Weather Fact Wednesday: Meteorological Myths

WDVM
·2 min read

It seems that many facets of life have myths, folklore, and legends associated with it, with some of the most talked about, regarding weather. In today’s “Weather Fact Wednesday” segment, I take a look at some of the more famous myths in the world of weather.

To start us off, most people think that taping one’s windows with a big “X” before a hurricane strikes will somehow stop the window from shattering. False. In actuality, the shards can become bigger because they are being held together. Instead, put plywood or specific hurricane shutters over the windows.

Residents prepare for the arrival of Hurricane Franklin, in the port city of Veracruz, Mexico, in 2017. As a tropical storm, Franklin made a relatively mild run across the Yucatan Peninsula on Monday night and Tuesday, but on Wednesday it strengthened to a hurricane over the Gulf of Mexico as it prepared to pound a mountainous region prone to flash floods and mudslides with heavy rains. (AP Photo/Felix Marquez)
A motorist drives through flood waters in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)
A motorist drives through flood waters in Hammond, La., Friday, March 11, 2016. Torrential rains pounded northern Louisiana for fourth day Friday, trapping several hundred people in their homes, leaving scores of roads impassable and causing widespread flooding.(AP Photo/Scott Threlkeld)

Another common thought is that heavy vehicles, like SUVs, are safe to drive through flooded waters. False. I’ve been forecasting for over 25 years and I’ve heard a lot, but this one seems to stick out like a sore thumb. Most people do not realize that just a couple of feet of water can float most vehicles, including SUVs. If the water is moving rapidly, vehicles can easily be swept away. This is why the National Weather Service came out with the saying, which you’ve heard a ton, “Turn around, don’t drown.”

A drives moves through flood waters left behind by Hurricane Harvey, Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Aransas Pass, Texas. Harvey rolled over the Texas Gulf Coast on Saturday, smashing homes and businesses and lashing the shore with wind and rain so intense that drivers were forced off the road because they could not see in front of them. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
(Photo Credit: AP/Darron Cummings)
(Photo Credit: AP/Darron Cummings)

Lastly, this next myth is good when you’re driving in a torrential rainstorm, but not for a tornado. Highway and interstate overpasses are safe shelters against a tornado. False. Overpasses can concentrate a tornado’s winds, making the wind significantly stronger. This in turn would put people under them, in an even more dangerous situation. There have been numerous accounts, unfortunately, of people being killed by seeking shelter under an overpass.

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