Wow... Well, we finally got our tornadoish weather Thursday night, and it was amazing. Clouds just poured into an otherwise clear sky just about sunset; it got warmer and the wind began to pick up. Then the radio emitted the signal from the Emergency Alert System, and a tornado warning was issued. We watched the clouds start to swirl around and get angry - with sporadic lightning at first, but with more and more electrical action going on as the sky got suddenly and noticeably darker. It began to rain in buckets and clouds were trucking along above us in distinct altitudes and groups (but overall the sky was overcast). At the height of the storm the lightning was nearly continuous and it lit up the area sometimes brighter than day. Luckily the golfball-sized hail didn't hit us (just south of our neighborhood) and some funnels were said to have touched down, but luckily not near any inhabited areas. It was amazing!
Now I understand why nobody in Close Encounters of the Third Kind was put off by those suspicious storm clouds that the aliens used to mask their movements just before they popped in to abduct folks. Its just par for the course here in the Ohio Valley.
On a sad note: the next morning I went running and there was no sign of my killdeer. Did the nest get washed away, and my anxiously feathered friend along with it? I hope not!
3 comments:
I think I read somewhere that the US gets over 2,000 twisters a year. It makes it sound like you guys are in a perpetual spin. Imagine my surprise when I discovered the UK has more tornadoes per square mile than any other country in the world. That's just ridiculous, and Mr Statistic should be bowing his head in shame.
I understand the kind of weather you are talking about can be fearsome and devastating. But. I'm kind of jealous. You know, the kind of jealousy you get when you are standing a safe distance anyway.
Any sign of your feathered friend yet?
Yeah, the States seem to get an inordinate amount of tornados. I'm sure that I'd like to see one, but not if it means that it will tear up somebody's home, or fling their cows and horses over a ten-county area (not to mention catapulting my car into the heavens - no thank you!).
Still no sign of my bird friend, but I'm hoping he'll pop up one of these days. We do seem to have a lot of cardinals flying around here, which is very colourful (and they do contrast so nicely with the foilage).
I'm afraid that my bird friend has picked up stakes and moved on to a new location (hopefully more flood-resistant than his last spot).
Hope to see you again!
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