If you have any, tell us about some scary/jacked up weather event you've went through, or nearly missed.

As much as I am an auto enthusiast, and a wing nut, I love weather. It's surprising I didn't become a meteorologist.

Anyhoo, the scariest weather event I've endured, to date:

October 1996.
While in my History 1940 - Present class, a big Thunderstorm rumbled into Killeen from the north. (Storms always seem worse when they come from the north, or east, rather than the west...) It had just gotten dark, and having grown up in the south and the outskirts of Tornado Alley, I've been through plenty of thunderstorms, light to severe. This one seemed normal, until the wind picked up.

Our classes were in those little mobile trailers CTC had on Fort Hood. The wind really got strong, then we started hearing loud clangs. You guessed it, hail. Marble to golf-ball sized hail. The professor didn't release class, yet 16/18 students hauled @$$ for their cars. (I thought to myself, those stupid emmer-effers are gonna let their bodies get pulverized by wind-propelled hail, to "maybe" save their cars, which have probably been hit 100 times before they got to them.

The only people left in the trailer were myself, the professor and one other guy.

The wind got really strong, and the professor tried to close the door, but couldn't. I tried to help him, but the two of us could not close the door (The wind was that strong). The other guy came to help me, Professor stepped back, and two big 250 plus pounders could not overcome this wind (which was probably a pressure change from air leaving the building, that wouldn't allow us to close the door.).

Just then it hit me, pressure change, doors won't close, high wind, hail... TORNADO!.

I know a car is not the place to go, but the ditches were full of water from the rain, and everybody knows Tornado's LOVE trailers, so I hauled @ss for my car. I could barely see with the wind and rain, but I made it. I took off heading for the gas station (still hailing & raining). Got there, and the whole thing was full of cars, trying to escape the hailstorm. As I headed off post towards home, and the wife I tuned the radio to 93.7, headed off post via the main gate, I heard them say, "A tornado has touched down southwest of Willow Springs road, if you are in that area, take cover immediately!" In my haste to run, I was headed INTO the Willow Springs area. I punched it, and headed for home. I got on 190, and under every overpass, bunches of cars had stopped to shield them from the hail, and possibly, run from the Tornado.

I'd seen that special too, and thought I'd be safe under the overpass, near where the concrete and the embankment come together. They were full. So I said eff it, and squeezed through and headed for home. (Bacon Ranch Rd, off of W.S. Young). On the way I found a clear spot at the hotel off of Trimmier & 190, so I stayed there for a few minutes. By now, my car had been hit fifty-leven times by hail. Still tuned to the radio station, the word came out that the Tornado had dissipated, but it was still raining like a champ, the hail was gone too.

So, I went on home.

I got up the next morning, knowing my car was effed up. I dried it off, and to my surprise, there was not a single dent, ding or divet in my sheet metal, my glass wasn't broken or cracked; I was a happy camper.

I guess the tornado had gone over us at Fort Hood, and touched down on the outskirts of Killeen, between there at Fort Hood. There was no damage to any houses (that I can remember). But, that was my closest contact with a Tornado. If it had been moving Southwest to northeast as they usually do, and it being dark, I'd probably have driven into it. I guess the best thing you can do in a tornado, especially if you can't see it, is to get to a sturdy building, get low, and wait it out. Or, if you can run, move southeast of the storm, since tornadoes (generally, not always) move southwest to Northeast.

My next story: Mud-storm, Feb. 1996.

What's your story?

 

Mine isn't as dramatic...


Just watched the May 3rd F5/F6 tornado form. As it kept growing, it was amazing to watch from a distance. It was massive looking, and then seing all the distruction it caused. Vehicles were crushed into cubes 5'x5', bark was missing off of every tree, Home slabs were the only thing left... Very interesting site.


We had a small tornado in Oklahoma Monday night, not much to see.

 

Yeah, that May 3rd Oklahoma tornado took the record from the one that hit Jarrell, TX in 1997. The Jarrell tornado was unofficially, over F5 strength (it didn't even leave the slabs, it too everything, including the asphalt off the roads, and grass off the ground. It hit a new subdivision, and, if memory serves, killed 31 people. That was another storm that moved North to South; it went over Dallas (Where I was) and Killeen (Where my wife was), and leveled Jarrell, TX (about 20-30 miles south of Killeen.)

Someone video taped the Jarrell tornado as it formed, it looked like a wind made rope as it formed in their front yard. It looked harmless, almost cute...

But, when the next camera saw it come over the hill, that SOB was almost a mile wide...

If you ever see some sh*t like that, and you don't have a basement, kiss your butt goodbye... If you're lucky, you'll have a chance to tell stories about it, but if not...

Didn't a Tornado scrape Oklahoma City in 1999? I seem to remember a neighborhood gettign flattened (for the most part). Everything in the path (Which was at least two blocks wide) was gone, and the houses on the fringes were badly damaged, but, the ones another few rows over, looked fine...

Scariest thing I'd seen a picture of...

You never forget the big ones, not if you're a weather nut. I still remember that big SOB that hit Witchita Falls, TX circa 1980. I was very wide, because it formed from a cloud that was lower to the ground, than most clouds usually are... Very destructive...

 

Despite living in Kansas for 95% of my life, I have fortunately never had the luxury of seeing even a funnel cloud. *knocking on wood* I've been through plenty of severe thunderstorms however.

 

Was that the one that was spinning CLOCKWISE? Very rare twister.

I have many stories about T-Storms, and a few Typhoons (I was in Okinawa for a year, and a Hurricane is called Typhoons over there).

I know exactly what you were talking about in your post Hersh. When I was a "lil jamzwayne", we lived on a hill out in the country, which was cool, because you could actually watch a T-Storm form miles away, and track it's movement. My dad told me to watch with him one evening, and I have been hooked since that day. You can feel the temperature changes in a Thunderstorm from cool to warm, and back to cool. I think it's awesome to feel that eerie presence right before the wind kicks in.

I get a rush just thinking about it too.

 

I forget exactly what year this particular tornado hit, but 1996 sounds about right (i was still in elementary school). Mine also isnt as dramatic as your story, but I got to see the aftermath. This tornado came through DeSoto and Lancaster (suburbs in south Dallas). We live in DeSoto and so after the tornado was gone, we went driving around to survey the damage. The town center (which was relatively new...only a few years maybe), was about half gone. The structure was still there, but all the offices had been destroyed...everything between the floors and ceilings was pretty much destroyed and you could see wires hanging everywhere.

The thing I will always remember though, is that on the 3rd (uppermost) floor, you could see the rear end of a car sticking out of the side of the building.

Something to think about next time you consider hopping in your car during a tornado

 

Western Maryland camping trip in the mountains....driving down a freeway and about 1/4 mile ahead was a gray "wall". It was an unbelievable storm but what was truly amazing is how defined the rain line was. You were dry one second and a second later you were in rain so heavy you couldn't see 20' in front of you. There was supposedly a funnel cloud that touched down in the area but I never saw it. The wind was strong enough to feel like it was picking up the truck although it never did...

 

The May 3rd tornado in Oklahoma was in 1999. I forget the miles it traveled, but it stretched over a lot of the state. Pics from the air are intense to see... the path is very clear from the tornado.


Yea, one of the tornado's was spinning clockwise that hit the airport.



Here are a few pics I found on Google.



It started like this




and what it did...

 

Anyone know how a person can go about getting in to being a storm chaser and making aliving out of it?

THAT is my dream job.

 

I think most of them start off as Hamm (sp?) radio opperators and get some connections with the news stations, and eventually go full time storm chasing. All of them have day jobs, but spend a lot of spring/summer on the roads in the late afternoon.

The County I'm from has had the most tornado's out of every county in Oklahoma. Both of the May 3rd tornado's started within 5 miles of my hometown... with the Moore tornado started a 1/2 mile away from my backyard.


Here is a funny drinking game.

Pregame
1. Everyone selects a storm chaser other than Val Caster. Every time Gary
talks to your storm chaser, you take one drink. Take two drinks every time we
see footage from your storm chaser. Take four drinks if your storm chaser says
"tornado on the ground."

2. Everyone selects a county other than Pottawatomie County. Every time
Gary mentions your county, you take one drink. Take two drinks every time we see
footage from your county. Take four drinks if a tornado touches down in your
county.

One drink
1. Take one drink every time Gary says the following:"Hook echo"
"Updraft" "Metro" "Doppler radar" "Wall cloud" "Ranger 9"
"Underground" "Mobile home"
2. When Gary gives a list of counties, take one drink for every county in
the list.
3. Take one drink every time Gary interrupts a program. Take one drink if
Gary says "You're not missing any of [program name]." Take one drink when Gary
says "We'll keep you advised."

Two drinks
1. Take two drinks every time Gary says the following:"Baseball-sized hail"
"Waterloo Road" "Pottawatomie County" "Deer Creek High School"
2. Take two drinks every time Gary mentions the following towns:Altus
Burns Flat Dill City Gotebo Hydro Lookeba Meeker Mulhall Oktaha
Olustee Shattuck Slaughterville Tryon Vici Waukomis Wayne (or Payne)
Weleetka Wetumkah
3. Take two drinks every time Gary talks to Val Caster.

Three drinks
1. Take three drinks if we see footage from Val Caster.
2. Take three drinks if we see footage from Pottawatomie County.
3. Take three drinks if Gary mentions the following:"Immediate tornado
precautions" "National Weather Service" "Mesocyclone" "Portable Radio"
"Take shelter" "Tornado warning in effect until *"

Four drinks
1. Take four drinks if Ranger 9 must land to refuel.
2. Take four drinks if Gary issues his own tornado warning, not recognized
by the NWS or says the following:"Will someone please answer that phone?" "Do
you see power flashes?"
3. Take four drinks if a shirt-less tornado victim is interviewed.

Finish your drink
1. Finish your drink if someone uses the word tornado as a verb or if Gary
mentions the nearest cross streets to you.
2. If Gary says "We've lost Val," pour a little out for your homies and
finish your drink.



We added catagories.
1. If Gary speaks directly to children who are home alone, take a drink.
2. Take one drink for every article of clothing Gary takes off or loosens, take a drink. Touseled hair counts as well.
3. If ever ever again Gary says "We aren't fartin' around people!" the way he did on May 3rd, 1999 (I cannot testify to hearing it, I was taking shelter in the bathtub), drain the bottle.

 

Damn.

I'm drunk already just from reading all of that.

 

Fortunately, I have never been around a tornado, and I never want to be. I have seen it snow in June in my hometown, many years ago and I have been in a home that was "slightly" struck by lightning. Heard the lightning sizzle thru the air. Absolutely no time between light and sound. Next day, the TV would work, but got no picture, just snow. What was used light a ground block back then for the old flat style antenna wire was fried just outside th window where a friend and I were sitting during the storm. Not that close a cll, but to imagine how close it came to coming indoors thru the TV wire. Glad it was installed right. That same storm shattered a tree across town in someones yard. It was mostly toothpicks after it got hit.

 

Here's more:

Jarrell, TX: (May, 1997)
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00049839.htm

Photos:

http://www.chase-1.com/images/JARREL%7E1.png (This is called "Dead Man Walking") Indian Legend that says if you see this, you are a dead man.

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/coolimg/jarrell/index.html
http://www.vvm.com/~curtis/Jarrell/Jarrell.htm
http://n5xu.ae.utexas.edu/hamradio/tornado.jpg (Note the gas prices)
http://www.xtremewx.com/may29thjeff%2011.jpg


Oklahoma Outbreak (May 3 - 7 1999)
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/torn...9/w503tor0.htm

Photos:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/storms/19990503/
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/storms/19990503/

Wichita Falls (April 10, 1979)
http://www.usatoday.com/weather/reso...-tornado_x.htm

Photos:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/storms/1...chitafalls.php
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/storms/1...e/wfalls04.jpg

NASA Aerial Recon:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/storms/1...age-wfalls.php

Path:
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/storms/19790410/wfalls2.gif

Xenia, OH (1974)

Photos:
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/iln/outbrimages.htm

Paths taken:
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/er/iln/xmap.htm

History: F-5's over last 20 years:
May 3, 1999 -- Bridge Creek/Moore OK
April 16, 1998-- Waynesboro TN
April 8, 1998-- Pleasant Grove AL

May 27, 1997 -- Jarrell TX
(Unofficially, winds were thought to exceed 318 MPH, but 265 is what's listed. There were no methods of capturing windspeed available in Jarrell on that day.)

July 18, 1996-- Oakfield WI
June 16, 1992-- Chandler MN
April 26, 1991-- Andover KS
August 28, 1990-- Plainfield IL
March 13, 1990 -- Goessel KS
March 13, 1990 -- Hesston KS
May 31, 1985 -- Niles OH
June 7, 1984 -- Barneveld WI
April 2, 1982 -- Broken Bow OK

Last 50 years:
http://tornadochaser.colorado.edu/to...bout/usf5.html

 

The worst storm I remember was when I was about 6 or 7. I was at my grandparents house, and grandpa called me outside to look at the tornadoes. Standing in the front yard, we could see 2, and there was another one behind the house.


The worst one recently was when I went home on leave a few weeks ago, and we caught the tail end of all the storms going through Missouri and Southern Illinois. We missed the tornado, but my 150 got pelted with hail for about 20 minutes straight.

 

Can it be a snow storm? I love snow...


Janurary 1996.

First winter I had my license and had just got a new explorer eddie bauer. I remember hearing on the radio 8 inches of snow being in the forecast.

The next morning it started snowing and snowed for 3 days. Right around 3 feet at the end. The power was off for 2 weeks and we had to keep a fire in the fire place and run out of kerosene for the heaters.

I remember driving to my grand mothers in the snow to get her and bring her to our house and having to hit our drive way about 4 times to get up it. No snow plows could get out and the temps stayed around 28 all during the snow storm then dropped to 0 for about a week. In a few places I remember pushing snow in drifts and snow coming up over the hood on my explorer and going under the side mirrors. Never got stuck once in that big snow with my explorer. The national guard was out in hummers delivering supplys to people and the highway was shut down.

Damn I miss good snow storms like that.