skip to main content

The Kitchen Table

We kicked off tornado season today

16 years ago

Living in tornado alley, you just kinda get used to bad weather this time of year. This afternoon, the storms started building southwest of us and quickly intensified. All of the TV stations were covering it, and we watched as it got ever closer and it got closer to dark. When they named our town and said "heads up" because it will be there in 40 minutes, I continued cooking supper, and we ate and discussed where we would take cover if needed. DH said the culvert at the road would be best (no thanks, this is skunk season!), and I chose an interior closet.

Luckily, we didn't have to go either place! In the next 30 minutes, a powerful cold front intercepted the storm. We got lightning, thunder, hail, and 60 mph north winds -- but thankfully, no tornado! The storm shelter people stay swamped around here, but DH said THIS year he'll just keep calling until they come out and pour us a below ground concrete cellar!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

Linda Wayman
16 years ago
Rita ~ I'm glad you didn't have a tornado. I've been watching the weather and saw all the stuff heading from your way toward us. We will get your storms and change of weather starting tomorrow evening. The temps reached 75Â° today and we had windows opened all day. Tomorrow the high will be about 50Â° and the low about freezing. There are severe thunderstorms predicted with high winds and possible tornadic conditions and also a chance of snow before we wake up Tuesday or maybe the snow is for Wednesday. This weather is so crazy. I was out looking at the forcythia starting to bloom today. I hope the freeze, if we get it, won't ruin it.

Linda
caflowerluver
16 years ago
I remember the tornado warnings when I lived in Illinois. My mom would make us go in the basement every time the siren went off. I remember once when I was around 11, I was reluctant to go in because I could see the tornado in the distance and was fasinated. Boy did I get a licking later.
Clare
Related Discussions
Kicking Off the Season
Q
Comments (13)
Looking good! Glad your season is getting going, yay! Fabre Sabre has been good here, even though I should probably move it to more sun. Safe Island looks like a pretty pink...and is posing perfectly in your picture. Kudos to the photographer! I've always liked yellows...just think green and yellow is such a nice combination...plus, light colors do help the darker ones shine...and then, even more, you can do the whole hot thing with orange and yellow. So, yeah, get on the yellow bandwagon!
...See More
Tornado Watch Today For Much of OK
Q
Comments (3)
Mitch, Since we moved here, I believe OK has had tornadoes every month of the year. April and May are especially tornato-prone, but there's always quite a lot in March too and, yes, sometimes in Feb. Tornadoes have hit in several areas, including Edmond. Refer to Seedmama's thread "Tornado Hits". Watching The Weather Channel showing live footage of Edmond and it looks very dark and dangerous there this afternoon. Dawn
...See More
First tornado warning of the season
Q
Comments (2)
Same here. Probably some time later than yours, we got ours. I had my VFD radio out in the garden and was listening to storm spotters out in the Velma area, then in western Carter County, and then finally in Love County. As the big dark wall cloud approached, I finally put up all my tools and watched it track from west of us to the east of us. We are in a low-lying creek hollow surrounded by higher, forested ground, so I couldn't see the rotating storm cells or "tails" trailing down to the ground that had all the spotters so busy. All I could see was the anvil-shaped wall cloud structure and, eventually, the lightning. The hail missed us, but so did most of the rain. However, we had a heck of a lightning show. I watered this afternoon. Hope I won't have to water again for a couple of days, but this wind dries out everything so quickly. It would be impossible for a tornado to sneak up on us---as if the Weather Radio alert wasn't enough, we get all sorts of text alerts from multiple sources. Our son was in Dallas sending us radar images, and telling us where the storm chasers were in Love County, etc. I ignored his gentle suggestions to go inside and worked in the garden until the wind came back up. It blew hard all day and quieted down briefly as the rotating supercell was approaching Marietta, and then as that storm got close, the wind came back up and I called it quits for the day. When I could hear one of our firefighting neighbors a couple of miles up the road from us describing the rotating supercell headed into Marietta, I knew it was time to get inside and watch the radar on TV, so I did. I wish we had gotten the hard rain here that accompanied that wall cloud, but it missed us by a couple of miles. We got rain later from a little storm that came our way from Texas, but not that much of it. We could have used a lot less wind and lightning and a whole lot more rain, but it didn't work out that way.
...See More
Tornado season tis here. We had TWO, today!
Q
Comments (1)
Ouch! Hope no one got hurt.
...See More
jemdandy
16 years ago
We started our tornado season early this year. Had one back in January and this is Wisconsin yet!!! It was the earlist one on record of recent tmes for us.
okwriter
Original Author
16 years ago
Funnels Sunday, snow Monday...it's nuts!! I see from TV this morning that the southern states are sure enough going to get storms today. Heads up, Linda!
grammahony
16 years ago
I was so glad when I moved to this home. I finally had a basement to go to when the weather was bad, and the sirens went off. Before I moved here, my sister lived just 2 blocks away, and I'd load up the kids and we'd go there.
Rita, you'd never get me in a culvert. Snakes hide out in them. And, if it's raining cats and dogs with this storm, it could be full of water. Or flood while your in it. Get that storm shelter built, so you have a place to go.
Leslie
minnie_tx
16 years ago
Woke up to screaming sirens this morning. The warning lasted about 45 minutes and was part of a fast moving system that sped across NE Texas.
rosebudms
16 years ago
Our weather man said we would get all this mess late this afternoon. He forgot to tell us we would have high winds all day before the storm really gets here. It is making me nervous! Good luck to everyone in the path of this!

Rose in Tupelo MS

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES Get on a Composting Kick (Hello, Free Fertilizer!)

By Matt Kilburn

Quit shelling out for pricey substitutes that aren’t even as good. Here’s how to give your soil the best while lightening your trash load

KITCHEN DESIGN Kick Back in Comfort in Your Own Kitchen Lounge

By Tiffany Carboni

Keep the cook company or just relax solo in a kitchen hangout with all the comforts of a lounge

LIFE Ready Your Home for Fall to Savor the Season More

By Laura Gaskill

Settle into the pleasures of autumn with a home that's prepped, organized and full of seasonal delights

GREEN BUILDING Houzz Tour: Off-the-Grid Island Home Circles a Sunny Courtyard

By Mitchell Parker

A circular home is a cozy spot for gardening, woodworking and plenty of reading

MOST POPULAR Houzz Tour: Going Off the Grid in 140 Square Feet

By Mitchell Parker

WIth $40,000 and a vision of living more simply, a California designer builds her ‘forever’ home — a tiny house on wheels

LIFE Turn Off the Video Games and Turn On Your Kid's Creativity

By Alison Hodgson

Going nuts planning summer activities? Kids overdosing on screen time? It may be time to foster more self-directed play

HOLIDAYS Simple Pleasures: Savoring the Season of Warmth and Light

By Laura Gaskill

Light up your home and lift your spirits on cold winter days with these decorative touches

GLOBAL STYLE My Houzz: Sustainable Bamboo for a Prototype Home in Nicaragua

By Louise Lakier

Ecofriendly living has a new champion, as a Granada firm kicks off its bamboo offerings with this house's architecture and furnishings

LIFE Simple Pleasures to Savor This Winter

By Laura Gaskill

Take time to appreciate the little things, like warm woolen slippers and brown paper packages tied up with string

ARCHITECTURE Iconic Architecture: 10 Must-Know Modern Homes

These masterpieces of modern architecture are still influencing home design today — see if any elements appear in your own home

Sponsored

More Discussions

Real estate commissions: This may be the end to them as we know them

26

Little bitty avocados

31

Wednesday's Daily Quiz

10

5/1 Survivor and Amazing Race

8

Thursday's Daily Quiz

6