks states that the elderly, those who live in mobile homes and trailers, and the physically impaired are at the greatest risk during these storms.

Several people never knew that Tangipahoa in particular was a magnet for tornadoes in Louisiana. However, everyone living in the entire state should take heed to the warnings and signs in order for them to be safe and know exactly what to look for. Tornadoes may not be as common here, but as time moves forward, the storms will be more frequent, and more eyes should watch the skies and be prepared as Tangipahoa Parish continues to be a tornado target.


NOLA.com story