Report of being in an extremely violent storm.

[Cowracer]

This weekend, we had a very violent storm roll through the campground. We were under tornado warnings for about an hour and a half. No tornadoes formed, but we had massive lightning and the hardest rain I have seen in years. The lake is right at that east facing "sawtooth" for the county lines to the WSW of Bloomsdale.



Surprisingly, we did not get much wind. I dunno if there wasn't any, or our lot was just sheltered from it. I did have a 2-3 in deep 'river' running underneath my camper from all the rain. I had my front bunk and the slide out. My buddy had both bunks out as well as his slide.

Despite the torrential rain, there wasn't a single drop of water infiltrate my camper, which surprised me. I was pretty confident that it will remain dry in more moderate rains, but deep down I always figured that a heavy frog-choker of a storm would overwhelm its ability to stay dry.

My buddy had a little drip that came from his kitchen cabinet. I pulled his switch panel out to investigate and saw a bit of wetness on the 'floor' of the cabinet next to the microwave. In a lull in the storm he looked and saw his gutter over his awning was clogged with debris and pooled some water. We quickly cleaned his gutter and the leak abated. I think there is a screw that holds the gutter on that might not be sealed up properly, but it's behind a plastic strip or 'cover' that looks like an absolute bear to remove and replace.

Overall, I am impressed with the weather resistance of the roo's. I know some people have had leaking issues, but I am happy to report that (at least for us) that the roo's can ride out heavy rains no problem.

Tim

[gfarmcafe]

Originally Posted by Cowracer

This weekend, we had a very violent storm roll through the campground. We were under tornado warnings for about an hour and a half. No tornadoes formed, but we had massive lightning and the hardest rain I have seen in years. The lake is right at that east facing "sawtooth" for the county lines to the WSW of Bloomsdale.



Surprisingly, we did not get much wind. I dunno if there wasn't any, or our lot was just sheltered from it. I did have a 2-3 in deep 'river' running underneath my camper from all the rain. I had my front bunk and the slide out. My buddy had both bunks out as well as his slide.

Despite the torrential rain, there wasn't a single drop of water infiltrate my camper, which surprised me. I was pretty confident that it will remain dry in more moderate rains, but deep down I always figured that a heavy frog-choker of a storm would overwhelm its ability to stay dry.

My buddy had a little drip that came from his kitchen cabinet. I pulled his switch panel out to investigate and saw a bit of wetness on the 'floor' of the cabinet next to the microwave. In a lull in the storm he looked and saw his gutter over his awning was clogged with debris and pooled some water. We quickly cleaned his gutter and the leak abated. I think there is a screw that holds the gutter on that might not be sealed up properly, but it's behind a plastic strip or 'cover' that looks like an absolute bear to remove and replace.

Overall, I am impressed with the weather resistance of the roo's. I know some people have had leaking issues, but I am happy to report that (at least for us) that the roo's can ride out heavy rains no problem.

Tim

I'm glad you came thru this okay. We're planning on camping in Lesterville on the Black River, so wondering what the river is going to do. So far our 2015 Salem has been water tight, but worry about storms with high winds with heavy rains.

[RooVader]

I am glad you got through it safe! I love camping in storms but there is a fine line where it becomes a nervous situation.

That is pretty awesome it stayed dry!


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[yetavon]

We got hit with a cell last night pretty hard, no hail but wind and heavy rain....going to open her up and look for dampness....fingers crossed

[esimmons12]

That's great to hear! Glad you stayed safe and dry.

[thestrangebrew]

Glad everyone is safe and your trailer didn't take in any water. Saturday night we got hit with about 30 mins of rain here in the Sierra Foothills in CA. It wasn't a downpour, just normal rain that got the ground wet, but not too muddy. No water got in. Although earlier last week I decided to open up the bunks and soak the canvas and let it dry out, so that may have helped.

[Hannah]

Was in Pensacola FL several wks ago. Light rain, no severe weather warnings. I am a very cautious camper so pulled in my awning when the rain started. There was a sudden onset of heavy wind. Awnings were folded back to campers. Some awnings had canvas torn off them. Screen houses, tents, chairs, grills, and dining canopies were pulled out of the ground and blew off into the marsh. I watched it all from the back window of my camper while the RV rocked. Moral of this story - awning comes in at night time, when I am away from the camper and when it rains.

[Vince and Charlette]

A thread from two weeks ago is worth repeating: When you check into a campsite, one of the first things you should do is ask the location of the tornado shelter (usually the bathrooms) especially if you are in tornado alley and it's spring or summer. If they don't have one, think twice about staying. Also, know the minimum essential items you are going to take with you, e.g. phone, laptop, wallet/purse, medications. We were under a tornado warning in TX last month and had lots of company in the men's restroom!