Cape Karen
It's been a wild couple of weeks here in the state of Tennessee. The National Weather Service reported 42 tornadoes yesterday in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana. They said that this violent weather grew out of a powerful storm system working its way across the nation.
"These were half-million-dollar homes or better," said an 81 year-old resident of Tennessee, as he sadly scanned the large debris field left by one tornado. "There's nothing left of the house. I can't even find a shingle," he said.
In Alabama, baseball-sized hail dented cars, shattered windshields, windows and headlights, and blanketed the ground like a snowstorm.
As of yesterday, an estimated 328 tornadoes have hit the United States this year, compared with an average of 70 for the same 3-month period in each of the past three years. That's almost five times the norm ~ and the tornado season isn't over for another month here in the south.
It looks like we're experiencing more weather "firsts" again. Luckily for us, the tornadoes haven't made their way this far east, where we live nestled-up to the Great Smoky Mountains. But, the way things are going, who knows what might happen? They even measured winds moving as fast as 306 mph in one of the tornadoes.
I stood in the wind during Hurricane Bob in 1991 on the Cape. The wind was blowing around 90-100 mph when Bob finally reached the Cape, and I could lean way forward into it and not fall on my face. Tree branches were snapping, sounding like loud shotgun blasts going off, all around us. My neighbors were standing out in the street, too; we were having such fun being 'nearly' blown over, and laughing as our faces got all 'flappy' and distorted by the strong winds. I don't think we'd do that again, though; nor will Floridian's be having their yearly "hurricane parties" anymore, like they once did. (Aw shucks ~ we really did enjoy a good storm back then!)
The times . . . they are a-changin' ~ but . . . 306 mph winds!? That's not fun! Winds like that could tear your whole face off!
As I saw the pictures on the news today, of a well-built brick, two-story house that was lifted and moved 20 feet off its foundation, before crumbling into a huge pile of bricks and splinters, my mind said, "Nope . . . that doesn't compute." I simply cannot imagine a wind so strong that it can toss massive tractor trailers around like children's toys, and topple big brick buildings as if they were made of Legos. Thirty-five people died during the last two storms, over 500 homes and businesses were destroyed in this state alone, and there are still people yet to be found.
These days, I even get nervous when strong thunderstorms move overhead. Kitty Smudge isn't always the only one diving under the bed! Last night, I jumped three feet, straight up, when an unexpected thunderclap "cracked" loudly, right above the house. And lightening - eeeeew- I don't like that stuff either!
If a tornado is ever forecast to come within 20 miles of here, and it seems like they are getting closer and closer all the time, you can bet we'll be well on our way outta town ~ cat-in-a-box and all! 