Topic: CNN Just Reported a Tornado On The Ground @ Hennessy, Oklahoma!

[bill440cars]

        With a quick check on Map Quest, it shows that it's North of Oklahoma City and in line (East to West) with Tulsa. Sure hope okie or anyone else in OK. are not in that area. It's about 200miles NorthWest from us and, if it went East, it would be in line with Fayetteville. Seems like most of these things (around here) travel more NorthEast than any other direction.

[cb350twin]

 I was watching fox news and they were in a helicopter filming it live. Doesn't seem to smart to be in a helicopter next to a tornado! 

[bill440cars]

I was watching fox news and they were in a helicopter filming it live. Doesn't seem to smart to be in a helicopter next to a tornado! 

     Yeah, I hear ya. I sure wouldn't want to do it!

     Speaking of weather in Oklahoma, there was more activity yesterday evening and last night. Checked with okie and he's fine, just a bunch of lightening and thunder at that time. This morning the thunderstorms are rolling through here in Arkansas and that's it for now.


                             Later on, Bill

[alltherightpills]

Yep, its that time of year.  We had (in Iowa) a bunch of tornados in the state on Sunday.  I was over at my brother-in-law's watching a movie on Sunday night, not really paying attention to what was going on outside and all of a sudden we heard what sounded like a freight train in the back yard.  No sirens, no thunder or lightning to warn us.  It lasted for about 20 seconds and then the power went out.  We sprinted to the bathroom because he doesn't have a basement and waited.  I checked the radar on my phone and saw that the storm wasn't quite on top of us yet, and so we decided to drive back to my house where we have a basement.  I ran outside and found the neighbor's 50 foot tall tree laying on my car.  Probably totaled it, and I only have liability insurance on it.  I haven't heard back from my insurance company yet because they are swamped with weather related claims, but hopefully the neighbor's homeowner's insurance will cover it.  I don't think it was a tornado, just 70 mph straight winds. 

[my78k]

That sucks about your car but as I am sure you know it could be a hell of a lot worse!

It's funny, up here we nearly never get tornados and I always wonder what possesses someone to live in a place named "Tornado Alley" for example! I guess it is just one of those deals you get used to (or learn to tolerate at best)...like wild fires and earth quakes in Ca. or hurricanes in Fla. etc. etc.

Dennis

[alltherightpills]

Yeah, we were lucky.  Cars can be replaced, but people cannot. 

I guess I always figured, a tornado is a mile wide at most, and lasts for 45 minutes at most.  Compare that to a hurricane at 600 miles wide and lasting for days, or to an earthquake that can destroy an entire region very quickly, or living in an arid desert designed to burn on a regular basis, or living in Seattle, which is 50 miles away from two active volcanos, and I will take my chances with a tornado any day.  I've lived in the midwest for all of my 24 years and have still never seen one.  I've had plenty of them within 10 or 15 miles of where I've lived, but never come close enough to do any damage.  We didn't have a tornado on Sunday, just ridiculous straight winds. 

Iowa City is a college town, so we have a bunch of folks who aren't from the midwest and they freak out whenever the sirens go off.  I always check the radar, make sure it isn't coming towards us, and then go outside and watch the storm.

[cb350twin]

Ya, Sunday night I had a late night flight from Minneapolis to Moline IL.  We got 160 miles from home and  had to turn around and go back to Minneapolis because of those storms.
Davenport (where I live) as never had a tornado in city limits in history. They say because its a city and that the Mississippi River and Rock Rivers Protect it. Well, the Iowa City tonardo proved the theroy that tonardos don't cross water or happen in citys wrong.

[firecracker]

I live in Norman (a few miles south of Oklahoma City) and most people here don't worry too much about tornadoes.  Be prepared and all that, but no need to stress.

You've heard of Silicon Valley?  This is Weather Central.  The National Weather Service is located here, along with a ton of other weather entities (government and private).  We have the best  weather reports in the nation world, really.  They show us lightning strikes down to the street, and have "Storm Chasers" capturing video of tornadoes.

We just take it in stride and complain about not seeing our favorite shows  - i.e. they will pre-empt ANYTHING at the drop of a hat (or is that hail) and show weather ALL NIGHT LONG!!!   

But, we know what's going on...

[74cb750]

well, I haven't seen one since I moved back to Vermont....did see one in NH once though, and experienced a few in the Southeast. Still think they are kinda scary myself.

peace,
michel