collegebound41

south bend was rated in the top 10 as most frequent tornados, i think it was around 3-5. How severe are they? do they affect classes? any recent damage?

irish68178

I can only think of one time that it was ever an issue in my time at ND, and ironically I wasn't on campus so I barely remembered it, but it was right before graduation in 2007 where several trees on campus were damaged. Other than that, I didn't see anything in my time there, for what it is worth.

notre dame AL

Our student has indicated one time in the last three years in which they were under tornado warnings (which means that there are tornados in the area). Ironically, roommate, (being from northeast) did not have any idea what a tornado warning meant--no experience with them. Our student had to explain about warnings and watches and what they might have to do should a tornado actually strike. Fortunately, there was never a tornado in the immediate vicinity of campus.

aristophanes

During my senior year (many years ago), a tornado was sighted in South Bend, and a town twenty miles away was flattened. But note that ND's nineteenth-century buildings are still standing, so the risk is minimal. I live in Massachusetts, and we had a tornado warning here just a few weeks ago, and back in the fifties my grandfather lost his house in one (in MA!); when the lights went out he went down into his cellar to check the fuse box and his house flew off. So you never know...

Sportfire

My recollection is most tornados happen in the summer.

sryrstress

Majority of tornadoes in Indiana occcur March through June. I haven't looked up a reference for this; just based on 45 years living here...

collegebound41

do they warn students of this? or parents? Is it worth it to take note of this?

jasonpham

You get about three emails, two texts, and a phone call. Even if you're at home for the summer.

ND Dad

As luck would have it, we were moving our daughter into her dorm early Wednesday night and we looked out the window and saw an unusually ominous dark cloud on the horizon. Within seconds of noticing, a loud siren blasted throughout the campus. Yes, it was a tornado warning system that ND had sounded! The hall rector and RA's worked quickly to check every room and instruct everyone to go to a predetermined "tornado proof" room in the basement (which we all did). Fortunately, we were only down there for less than 15 minutes as the warning passed.

Parents and students should rest assured that the RA's and rectors are well trained in the event of a tornado warning. The staff was equipped with procedure manuals and walkie talkies and they kept in touch with campus security while we were secured. Also comforting was the fact that one RA told us this was the only time in her three years that she heard of a tornado warning on campus.

kevdude

ND Dad, hate to say it, but that RA was either lying, or is deaf. They happen pretty regularly in the spring, and sometimes in the early summer. But very rarely do they signify an actual tornado - it's usually just a high intensity storm with powerful winds that may develop into a tornado, but more often than not just knock a couple of branches around.

All in all, I would think the odds of your kid getting swept away alá Dorothy is just about zero.

notre dame AL

As we reside in a high tornado activity area with the warning system in place, I can tell you from experience that for many years, most people did not immediately head to a tornado safe area of home/office as the sirens would go off for a specific county, and depending on the size of the county, the tornado may not be anywhere near your location. Over the last couple of years, our weather service has now begun to signal the sirens to specific areas, not vast counties. This has greatly improved everyone's adherence to these sirens as well as safety. The sirens are indeed a useful tool, and I certainly hope that all dorms have the safety issues in check.