Originally Posted by rmw

I live in SW Indiana which is part of tornado ally 2; yes there is a tornado ally 2. You were incredibly lucky riding in the area of supercells. We were at the northern tip of the system that hit Alabama and we had a gust front go through where one second the winds were a steady 30 mph with no rain, then the winds hit 80 mph for about a minute followed by torrential rain and hail. A little south of us they recorded 100+ mph winds and that wasn't in a tornado.

If you aren't familiar with traveling in tornado country, great plains & midwest primarily but anywhere where they have severe storm watches in effect, here's some tips.

If you have a smart phone, get a program like weather bug and us it. Check the local and area weather on NWS web sites along your route. If the NSW Service Severe Storm Center issues a watch, bet your lungs that there is going to be severe storms.

When riding, if you are heading towards what looks like bad weather and you encounter hail, turn around and run. Hail is a precursor to storms that can produce tornados, which means you are riding into it. If the storm is behind you, move faster or take cover. If it is approaching from the side, find cover. Oh and when the rain stops or slows, that's when you really need to worry. Tormados usually develop on the back side of the cell, so unless you have a side view of the storm, you probably won't see the funnel.

Originally Posted by TickTock

I would say stupid luck and I would never do it again. But sometimes once you get started down a path there is no way to turn back and that is how it ended up.