Ear-popping action: tornado near?

[Jason Harris]

In the weather/chasing section people are discussing about whether the sound of a tornado, or the likely sound of a tornado, is sufficient for making a spotter report. That made me think about witnesses claiming to have their "ears pop" when they are in the vicinity of a tornado. So, I was wondering if this popping action can result from lowering pressure caused by other factors such as before a powerful downburst, or simply being right below the main updraft of the mesocyclone, perhaps with the presence of a wallcloud, and/or with a funnel up above?

 

[Tim Samaras]

Jason:

Recent measurements show that the tornado core almost has to be on top of you for any significant pressure drop, thus your 'ears popping' will likely not be a good indicator of a nearby tornado..only that of a tornado that is over your head. There were lots of 'tornado alarms' built around trying to detect a pressure drop as the tornado approached (an example would be the old Griffin Tornado Alarm manufactured in OK quite a while ago). Unfortunately, the 'alarm' would be going off approximately the same time as your house getting ripped apart...

Tim

 

[Brian Emfinger]

I bet a lot of those claims may have something to do with the strong winds associated with the storm instead of the actual tornado. Your ears can pop from the effect of strong winds on a home (kinda like when your driving down the interstate and you roll your window down just a bit and your ears pop or you at least feel the pressure difference). Then when they realize a tornado was in there area they remember their ears popping and link their ears popping to the tornado.

 

[K Johnson]

A lot of the people interviewed after the Feb 5th tornado (s), said they felt the pressure drop and then their homes were ripped apart shortly afterwards. I was wondering (because I wonder about pointless things a lot) what it feels like to feel pressure drop. Ive watched my kestral tell me the pressure is rapidly falling, but I couldnt feel it! Do you think they were refering to ears popping/ the increase in wind as talked about above, rather than actual pressure dropping? Or is there a feeling to pressure dropping I am unaware of?

 

[Karen Politte]

I bet a lot of those claims may have something to do with the strong winds associated with the storm instead of the actual tornado. Your ears can pop from the effect of strong winds on a home (kinda like when your driving down the interstate and you roll your window down just a bit and your ears pop or you at least feel the pressure difference). Then when they realize a tornado was in there area they remember their ears popping and link their ears popping to the tornado.

I like Brian's answer here - we have all noticed when we are driving down the highway at times and roll our windows up or down that it seems to have an effect on our ears. I would be willing to wager that most tornado victims that tell about having their ears pop don't realize that this is more likely an effect of the pressure differences in a home in strong winds than it is about the actual tornado cyclone affecting their anatomy.

Strangely enough some people seem to be extremely sensitive to ear popping phenomenon - with the slightest altitude change causing their ears to pop. I am one of them. I can have my ears pop due to nothing more than going up a small hill in a vehicle.

KL

 

[Gene Moore]

Strangely enough some people seem to be extremely sensitive to ear popping phenomenon - with the slightest altitude change causing their ears to pop. I am one of them. I can have my ears pop due to nothing more than going up a small hill in a vehicle.KL

The popping is a good thing, not popping is bad. To get out of the path of a small (but strongly rotating) wall cloud we punched through the rotating rain curtains. I could feel the pressure build up in my head, but my ears did not pop. The result was I thought I was in the old Scanners movie (the exploding heads). Moral of of the story, don't punch a meso with a head cold!

 

[Karen Politte]

The popping is a good thing, not popping is bad. To get out of the path of a small (but strongly rotating) wall cloud we punched through the rotating rain curtains. I could feel the pressure build up in my head, but my ears did not pop. The result was I thought I was in the old Scanners movie (the exploding heads). Moral of of the story, don't punch a meso with a head cold!

Wow, LOL. I guess you must've has quite the head cold there! I've never had my ears pop in relation to chasing but I'd sure like to experience it some time. I've been close enough to hear the tornado, to listen to the funnel at different stages above my head......but not close enough to have my ears pop. Scary.

I wonder what pops sensitive ears more effectively - driving under a meso or driving up a hill?

KL

 

[Robert Speta]

It does make sense since a large change in pressure does make your ears pop.

What I'v noticed though is the precipition are of a storm the pressure sometimes rises due to the down drafts. Anyone else notice this?

 

[suzi petroff]

I was in my garage in Dallas when a very small, very violent storm passed over. The garage floor was wet from humidity. There was thunder rumbling all around, and then suddenly I went deaf for about 2 seconds, and then my ears popped and there was a VERY loud clap of thunder. Of course I could hear again, too. The scary part is that I felt the electricity, perhaps from the floor being damp or maybe just in the air, which was very humid. But the part I can't get over and don't understand was the sudden loss of hearing, which was in sharp contrast to the previous ongoing rumblings, and then my ears popping. I found this forum while trying to research what had happened to me and hope someone can explain the weird weather event.

 

[Todd Renshaw]

So the old myth is true, eh? When a tornado is near, you should open the windows of your mind or your head will explode!

 

[TrumanBoyer]

I think several of you are on the right track.

I am one of the "pressure sensitive" folks.

I used to live on a mountain and work in a valley.
Every day my ears would pop several times travelling each way.
I got very "tuned in" to the sensation.

I got to the point where I could feel the pressure building up
and tell when it was about to happen. I could even notice a slight
roaring sound (internal effect) right before the pop.

Blood pressure spikes can also cause roaring sounds and even ringing and popping of the ears. The tubes close up due to blood vessels swelling. Air pressure builds because
air inside is trapped in a smaller volume. My ears once popped a few seconds after someone pointed a gun at me. Just before the pop, they were yelling at me and I could barely hear them.

I wonder how many of these (storm) incidents are due to blood pressure from sudden adrenaline, and how many are due to air pressure fluctuations, and/or both.

I can also relate to Gene Moore's head cold. If you've ever had a cold that completely blocks your sinuses, you might have noticed that its hard to swallow without ear-popping (sometimes painful). I can easily see how a core punch into an updraft area could cause popping if your sinuses were blocked.

I think that some of us are just naturally more sensitive to this kind of thing, and those that aren't have a little harder time understanding.

 

[Jeff Duda]

I was unfortunate enough to find myself in the middle of a very small and weak tornado in Kansas on 29 May 2008 while with the TWISTEX group (so we had instruments that measured the pressure drop of around 14 mb). It only lasted maybe 5 seconds, but I felt a distinct and painful pressure build up and then pop in my ears as the tornado moved over the car. And that was with the weakest of tornadoes (but also a rapid pressure drop). My adviser did a damage survey in Joplin 2 weeks ago and told me he talked to a nurse who was in the hospital when it got hit. He said she still had trouble hearing even 5 days after the tornado because the pressure drop hurt her eardrum so bad. So it seems possible that a strong enough tornado could tear a weak eardrum.

 

[Dave Gallaher]

Back in the 1990s I was with friends at their cabin home atop a mountain when two tornado warned cells went directly over us. On both occasions, we all felt our ears pop, but thankfully the rotation didn't reach the ground in that location. It was quite obvious, much like when swimming into deep water.