Weaker Tornadoes a Saving Grace for Many Near Dallas

Apr 6, 2012; 2:40 PM ET

 

Meteorologists tracked a sight they never want to see on Tuesday: rotating thunderstorms moving into an urban area.

A national audience watched in shock on April 3, 2012 as tornadoes ripped across the Dallas/Ft. Worth metro area. Many feared a repeat of the destructive and deadly tornadoes back on March 2nd in Kentucky and Indiana.

A month ago, an EF-4 tornado leveled houses and destroyed a local high school in Henryville, Ind. In a relatively rural area, these storms took a tremendous toll.

With tornadoes dropping from the sky near a major city with millions of residents, tension and fear ran high early Tuesday afternoon. Fortunately, there were no fatalities from these tornadoes.

However, the tornadoes did cause significant structural damage in some Dallas/Ft. Worth suburbs, such as Kenndale, Arlington, and Lancaster. East of Dallas, the strongest tornado of the day produced EF-3 damage in Forney. Many watched, on live TV, as truck trailers were sent flying through the air near I-20 south of Dallas.

The common denominator amidst all this chaos? Minimal injuries and no lives lost.

"Luck always plays a role but that fact is the timely watch and warnings from the NWS, from the local television and radio meteorologists, and from AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions to our commercial clients are largely responsible for this happy outcome," Mike Smith, CEO of WeatherData said.

Great warnings were not the only reason for the positive outcome.

"These were not strong tornadoes," stated Henry Margusity, AccuWeather.com expert senior meteorologist.

While intense in their own right, these storms did not spawn the massive, grinding tornadoes that ripped through Indiana and Kentucky in early March. And they were nothing compared to the monster tornadoes that destroyed Tuscaloosa and Joplin last year.

RELATED: Infographic: The Enhanced Fujita Scale.

The April 3, 2012 tornadoes were survivable, especially with basic knowledge on what to do when a storm bears down on your house.

As you can see from the photograph comparison below, there is a huge difference between EF-2 and EF-4 damage. The photograph on the left shows damage associated with the EF-2 tornado that moved through the Arlington suburbs on Tuesday. Roofs have been ripped off houses, some walls have fallen in, but clearly most rooms in these houses remain intact. As long as residents were away from windows and exterior walls, they remained fairly safe from the estimated 135 mph winds outside.

The image on the right shows what was a home in Henryville, Ind., after an EF-4 tornado blasted through the town last month. Every wall has collapsed, including the interior rooms that are recommended for shelter during an emergency situation. Most of the building has been has been scattered like toothpicks across the yard and field surrounding the house.

The above images compare structural damage from the Arlington EF-2 tornado and the Henryville EF-4. Both photos are from National Weather Service damage surveys.

What Should We Take From This?
Every tornado is dangerous, and poses a potentially life-threatening risk to anyone in its path. But you stand a much better chance of survival if the tornado is weaker. Warnings, sirens and news alerts are all excellent ways of staying informed about where a tornado is and what to do if you will be affected, but sometimes, they can only do so much.

EF-4 and EF-5 tornadoes can destroy even the strongest of buildings, and unfortunately the safest location someone can go to sometimes may not be safe enough.

After the damage is cleared and life is restored to normal for folks in the Dallas area, the most memorable story from April 3, 2012 could be a single word: zero. Zero fatalities in a situation that could have been far worse for millions in the path of mother nature's fury.

By Mike Charnick, Meteorologist

Weaker Tornadoes a Saving Grace for Many Near Dallas