Here I was sitting here minding my own damned business getting ready to watch some old episodes of my favorite gay TV program, Antiques Roadshow, when my mother-in-law who lives in Portland called and asked what we were going to do with that tornado in Gallatin headed up our way. I told her I hadn't heard anything about it, she told me it beat the hell out of Henderson, then tore up Gallatin and was headed northeast towards us to kick our asses. That's when the weather radio finally decided to wake up and warn us.
Uh-huh, I heard about it from Sue before I did from the weather service. Crack team, them government boys.
I usually don't pay much attention to our weather radio's NOAA tornado warnings because they broadcast them before damned near every thunderstorm, and that gets old when it happens what seems like 50 times a year. This one caught my attention though when the alarm went off with "There is a deadly radar confirmed tornado on the ground in Gallatin and is headed towards Macon County at 60 miles per hour. Take shelter immediately. Caution: Total destruction of mobile homes and houses is imminent. Sucks to be you."
That's it, fuck up my Saturday evening. Asshole tornado.
I've never heard a storm warning saying there was a tornado on the ground headed towards us. On the ground and headed somewhere else, yes. Headed towards us, no. Actually, I think that's the first time I've heard the word 'deadly' in an NOAA warning, so I snatched up Lisa and that asshole dog Jack and went across the road to our neighbors and hung out in their basement with them until the danger passed, about an hour and a half, me entertaining everybody with fun facts like it was a mere 15 years ago that an EF3 tornado ripped through our area and killed 18 people in Macon County alone.
We got hit with some heavy lightning and thunderstorms and 1.13" of rain, but that was about it. No high winds here, but it's pretty hard to tell from inside a basement. Actually, I don't think we got any winds above 20 mph seeing as I didn't have so much as a twig laying around on the property Sunday morning. I don't know if the tornado headed towards us lifted, shifted directions, or just petered out.
My brother-in-law's wife and her sister who is visiting from Mexico were in a store just north of the tornado's path doing some Christmas shopping when it hit. Management locked the doors and wouldn't let anybody leave until they got the all clear. Naturally, cell service was out, so I imagine my brother-in-law was understandably worried until Fina was finally able to get through to him.
I bet after that Fina's sister was ready to get her ass back home to southern Mexico where all she has to worry about are volcanos, the occasional hurricane, and cartel violence.
I did appreciate the fact that it happened in the early evening though instead of that 2 AM bullshit when they're normally scheduled. I hate getting woke up in the middle of the night.
But yeah, both Hendersonville and Gallatin to the SW of us, and Springfield and Clarksville due west got hit, but we were spared yet again.
I don't know how much damage Gallatin had, but Lisa's got a doctor's appointment there on Wednesday and her doctor's office was right in the path between Hendersonville and Gallatin, so I guess we'll find out then unless they call today and say it's cancelled because the building got, well, cancelled as well.
Here's a 7 minute video from about a city block away of the Clarksville tornado tearing shit up. I can't believe that the white car spun a U-turn to head back towards the tornado and then turns at the intersection right in front of it!
