Traveling? Don't Forget to Pack a Severe Weather Plan!

So, your trip is fast approaching, and travel plans are in full swing! With each passing day your anticipation grows...this trip is going to be EPIC!

Well, that's exactly how most of us feel when we are getting ready to embark on a long-anticipated adventure. And, why not, we work hard and now it's time to play hard! That said, while you are making your travel plans and preparations...don't forget to pack a severe weather plan! Weather changes rapidly, you can't always plan for the unexpected. Take Yellowstone National Park for instance, just this week thousands of vacationers were met with flash floods that caused major damage and evacuations throughout the park. The flooding in Yellowstone National Park is a 1 in 500-year event according to a recent U.S. Geological Survey, as reported by CNN! Are you kidding me? How unlucky could those Yellowstone vacationers be?

When travel planning, consider checking out the weather patterns for the areas in which you will be spending time.

While the Yellowstone flood is a severe case of travel interrupted by mother nature, severe weather situations happen all the time. And, if you travel often or travel in your RV, you need to consider having a severe weather plan. Check out our seven helpful tips below:

Tip 1 - Get a Weather Radio. Jeff and I use the Midland Compact Hand Crank Weather Radio. It is the perfect compact size for travel! We have one for our house and we keep one in our RV.

Tip 2 - Download a weather radar app. These types of app's are great for gauging the movement of a storm (direction, speed, and intensity). There are tons of weather radar app's available for download!

Tip 3 - Know the city, county, or borough you are in. Familiarize yourself with a local news channel in order to get accurate weather and/or evacuation instructions in the case of severe weather.

Tip 4 - Find nearby shelter options. This is especially important if you are traveling in an RV or travel trailer. When Jeff and I pull into a campground, one of the first things we do is to locate safe shelter areas. These could be bathrooms, bathhouses, game room, or an onsite laundry facility.

Tip 5 - Have a "Go Bag". Have a bag ready with important documents and things you may need to evacuate. The types of important documents to consider are birth certificates, social security cards, insurance cards/insurance policy documents (auto, RV, medical, dental). If you have pets, you may want to include your pet's vaccination records, a collapsible bowl and some pet food. It may also be helpful to have some bottles of water, snacks, and a small first aid kit!

Tip 6 - Tornado Imminent? Find Shelter. Forty percent of tornado deaths to date, have occurred in mobile home/RV parks. If you are traveling in an RV, and you find yourself in tornado weather, find shelter if accessible. If no shelter is accessible, LEAVE YOUR RV, and find a ditch or a low-lying area. It is not safe to stay in an RV of any sort.

Tips 7 - Never attempt to drive through flood water. Though we have all heard this before...somehow people still do drive through flood waters. In many situations, flood water can be much deeper and have a much stronger current than anticipated. It is never safe to drive through flood waters. Do yourself and your family a favor and just DON'T!

So, if you're like Jeff and I, and love planning your next travel adventure, don't forget to pack a severe weather plan. You'll be glad you did!

Until next time friends!

Check out our RV Weather Aware video below: