So....has this topic turned into "all natural disasters in any place?"

on the topic of iceland......what is it like there? are there lots of forests? whenever I imagine iceland, i just imagine this frozen icy rock that is completely barren. Whats it like? isn't surtsey around there? that is a coooool volcano! :ok:

That's a tornado watch, not a warning. Watches cover large, rhomboidal areas that often include parts of several states. A tornado watch means only that atmospheric conditions in the region are favorable for tornado formation. It by no means guarantees that a tornado, or even a severe storm, will occur in the watch area. Tornado warnings, on the other hand, are issued on a county-by-county basis and indicate that a tornado has been seen and reported by someone in the field or is indicated by a radar signature. If a tornado warning is issued for your county, you should consider taking shelter unless you're acutely aware of what the storm is doing and are certain that it's not heading for you. If nearby storm sirens are going off at the time, you should seriously consider taking shelter, especially if you cannot actually see the interesting part of the storm due to clouds, darkness, or what-have-you.

As for why people live in disaster-prone areas, everyone's got their own reason. Personally, I enjoy severe weather. That's not why I came to Oklahoma, but I wouldn't leave because of it, either. Huge storms are awe-inspiring for me, and if I didn't have other responsibilities that take a higher priority, I'd be chasing them all over the plains in the spring with the rest of the nutjobs.

Well, there was an F5 tornado in the Chicago area in 1990 that killed 29 and injured 350. That's pretty significant, and not all that long ago. A little before your time, though. Then there was the 1995 heat wave - certainly not the most exciting kind of natural disaster, but it did result in over 700 deaths.

We have mountains, forests (not big ones, though), glaciers, rivers, lakes, and right now it's just over 20°c outside.
And yes, Surtsey is here, close to Vestmannaeyjar. Nice place.

@Puffin: so it's a reasonably pleasant temperature. I'll go there one day If I find something interesting to do there (sorry!) :bye:

@fruitpie: actually it is a "tornado warning" just that "these are the areas most in danger of being affected."

Edit: well, you DO live in Oklahoma, which is the tornado capital of the world so I suppose I should take your judgement..... :D