If the sky turns green, run for cover. I don't know if this is true or some old wives' tale. Until this week, I had no first hand experience with a tornado. My son went to school in the Midwest at IU and had his share tornado scares. He related many colorful stories about his run ins with a few, but myself I never had been near one til this past Wednesday. Severe thunderstorms? Had 'em. Hail storms? Had 'em. Hurricanes? Had 'em. Ice storms? Had 'em. Blizzards? Had 'em. But tornadoes? NEVER! Til this past Wednesday, when the southern Maine area near us had three of them within about an hour(Alfred, Limrick and Gorham). On the television, they kept saying, if one approaches go to the cellar, bathtub or if in a vehicle to a ditch and keep low. Well, when the weatherman pointed out, on his radar screen, that the fierce storm was heading right for our road, and the sky turned a funky yellow, the wind and heavy rain picked up, it was time to head downstairs. Long story short, we spent about 40 minutes with a static-tinted radio, flashlights, pillows and no beer. That last item was a mistake that won't happen again. This time, we dodged the bullet, but others nearby weren't so lucky and received severe tree damage. I've seen photos of the sky just about pitch black at 7 PM... if it turned green, I don't ever want to see it. That's as close as I want to be to one of those storms.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
7:22 PM July 21
If the sky turns green, run for cover. I don't know if this is true or some old wives' tale. Until this week, I had no first hand experience with a tornado. My son went to school in the Midwest at IU and had his share tornado scares. He related many colorful stories about his run ins with a few, but myself I never had been near one til this past Wednesday. Severe thunderstorms? Had 'em. Hail storms? Had 'em. Hurricanes? Had 'em. Ice storms? Had 'em. Blizzards? Had 'em. But tornadoes? NEVER! Til this past Wednesday, when the southern Maine area near us had three of them within about an hour(Alfred, Limrick and Gorham). On the television, they kept saying, if one approaches go to the cellar, bathtub or if in a vehicle to a ditch and keep low. Well, when the weatherman pointed out, on his radar screen, that the fierce storm was heading right for our road, and the sky turned a funky yellow, the wind and heavy rain picked up, it was time to head downstairs. Long story short, we spent about 40 minutes with a static-tinted radio, flashlights, pillows and no beer. That last item was a mistake that won't happen again. This time, we dodged the bullet, but others nearby weren't so lucky and received severe tree damage. I've seen photos of the sky just about pitch black at 7 PM... if it turned green, I don't ever want to see it. That's as close as I want to be to one of those storms.
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wow, that sounds scary!
ReplyDeleteWe are under a tornado watch here until 1AM, very unusual for these parts.
I guess I should go & clean the basement.
what an experience. we have microbursts on occasion but no tornados. sounds scary
ReplyDeleteIt's really true about the green sky. I got caught in the path of a tornado while traveling through Kansas. It's eerie, beautiful, and you instinctively know it's something to seek shelter from. We had a photo in the Brattleboro Reformer yesterday of a leveled barn in Gorham. Hope the damage will soon be repaired and that no more tornadoes visit Maine. Any, by the way, that's a great photograph.
ReplyDeletewow, nothing like that up here in Brunswick. Don't ever want to experience that either.
ReplyDeleteGlad you're safe, Birdman! Having grown up in Michigan, I've experienced my fair share of tornadoes. The worst one was in the 70's when I was about 8. My family and I had been hunkered in the basement for awhile and my father restless and went upstairs for a peek. I'll never forget him flying down the stairs, shouting, "Get down! It's coming!" It ended up hopping over our neighborhood and wiping out a whole subdivision on the other side of us. I too have been in almost every kind of wild weather element Mother Nature can create and I still find tornadoes to be the scariest because of their spontaneous nature, especially when they appear at night.
ReplyDeleteBeer? Heck no, during that tornado, we should've had the hard stuff. Bottles of it. Food for thought.
ReplyDeleteWe should keep a bottle down there, just in case of emergency, doncha think?
Gee, that was what was happening in your neck of the woods, while I was just a couple of miles away sipping a glass of Chianti?
ReplyDeleteHow lucky you were to not be hit by it! I'm glad I live in a place where tornados never occur.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful shot of the yellow sky.
Tornadoes are the worst...they do so much damage and can crop up without warning. You were very lucky and I hope such a thing never happens to you again!
ReplyDeleteWe get hurricanes and they are bad enough, but the worst of the hurricanes are the many tornadoes they spawn.
Hey Birdman,
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog. I am enjoying yours and the photos are wonderful.
I have been through a few hurricanes but the thought of a tornado really scares me. Glad to hear that it didn't pay you a visit.
ReplyDelete☼ Sunny