How to do deal with dangerous weather?

We are newbies and we are full-timers, the wife and are keeping a close watch on the dangerous weather in the midwest. We traveled north to stay clear but was wondering how others handle the dangerous weather. My biggest concern is the large hail and the damage that could cause and of course wind damage from tornadoes and high winds. Our strategy is to just move away from the weather and always have a plan B  to duck and cover under a gas station with overhead protection or underpass. We carry and NOAA weather alert radio, How do you all keep safe from the weather?

The owners manual for my 1995 Winnebago actually  had a section on that topic. It said to  always check the  weather forecast for where you are heading,  and to be aware of  changing conditions and especially of high water .

A weather radio is great for local alerts, but not so  much when travelling several hundred miles per day.  Weather Underground is a great app to have on your phone because it displays  extended, daily  and hourly  forecasts including wind speed and precipitation all on the same graph.

Stay safe 

Agree wholeheartedly on use of a good weather app and, to the extent possible, driving around and away from the bad stuff.
Also, when in a campground with lots of trees, I scope out areas that are not tree-covered so if high winds are forecast, I can temporarily move to get out from under the trees.  It really doesn't take a very big branch to poke a hole in the roof.  And a whole tree... well, that's just ugly.
As for hail, this sounds pretty silly, but it works for me:  four rubber bathtub mats fixed to windshield.  Use a spray bottle to spritz some moisture onto the window, then press down and smooth out so the suction cups on the bottom of the mats grab hold.  This wouldn't hold up in really high winds, but up until that point, it can help prevent some hail damage to your windshield glass.  Unless you are really tall, you need a good step-stool to reach the two mats in the middle.

I really like the bath tube mate idea. I think I will get some for the coach. We use Weather Apps. and I am always scoping out safe zones for high winds and Hail events. Has anyone experienced Hail damage and how did you go about getting repairs.

If you go online it will tell you that an underpass is one of the worst places to stay during a tornado. It would help for hail but be aware that hail can be a precurser for a tornado.

On one bad hail storm we were out in our car. Tried to find shelter under roof at gas stations but everyone else had already packed those areas out.

So, stay aware through apps and do your best to avoid the bad weather. Also be careful of rivers or streams that can flood from heavy rainstorms up river.

If the camp bathrooms are brick they can be a shelter if a really bad storm comes through.

As a person from the Midwest and who spent last night in Lawton, Oklahoma, I will just say.... If you can't out run the area in the RV, leave it.  The weather lately is more intense and unpredictable and it's just not worth it.  We spent last night in a local friends brick house, just to be safe.   The RV ended up fine and we lucked out.  A lot of the campgrounds in the Midwest also have storm shelters.  Otherwise I agree with everything that has been said above.. Just know also when weather seasons are and try to plan staying at them accordingly.  Such as not be in tornado alley (like us) during peaks seasons such as April-June.  Great weather app is good though, there's usually a pretty good heads up notice.  ☺️

 A good campground owner/manager is also very good to have. We stayed at the Rustic Barn Campground in Kieler, WI last summer. The manager showed us to our site. He then told us and the folks next to us that "some weather" was expected overnight. He went on to say that they will be monitoring and will bang on everyone's door to evacuate to the basement under the store if necessary. Then he finished by telling us what county we were in; very useful information if an alert is broadcast.

The campground was well groomed, clean, and very highly recommended after our stay! and the weather was calm that night...

Steve

A good campground owner/manager is also very good to have. We stayed at the Rustic Barn Campground in Kieler, WI last summer. The manager showed us to our site. He then told us and the folks next to us that "some weather" was expected overnight. He went on to say that they will be monitoring and will bang on everyone's door to evacuate to the basement under the store if necessary. Then he finished by telling us what county we were in; very useful information if an alert is broadcast.

The campground was well groomed, clean, and very highly recommended after our stay! and the weather was calm that night...

Steve

Good advice from a great campground. Was there years ago; glad to hear it is still going well

As for hail, this sounds pretty silly, but it works for me:  four rubber bathtub mats fixed to windshield.  Use a spray bottle to spritz some moisture onto the window, then press down and smooth out so the suction cups on the bottom of the mats grab hold.  This wouldn't hold up in really high winds, but up until that point, it can help prevent some hail damage to your windshield glass.  Unless you are really tall, you need a good step-stool to reach the two mats in the middle.

Good idea.


We have one of the 'wrap around' windshield covers -



and I have several of the  Uhaul furniture pads, as residents often throw them out after moving in. I use them for padding, and for 'give away' blankets when others are in need. With festivals, it happens more than you might think. So we generally have 4-5 with us at any time.

 

(https://www.uhaul.com/MovingSupplies/Packing-Supplies/Furniture-Pad/?id=2670) Buy them from U Haul for ~$8, NOT off Amazon for $15... 

I put one folded on the windshield, and then put the cover over. Has taken some pretty good winds (45-60 mph according to news) without coming loose. Dont know how well it works, we have never had hail since the camper arrived. 


For the top, I worry about the bathroom skylight, usually WAY after I have covered the windshield and the weather has come in already.    The 14x14 vents have the ventline covers over them, and they are flexible and tough. I know for a fact my large 8YO grandson  (~80 lb)  can stand on one without it breaking.

 He wont do THAT again.      Guess it was MY fault for not being clear on where he could go. 

great, advise I have a window shield and blankets and a cheap helmet to throw on if need be. I plan to stay ahead of the weather with apps and a NOAA weather radion and internet and keep out of harm's way as much as possible. thanks so much for the good advise

And carry a paper map! We were on the Natchez Trace years ago when tornadoes swung through the area. Our weather radio told us which counties were under alert. One was Transylvania County... Where the heck is Transylvania County? After much flipping of pages for adjacent states in our atlas we found it and settled back as it was well North and West of us. The alerts went on for a long time, always somewhere around us. Then they named our specific primitive, unstaffed campground with a fifteen minute warning. We pounded doors (and tents), got everyone into the block bath houses (with 4' skylights) and waited for the storm to rip through. The tornado skimmed over us and touched down a mile away. When we drove out, we could see where they had cleared downed trees off the road. We were very lucky. It was a wide spread, multi-state storm so driving out of it would not have been an option. It would have caught us on the road.

Our weather radio uses rechargeable batteries, can charge off an outlet, from it's little solar panel or by hand crank (lots of cranking). We carry spare batteries and a backup battery like you use for cell phones. Once charged, it can be used to charge your cell phone. Don't count on power from the rig. If you have to run for cover you want that radio, backup power, cell phone and map with you (as well as water, snacks, meds, and other emergency supplies... Pocket knife, matches, flaslight, first aid kit).

It can be challenging to know what county you're in when reports give warnings for certain counties. An app such as "Where Am I" will list the county you are in, besides an address and coordinates which can be useful if you have to call for help from somewhere. 

I forgot to include the fact we had no cell phone signal so an app would not have helped for that particular instance.