Mike Smith

One of America’s most respected weather scientists. Recipient of a “Special Award for Lifetime Achievement” from the National Weather Association and a retired Fellow of the American Meteorological Society.

a residential area with standing flood waters. No street is visible.

Can I Use My Tornado Shelter During a Flash Flood?

You are under a flash flood warning, and it is pouring rain outside. Suddenly, you hear the sound of tornado sirens. Should you use an underground tornado shelter?The answer is a bit more complex than one might imagine.This situation actually occurred in Big Sandy, Texas, on the morning of August 22, 2022, as a tornado […]

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an updated tornado alley map that stretches from the deep south circular, through the midwest

A Modern View of Tornado Alley

Tornado Alley is a concept that seems simple but is a bit complex.Traditionally, tornado alley has been depicted as a stripe of states north-south through the Great Plains. The illustration from Wikipedia (below) is typical.But we now know that depiction is incomplete. The map below, from Tornado Archive, is a new map of all known […]

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Defeating Tornado Myths

Tornadoes are one of nature’s most elusive and almost mystical phenomena. As a result, a large number of myths have developed around them throughout the decades. Unfortunately, those myths can put you and your family in great danger if a tornado approaches. So, we’ll run down some of the most common:Tornadoes will not strike     […]

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an ominous image of a shelf cloud, which can occur in a tornado or derecho

Derechos, Tornados and The Supply Chain?

What caused this latest setback in the United States’ baby formula shortage? A derecho.”Abbott Laboratories said it has paused baby-formula production at its plant in Sturgis, MI, after recent thunderstorms flooded part of the facility, causing another setback for the company’s efforts to help alleviate a nationwide formula shortage.”Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf […]

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The 10 Deadliest Tornadoes in US History

Tornadoes are far deadlier than most realize. Until the Weather Bureau began tornado warnings in the 1950s, tornadoes caused triple-digit death tolls surprisingly often. It is estimated that during a bad year, such as 2011, total tornado deaths in the USA might exceed two thousand if warnings didn’t exist.While tornadoes have happened in all 50 […]

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mike smith storm chase

Meteorologist Mike Smith Partners with Survive-A-Storm for Educational, Informative Content

The Survive-A-Storm blog is an informational hub for storm and tornado safety. As the leading manufacturer and distributor of commercial and residential storm shelters in the United States, Survive-A-Storm, is proud to announce that it has teamed up with one of the nation’s most well-known and respected meteorologists, Mike Smith. Smith will be contributing to the Survive-A-Storm […]

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