Milestone #157

[raefinlay]

Today, I experienced my first ever tornado warning.

The sirens screamed like crazy, the electricity blinked on and off, and wind gusts felled several branches just outside our livingroom window. The temperature dropped 10 degrees in 2 seconds. Fortunately, ccfinlay and I already live in a dungeon lovely basement apartment, so we were in little danger.

I was almost disappointed when it was over. (Easy to say since none of the observed funnel clouds did any damage.)

Comments

[stillnotbored.livejournal.com]

One of the neighbors told me there was a confirmed touch down over on Lane Avenue, or so the TV told her.

As someone who doesn't live in a dungeon, I was less than amused. I spent an hour with some of the neighbors in the hall on the dungeon level in this building. All natives of Ohio, they kept looking out the door and saying, "Oh, I think we're okay. The sky's not green. The sirens will stop any second."

One of them even went outside to check on how bad it looked. She came running back in when she spotted the 3 (three she said) funnel clouds passing over the building. :: rolls eyes::

For a real fun time in Ohio, start talking about earthquakes to the natives. *g* Just the thought of a 4.0 turns them green.

[sarah-prineas.livejournal.com]

Oh, yike! Glad you came through it okay.

We have a bunch of warnings every spring/early summer, and they scare me every time.

On the plus side, that must have been the front coming through. Maybe you'll get our gorgeous weather tomorrow.

[affinity8.livejournal.com]

Congrats on your first warning :-) I'm glad you weren't, you know, tornadoed.

And Happy Belated Birthday!

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Your first? Really? Your first? Wow.

[raecarson.livejournal.com]

Gah. Your experience sounds less fun. :-|

And yeah, the earthquake thing. Hilarious.

You free anytime this week?

[raecarson.livejournal.com]

Yes! Thanks for sending it our way.

Actually, it was caused by your gorgeous weather hitting The Great Sauna.

[raecarson.livejournal.com]

Thanks, u! (Supernatural 2 comes out soon, yanno...)

[raecarson.livejournal.com]

*grin* I'm from California. Lots of earthquakes, brush fires, and race riots. But no tornadoes.

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

One of our California friends was talking about how terrifying tornadoes were compared to earthquakes, and we had quite an extensive argument about it. I think I'm still right: you can see tornadoes coming, and you can get shelter. In an earthquake, your shelter may become part of the problem!

The summer I was doing research in Ohio, one of the other research students was from NYC, so he had never dealt with tornado warnings, either. He was a burly, broad-shouldered Italian-American kid, lifted weights, walked with a swagger, how you doin' -- if he hadn't been an astronomer, he would have been a total walking ethnic stereotype. But when the sirens went, he totally panicked, and the machismo vanished. "You gotta get me to the airport!" he told the only guy in the group with a car. "You gotta get me outta here!" I said, "Oh, yeah, that's smart, get in the air when there's a tornado." He stared at me for one moment, and then the whites of his eyes started showing far too much, and his breathing got really weird. Poor guy.

This was before my college was hit by a tornado, so I was probably more blase than I would be later. But still.

[stillnotbored.livejournal.com]

I am free tomorrow and on Tuesday. I have a doctor's appointment at 11 Tuesday, but that won't take long and the rest of the day is mine.

Name your poison. I'm up for anything.

Well... almost anything. ;)

[sarah-prineas.livejournal.com]

Well, hopefully it will push the Sauna eastward, then.

Did you get my email about Columbus!?

[raecarson.livejournal.com]

HA!!! Hahahahaha! And also: YAY!

(just checked my email)

[purdypiedad.livejournal.com]

Do people in tornado country not grasp that people RARELY die in earthquakes in CA??? I mean, your chances of dying in an airplane are greater! And earthquakes are rare!!! Silly, silly, people. Glad you got to experience some Ohio fun, though. Also glad you are ok.

[retrobabble.livejournal.com]

Closest I've ever been to a tornado was on tv. Not sure I want to be like you crazy lucky lucky people who've experienced both. *queasy*

[shay-writes.livejournal.com]

Just wait till a siren wakes you up at 3 in the morning. :)

[sunflower-sky.livejournal.com]

*fond smile* Ahhh, reminds me of my first Katyusha attack last year. Good times, good times.

:-/

I was traumatized by ambulance sirens for like six months after the war. Because where I was staying, in Hadera, was close to a hospital and there were ambulances all the time, and they sound EXACTLY like the warning siren, and you never knew whether it was the warning siren or just an ambulance, so every time I heard an ambulance I'd leap to attention and with my heart beating fast.

Even now when I hear any rising-and-falling siren my heart rate goes up a little.

I'm glad you're safe!

~D

[silk-noir.livejournal.com]

*chuckling*

[stevenagy.livejournal.com]

I'm sure it's not frightening until you see a tornado in person. We didn't hear any sirens here on Friday, but it wasn't nice waiting for the swirling cloud patterns to pass.

I got home just before it hit and you could see the clouds rushing down on our development from the northwest, first pushed forward and then pushed at right angles for a moment before bearing down again. The rain hit shortly after I got inside and I heard a crash out back on our porch; the wind pulled the umbrella out of our picnic table and threw it across the yard. Bent one of the spokes. :-(

I don't think I need to say that I was dumb enough to go outside to retrieve the umbrella -- and got soaked as soon as I rounded the corner of the house heading for the garage, which is on the north side. Nothing like stepping into the teeth of a storm to feel as if you've jumped into a pool with your clothes on. :-)

[matt-betts.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes. It was wonderful wasn't it? Me, my wife, my 3 month old and our dog huddled in our basement laundry room for half an hour. We did have a bottle of water and a Snickers bar, so it wasn't all bad.

Welcome! To Fantasy Island! Er... Ohio!

[the-flea-king.livejournal.com]

I am jealous. See, I grew up in Kansas. I've probably been through more tornado warnings than I have read books. But we don't have them out here in the west. You'll know you're a jaded local when you go out the front door to look for the funnel instead of heading to the basement when the sirens go off.

[ccfinlay.livejournal.com]

Yeah, yesterday when the sirens went off, Rae was sleeping. I let her sleep for a half hour until the front came through. When the air finally felt like something was going to happen, I stopped what I was doing to watch.

[java-fiend.livejournal.com]

*super jealous*

That would have been so awesome and so exciting. I'm so jealous that you got to experience that!!! lol...

One of the things I plan on doing once I finish with school is to go on a tornado chasing tour. I found a company that gives 2-week tours through tornado alley. I can't wait. :-)

[writerswife.livejournal.com]

We used to go camping off Lake Michigan every summer. Most summers the funnels would come in off the lake, run up the sand dunes, skip over the campground, and hit town. They did some wicked damage. I really felt for the locals. The odd side effect is that I sleep through this stuff.

I had the same "sky's not green" comment for WD as we left for the airport on Wednesday morning. When the hail is blowing sideways, you worry. Thankfully, I've never had one come *that* close to home.

[kelly-swails.livejournal.com]

True dat! I've lived in Illinois my entire life, and usually when the sirens go off I go to the door/window and have a look around. Sky not green? Bah! It's when your ears start popping and the cat goes apeshit that you need to worry. Oh, and if the hair stands up on the back of your neck, maybe go to the basement.

[buymeaclue.livejournal.com]

Now I'm all nostalgic.

[sonyamsipes.livejournal.com]

If it weren't for the fact that extreme weather can ruin people's lives - I would root for the weather everytime. I love a good storm -- Nature Awes me.

So cool that you got to experience one!! :-) The midwest is good for that!