Surviving severe storms on the road

Life on the road presents many challenges, including reckless four-wheelers, cargo thieves and micromanaging dispatchers. But some drivers may not be prepared to deal with the most merciless and dangerous obstacle long-haul truckers face: Mother Nature.

June marks the final month of peak tornado season and the beginning of hurricane season, which runs through Nov. 30. Considering hurricane storm systems often produce tornadoes, a large swath of the United States is under the looming threat of severe weather for most of the year.

Drivers “weather the storm” all the time, but do you know what to do if suddenly caught in life-threatening severe weather you can’t escape?

A storm is brewing

A severe storm is defined as a thunderstorm that has winds of 58 miles per hour or greater, hail at least 1 inch in diameter and/or one that produces a tornado.

Nowhere in the country is immune to severe storms. However, Barry Bowers, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, told Land Line there is a higher concentration east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the Appalachians. The Interstate 70 and Interstate 40 corridors are particularly prone to nasty storms.

One of the most destructive weather events is a tornado. In addition to producing the highest winds on the planet, tornadoes are unpredictable, with just a few moments of notice before one strikes.

The area encompassing Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska is known as Tornado Alley. But Dixie Alley, which includes states in the Southeast, gets a large share of tornadoes. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Mississippi had the most tornadoes (117) a year on average from 2019 to 2023, followed by Texas (102), Alabama (96), Oklahoma (74) and Illinois (69).

Hurricanes also pose a threat of severe storms. Although forecasters can give the public a notice several days in advance, the outer rain bands of the storm system can produce tornadoes once it reaches inland. Hurricane Helene produced 33 tornadoes, for example.

Unlike tornadoes, the No. 1 killer that comes with hurricanes is the storm surge and flooding, not high winds. According to Larry Kelly, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center, water hazards account for nine of 10 hurricane fatalities.

The category of a hurricane, which ranges 1-5, is not indicative of how dangerous it can be. Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest hurricanes in the U.S., was a Category 3 storm when it hit New Orleans. Helene was only a tropical storm when it reached North Carolina, where 86 deaths were directly attributed to the storm, with flooding causing 78 of those fatalities.

Riding out the storm

What should drivers do if they find themselves in the middle of the highway during a severe storm that could produce a tornado?

Finding a sturdy structure in which to seek shelter is ideal, but that may not be possible when traveling along a secluded, rural stretch of the interstate.

Land Line reached out to Departments of Transportation in 11 states that experience some of the most tornadoes to find out whether storm shelters are provided along highways. Of the seven states that responded, only two provide storm shelters: Kansas and Texas.

The Kansas Turnpike Authority provides storm shelters at each of its six service areas along the 236 miles that make up the turnpike. There used to be tornado shelters at most toll plazas. However, most of those facilities have been removed as the state has transitioned to cashless tolling.

Texas has 30 rest areas in high-risk locations across the state. These provide 13-foot-by-11-foot storm shelters that can hold at least 20 people. In May, people took advantage of the storm shelter at the Bell County rest area during a tornado warning.

Although the remaining states do not have shelters specifically designed to withstand severe storms, rest area facilities are still sturdy structures and are better than no shelter at all.

The Texas Department of Transportation advises motorists not to park underneath bridges during a tornado. If no shelter is available when traveling through a severe storm, Bowers said getting into a low spot is your best option.

“If that’s your only option to protect yourself from flying debris and from the tornadic winds, you would want to use that as a last resort to get out of your vehicle and go into a low spot like a ditch or a ravine,” he added.

If truckers find themselves in the worst-case scenario of not finding a sturdy structure and if low spots are flooded, Bowers suggested staying inside the truck and getting as low as possible, making sure to move away from the windshield and side windows. Truck drivers have the fortunate advantage of a sleeper berth in this case.

Modern technology has greatly improved severe storm warning systems. Wireless emergency alerts allow government agencies, including the National Weather Service, to send warnings directly to mobile devices in affected areas, so make sure that feature is enabled. There is also a plethora of weather apps that provide real-time weather information.

Additionally, Kelly emphasized that making it through one storm doesn’t mean someone should drive through another.

“If you’re asked to evacuate by your local officials, please do so and try not to compare storms to what you’ve been through in the past, because each storm really is different, and they all bring different hazards,” he said.

So stay vigilant, stay informed and stay safe. LL