There's No Place Like Home

Just another day in Kansas.

Well, maybe not just ANY other day.

Forecasters had been warning us about yesterday for at least 48 hours.  We were issued as a "High Risk Warning" area, which apparently has only happened one other time in the last decade.

Turns out they were right. 

Storms started firing up in the afternoon, and increased in intensity by evening.  Several tornadoes were flying around the state, and by 7:00 there was a storm heading our way.  One minute the storm was rotating, the next minute the meteorologists were saying it was weakening, and the next minute my husband was being paged out to storm-spot.

Go figure.  It's Kansas. 

Within minutes, tornado warnings were being issued and sirens were going off.  The reason is obvious in the video above. 

Five hours later, after chasing the tornado (a.k.a. "storm-spotting") and checking on farmsteads that had been hit to make sure people were okay, my husband returned home.  The following (one-sided) conversation ensued. 

(Sidenote: All comments by me were not spoken verbally.)

Husband: (Walking in...first words out of his mouth...)  "That was AWESOME."

Me: Throwing yourself in the path of a tornado is awesome?

Husband: "We went south of town a few miles and stopped.  I looked up and realized that we were in the pathway of the wall cloud."

Me: GULP.

Husband: "I knew we had to move or it could come down on top of us, so we went a little farther south and then turned the fire truck around to get ready to follow it."

Me: That does not make me feel better.

Husband: "Immediately we saw it lower, rotate, and the tornado dropped right near where we were."

Me: You are never going storm-spotting again.

Husband: "We followed it until it was out of our district and then followed the path of damage to see if people were okay and needed help."

Me: Well, if you are going to help people...I may reconsider.

Needless to say, we are fine, just a little tired.  I'm sure I will let him chase many more tornadoes for the sake of keeping the local community safe. 

There are some amazing pictures of storms, tornadoes, and damage from yesterday.  Considering how many times we heard "large wedge-shaped tornado on the ground for many miles", "potentially catastrophic storm", and "tornado emergency", I am actually in awe that there was not more damage, more injuries, and more fatalities reported.  Not that I am taking what happened lightly, but in MANY cases, it could have been much, much worse. 

So, until next time....and we know there will be a 'next time' here in Tornado Alley...we are feeling pretty fortunate. 

Oh, by the way, my husband wants me to clarify...the tornado was awesome, not the damage that was done to anyone's property.