We had 2-1/4 inches in the rain gauge, from yesterday and last night. It was much needed.
We were under a tornado watch last night, but all we got was heavy rain and some wind. We seemed to be just on the edge of some heavy storms up in Tennessee and maybe some to the south of us, out over the lake. It rumbled with thunder all night.
I used to think a tornado would never make it through the Cohuttas, but a few years ago one did. It came right up the Murphy syncline. That’s the 515 and 60 corridor. It passed just north of Mineral Bluff, on top of what the locals call “Mineral Bluff Mountain.” I was at work, but the guys who were here said it was plenty scary. One of my closest neighbors who used to be a Broward County Sheriff’s Deputy, said, “I’ve been through lots of hurricanes, but I never saw anything like that!”
So, I’m taking it a lot more seriously. I found a La Cross weather radio that you can set to send you only tornado warnings. That way, you aren’t waked up by all the constant alerts for thunderstorms across the entire coverage region. I sleep a lot better with that one in place. The old one kept me up all night.
The worst danger with a tornado is that the house will fall on you. Since tornados usually travel from southwest to northeast, that means getting in the basement or crawl in the southwest corner, and hoping it carries the house over you. Or finding a good low spot outside to cower in. But if you’re still in the house, the danger is that the windows implode due to the negative pressure. That means getting into a closet or room without windows, or if you don’t have one, cover your head, or if you have them, wear safety glasses along with the head covering. If you hear a sound exactly like a railroad train going by, that’s the tornado, real close. It’s rare, but they can have a calm eye, like a hurricane. So don’t break cover until you are sure it’s passed.