Apparantly, chaos.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hatZnnGd_fQ

This is a semi related post:
I was at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet when the tornadoes were happening. Heavy rains had already stopped the racing on the track, so we were just running around the pits. Then we heard there was a tornado warning, but we didn't see one, so we didn't take shelter right away. I asked a security guard who worked for the track what the plan was, and he said the track didn't really have one. Luckily for us, the tornadoes were about 20 miles away and we were fine.

I had known throughout the weekend that there was the possibility for tornadoes at the track, so I already had a plan in my head. My plan was to run to the tower since there should be some kind of underground area in that, or take shelter in the bathrooms. These were the only permanent structures there, so those would be safest.

Moral of the story, if you know there is a possibility of severe weather happening, formulate a plan yourself before you get to where ever it is you're going. Don't wait for staff to tell you what to do. In the case of SFGAm, I would also say head for the bathrooms, or any other permanent, enclosed, strong, structure.

In the case of the video, I think it was really stupid for them to get in that underpass. That would simply act as a wind tunnel and blow them right out of it especially since there is nothing to hold on to in that. The plan to hide in Batman was an ok plan. If I was there, I probably wouldn't have been able to think of anything better.

And some tips in general in case you are near a tornado:
Find an enclosed structure immediately.
Make sure it is permanent.
Do not go to a car or trailer. The wind will get under it and the tornado will suck it up.
If no shelter is available, find a flat area on which you can lay flat. If you do it right, the tornado will pass right over you and you'll be ok (if nothing hits you). It would be ideal if you could find a hole or slightly dug out area.

HAHAHA...mass confusion and hysteria at theme parks, I LOVE it!



See, this is what's wrong with the NWS and the Media. They will issue tornado warnings for pretty much anything:,

A tornado is likely with a thunderstorm

A supercell thunderstorm automatically gets a tornado warning with only light rotation

If rotation is indicated on radar, a tornado warning is issued. (Rotation could be in the cloud itself, which usually doesn't produce a tornado)

If a tornado is with 20 miles of the county


None of these pose a significant threat worth causing hysteria for. What's worse is when a warning is issued, few even take notice because they believe nothing ever happens.



Another factor is location of the tornado. Tornadoes are frequent in Southern Will County, but not so much in Northern Will County (where I live). If a tornado is in Wilmington (which it was on Saturday), a tornado warning is issued for the entire county. Bolingbrook is 57 miles north of Wilmington, and was in no threat of it. So, I usually only take cover if Cook, DuPage, an Kane are included in warnings too.

I don't get why people went in the Batman the Ride line. I think the Dark Knight line, a store, or a bathroom would have been a better idea. The place where you are standing isn't a fully enclosed area.

Hey cool... that's my video. :)

I recorded it, because I thought I was going to get to see some backstage behind the scenes area of the park or something. It's not every day when a theme park fantatic gets to go through emergency procedures like this.

Unfortunatly, it turned into panic, because although we had been under a tornado watch that whole day and the park broadcast it, none of us knew where the tornado was when the warning was issued. CoasterAndrew is also right., and I knew that too. Tornado warning doesn't mean tornado is on the ground.

While taking shelter at Batman, I had to help calm down a few kids (the ones seen in the Batman queue). Many of them started crying almost to the point of a severe mental breakdown.

As for the shelter, I knew I had to be inside, but I was trying to follow Six Flags' plan because in emergency situations, the staff probably needed all the cooperation they could get, because often times people won't do what they say (like the guys who ran off towards the exit to get in their cars).

At the later half of the warning, they moved all of us out of Batman into the adjacent restroom, but after 3 minutes in there, we were given the all clear.

The whole ordeal was from 8:10pm until the warning was over at 9:00pm (closing that day). Pretty long now that I think of it, but it seemed to happen so fast.

WOW! I knew SFGAm failed at somethings but that is just EPIC! Although I don't recall receiving any specific training on natural disasters :wtf:

When I worked there I did ask several sups what we were to do in the event of a bad storm/tornado/etc. Most of them told me if you're in the area head for the train tunnel by Demon.

I worked the Mardi Gras area, which of course way the hell on the other side from the GASR/Demon tunnel, and I believe the safest place for the employees to probably go in that area would be under the station platform of Ragin Cajun. It's concrete but has an "cavity" under the floor. Of course you e-stop or ride stop the ride because to get there you have to go under the station track.

OH man, I'm weird. I hope that happens to me someday! I want to experience a tornado warning while at the park. I wouldn't want a tornado to tear down the coasters, but a warning would rock. I went to the park on June 8th and your experience must have had a big impact because they shut down Bull (and probably the other coasters too) for almost an hour due to "bad weather" when it was just a few dark clouds, no rain, no lightning, not even threatening dark - just kinda dark. The clouds cleared, the sun came out and it was still another 20 minutes or so before they were back in operation.

CoasterAndrew,

You couldnt be more wrong in your weather "assessment" if you tried.


1. "A tornado is likely with a thunderstorm"
Tornadoes have and do occur with ANY thunderstorm. While its mostly severe storms and supercells, Tornadoes can occur at any time atmospheric conditions are conducive of producing a tornado. In other words WRONG.

2. "A supercell thunderstorm automatically gets a tornado warning with only light rotation"
Light rotation is a term you used, ANYTIME there is rotation with-in a thunderstorm particularly a supercell that is a significantly dangerous situation that should never be taken lightly (no pun intended) Rotation with-in a supercell indicates that tornadic development is very close and may even mean a funnel cloud or a dereacho is present (deracho is almost like a horizontal tornado)

3. "If rotation is indicated on radar, a tornado warning is issued. (Rotation could be in the cloud itself, which usually doesn't produce a tornado)"

See above, bottomline, Rotation is a usually a tornado.

4. "If a tornado is with 20 miles of the county"

NWS Tornado warnings are issued in the immediate area of the Tornadic storm, meaning that if your under a warning, your in immediate danger and need to seek cover immediately.


5. "None of these pose a significant threat worth causing hysteria for. What's worse is when a warning is issued, few even take notice because they believe nothing ever happens. "

ALL of those pose a significant threat and needed to be treated extremely seriously. Regardless of what you may think, you are not above mother nature and the weather. People need to be vigilant of rapidly changing weather and should assume some possibility of Tornadoes where ever and whenever watches or warnings are issued. Just because it doesnt happen all the time, doesnt mean the next time a warning is issued it wont happen.

I dont think i need to remind anyone of the Plainfield F-5 tornado of August 1990, but for those who need a refresher course, on that day, an F-5 Tornado came literally out of no where and killed 28 people in Plainfield (which btw is in Northern Will County) and the only weather bulletins for that storm where Severe Thunderstorm Watches.

Galvan, while pwning someone on a forum is always fun, aren't you a little late (like well over a year) to get around to doing that?

Eh,

What needed to be said was said...

and actually, I thought it was dated 2009... Oh well

I went to the park last year when the sirens went off and people were panicing, I was like ok whatever

I was denied a ride on Raging Bull because I was wet from BB. he said, " Would you want to sit in a wet seat?" I responded, "I don't care! i just want to ride!"

I didn't wait to long, but they didn't care to give me a free ride voucher! WTF!

That is the first time I have ever heard of someone being refused a ride because they were wet. We were told to wipe down the seat quickly after a wet guest exited.

And this has WHAT to do with the topic?

This is an old topic but I am bored!

I am not a "storm chaser" but I do chase storms occasionally, it so happens that I was in the vicinity of both the "Tornado" you speak of that prompted the warnings at SFGA and more importantly I was in the area of the Plainfield tornado on the day it occurred as well.

First things first. The tornado that prompted the SFGA warning did actually produce a tornado that was pretty close to the park. The twister never actually stayed on the ground but the funnel cloud was near Mundelein. I crossed paths with it at the Libertyville Sports Complex. I also have some video that (if I figure out how) I will try and share here. It was an F Zero, but Galvan316 is correct. ANY tornadic activity should be taken seriously and a forcast of severe weather should always prompt you to be more alert.

The Plainfield Tornado started as a supercell way up near Janesville Wisconsin around 12:30 in the afternoon. It became tornadic around Pecatonica (In Winnebago County near Rockford) at around 1:30pm When it passed through Wheatland in Will County there was no traditional "Hook Echo" on radar, but it tore the roofs off houses there. By the time it entered Plainfield proper, it was a monster F5. It actually killed several people on the U.S. Route 30. So it didn't come out of nowhere per se. The storm had been tracked for almost two hours prior. The twister was rain wrapped and looked like just a heavy rain storm.
I was working on a project not far from Plainfield near the Leach homes. The sky was so black that it was like night time. Where I was we had some pretty good size hail and the wind was really strong, but no damage to speak of but you just knew there was something terrible going on. I distinctly remember everything just getting dead calm and then all hell broke loose with the sirens, etc.

I can't imagine that SFGA doesn't have a plan that they discuss with their employee's, but these are just kids working there mostly and they are probably terrified themselves and unable to remember what they were told about procedures. Much less a seldom used procedure like a tornado.
I say this all the time, you have to give the employee's there credit because I have seen them up in the metal skeletons of these coasters during electrical storms trying to get patrons down safely. To be honest, I am not sure I would hang around up there in an electrical storm for a part-time gig paying very little. Patrons be damned!

I wanted to add to the tornadic discussion because last night I saw the movie "Twister."
In the first scene the caption says it's 1969 and then the family is watching the tornado warnings on television. The father says; "They say it could be an F5!"
That's a big mistake since the rating system developed by Dr. Theodore Fujita wasn't introduced until late 1971 (Known then as the Fujita/Pearson Scale) Now known as the EF or Enhanced Fujita Scale.
Just wanted to share my nerdiness with everyone! :retard: