Most folks think of spring when they think Texas storms. Fall gets a quiet pass. It shouldn’t. October and November are a second severe weather season around here, so a pretty 78-degree afternoon can turn into hail by supper.
An RV isn’t a house. That’s the big thing to get straight before the sky gets weird.
Know your alerts before you need them. Brazos County runs a free alert system through the Brazos Community Emergency Operations Center. Sign up at brazosceoc.org/alerts, and do it tonight, not during the storm. Your phone’s built-in weather alerts help too, but they’re only as good as your cell signal, and that gets spotty in a thunderstorm.
Watch versus warning. A watch means the weather could turn bad, so keep an eye on the sky. A warning means it’s happening or about to, and you move now. If you hear “tornado warning,” you don’t pack anything or wait to see it.
Where to go. Leave the rig. A tornado can roll an RV like a dryer lint ball. Head to a sturdy building and get into a small interior room with no windows, on the lowest floor. If there’s truly nothing, the City of Bryan says to find a ditch or low spot and lie flat, away from trees and overpasses. That’s a last resort, not a plan. Ask the office when you check in where the nearest solid building is, so you aren’t guessing in the dark.
Before the storm shows up. If you’ve got an hour or two of warning, here’s what’s worth doing:
Pull in the awning. Seriously, it’s the first thing the wind takes, and it takes the roof edge with it. Most folks bring the slides in too if the forecast mentions strong wind. Put the chairs, grill and bikes inside or underneath something. Fill the tow vehicle’s tank past half. Grab meds, phone chargers, the pet carrier and your paperwork in one bag by the door.
Hail. Hail doesn’t care what you drive. It dents roofs, cracks vents and wrecks AC covers. Covered parking helps if there’s any, but don’t park under a big tree that could drop a limb on you instead.
Flooding. Bryan has a flood early warning map called B-FEWS, which is a great thing to bookmark if you’ve got a low-lying spot. And don’t drive through standing water. It’s always deeper than it looks.
Lightning. Stay off the pedestal and away from the plumbing and metal walls until it passes. If lightning is close, unplug and wait it out.
Then comes the best part. The storm clears out, the air goes cool, and the sky turns a washed-out blue that makes you glad you stayed. If you’re in the area and need somewhere to ride it out, rest your shells with us.