Did you know tornado season begins in March each year?  I stumbled onto this amazing footage of a tornado touching down in Kalamazoo in 1980.

In fact, this is the first known amateur video recording of a deadly tornado in the United States according to the Blake Naftel YouTube Page,

Raw, unedited videotape of the Tuesday, May 13, 1980 Kalamazoo, Michigan tornado. This video was recorded near the intersection of West Main and Westnedge avenue, from the now defunct business known then as The Sound Room. The video was shot using (at the time) a brand-new, state-of-the-art RCA CC006 color video camera, and attendant VHS Selectavision portable VCR. Historically, this is the first known, amateur, color videotape (not film) recording of a deadly tornado in the United States.

The same YouTube page has a fantastic video about this event "The 1980 Kalamazoo Tornado: A Visual Chronology."

 

Wikipedia says this about tornado season in the US,

Although the period in which most tornadoes strike ("tornado season") is March through June, tornadoes - including violent tornadoes and major tornadooutbreaks - have been documented in the United States during every month of the year.

Many of us know to take shelter in a basement if you don't have a storm shelter.  But what if you don't have a basement?  Below are a few safety tips you should check out.


 

Bonus Video:  Happy Birthday, You!

 

 

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