Should You Open Your Windows During A Tornado Now

In conclusion, the idea of opening your windows during a tornado is a dangerous anachronism, a piece of folk wisdom that has been refuted by decades of scientific investigation. The destructive power of a tornado comes not from a sudden pressure drop, but from the immense kinetic energy of its rotating winds and the cloud of high-velocity missiles those winds carry. Opening your windows invites this destruction inside, weakens your home’s structural integrity, and wastes the precious seconds needed to seek proper shelter. When the sirens sound and the sky turns green, your course of action should be simple and decisive: leave the windows shut, leave the doors closed, and put as many barriers between you and the storm as possible. Get to the basement, the bathroom, or the closet, and cover your head. The only thing that opening a window will do is open you to the very danger you are trying to survive.

Tornadoes often form and strike with little warning. The time you spend running around the house opening windows is time stolen from seeking shelter. Every second counts when a funnel cloud is bearing down on your location. If you are busy cranking open casement windows in the living room, you are not in your safe room. You are exposing yourself to a situation where you could be struck by debris or trapped in an exposed part of the house when the storm hits. should you open your windows during a tornado

To understand why the advice is wrong, we first need to understand the myth itself. The logic is based on the barometric pressure drop associated with tornadoes. Tornadoes are areas of intensely low pressure. As a tornado passes over a sealed house, the theory posits that the pressure inside the home remains high while the pressure outside drops drastically. This pressure differential creates an outward push on the walls and roof, theoretically causing the structure to "explode" outward. In conclusion, the idea of opening your windows