Tornado!

[Crankin]

A tornado just hit Springfield, MA, with damage.
It looks like the worst of it will pass south of here, but there are significant thunderstorm/violent weather warnings.
Hope no one is riding home.

http://www.weather.com/weather/alerts/localalerts/01742:4?phenomena=TO&significance=A&areaid=MAC017&office=KBOX&etn=0411

[PamNY]

Yikes! Good luck to everyone in the area. We have a tornado watch, but so far nothing.

[Blueberry]

Egads! Hope you're all safe!!! MA doesn't get tornadoes much, does it?

[DebW]

I just got home from my 1.5 mile bike commute. One rumble of thunder while I was riding (10+ seconds between the lightning and thunder, so I was safe) and now more frequent rumbles.

[Tri Girl]

wow! normal for us, I'm thinking NOT so normal for you guys! Be safe out there!!!!

[Crankin]

There was a pretty bad one in Great Barrington (Berkshires) about 10-12 years ago.
OK, just saw the NWS warning Emergency Broadcast System come on TV for the first time ever, with a tornado warning. So far, Middlesex County is in the warning area but it still looks like it will go south... heading toward Worcester now and is still a funnel cloud on the ground. There are two storms with tornadoes heading east, strengthening.
It's very dark out. DH just got a warning from his office in Natick (he's at home, thankfully), to not leave the building and get to the bottom floor.
Going to put my patio umbrella down and bring the hanging plants in. The one to the north looks like it could come close...

[ny biker]

If you don't have a basement, you want to be in a low-level room/hall/closet with no windows.

If the sky turns kinda green, look out.

[sundial]

If you don't have a basement, you want to be in a low-level room/hall/closet with no windows.

If the sky turns kinda green, look out.

Amen to that! If it suddenly gets quiet, ie no birds singing, LOOK OUT! These storms are developing in a blink of an eye and you do NOT want to gamble with your safety. The poor people in Joplin had no advance warning and the sirens sounded just as the mile wide tornado touched down. For some, they couldn't even hear the siren because of the driving rain. :( :(

Please people, have a safety kit ready to go and keep it handy, whether it's in your car or home. Create a survival backpack or purchase one (http://www.survival-gear.com/grab-and-go-bug-out-bag.htm) that is available online that includes rations, a first aid kit, flashlight, NOAA radio, space blanket, Swiss Army knife, tools, shovel, gloves, boots, etc.

I realize that I may be preaching to the choir but for the lurkers here, it may just save someone's life someday.

[Jolt]

If you don't have a basement, you want to be in a low-level room/hall/closet with no windows.


Very true...I just realized with all the talk about tornado watches today (we haven't even had any thunderstorms here yet) I have no safe place to go in my apartment if a tornado hits--I am on the second and third floors and every room has two or more windows. Hopefully we never get hit here...

[Crankin]

Oy, there's a new (and big) storm headed directly toward us now. In about 45 minutes. Looks like it has good possibility of some damaging winds at the least, and maybe tornadic activity.
Jolt, I think this one may be north of you. It's going right along Rt. 2.

[Jolt]

Jolt, I think this one may be north of you. It's going right along Rt. 2.

I'm not in Worcester anymore (made the big move to Maine this weekend!). Hopefully you don't get hit too badly with this one...

[Crankin]

No tornado, but some very bad thunder and lightning.
Hope your new apt./job/city are great.

[SheFly]

We took the kittens and high-tailed it to the basement when the hail started here. Crankin - looks like it was worse where you were!

The news is reporting 4 deaths so far. For those of you in regular tornado areas, I realize this isn't a big deal, but this doesn't happen here. I have NEVER created an emergency pack and gone to the basement for shelter. Very scary.

Hope anyone out in Western MA is safe and sound.

Ridebikeme - what's the news up there? I heard touchdowns in Gorham and Jefferson. You ok?

SheFly

[ny biker]

We actually do get tornados in the DC metro area, though fortunately not as many or as severe as in other areas. I have no basement -- I'm in a second floor condo. My choices are: (a) the walk-in closet in my bedroom or (2) leave my condo, go into the main hallway, all the way downstairs to the basement level. There is a door down there that leads into my neighbors' basement. So I could either knock and hope they hear me and let me in, or just crouch under the stairs.

[NbyNW]

Yikes! I hope everyone out that way stays safe.

[VeganBikeChick]

Stay safe everyone!

[Owlie]

What a spring this has been.

Stay safe, everyone.

[OakLeaf]

Yikes. Be safe, all.

[Crankin]

We didn't have any hail here (I'm only a few miles away from SheFly), but pretty fierce lightning and wind, along with torrential rain. We also went down to the lower level of our house, which isn't below the ground, since our house is built into the side of a hill, and had plans to go into the storage closet, as my house has windows everywhere. I also have never thought of making an emergency pack. Our emergency contingency is having a flashlight in every room!
It's a beautiful New England day today. I don't see any visible damage right outside my house, but I am sure there must be debris on the road. The damage in Springfield and the small towns around there looks awful.

[bambu101]

We are about 10 miles from the damage in Westfield, which is awful. We had 2 rounds of storms with brief downpours, very little wind, and a bit of hail. We lost our phone service, but still have internet, and the power never went out. We were extremely fortunate compared to a lot of folks around here:

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/06/tornado_tears_through_pioneer.html



Pretty scary stuff!

(on a happy note, the Mama Robin nesting in the holly bush outside the window rode out the storm and sat tight on her 2 babies, who are about to fledge)

[7rider]

Waiting to hear from a friend of mine with family in Springfield/West Springfield.
Yikes. Hope they are all well.

[sundial]

...I have no safe place to go in my apartment if a tornado hits...

If you are able to, hide under the stairwell on the bottom floor and cover yourself with a large cushion or even a mattress. If that is not an option, go to an area away from the windows and get as low as possible. Most deaths occur because of flying debris.

[m.eliza]

We had hail stones the size of dimes coming down for a while before I left work (strange that you didn't have any down the street, Crankin!). I had to run outside to roll my car windows up (oops) and came back dripping from head to toe.

A friend of mine lives in one of the towns where a tornado touched down last night. Hoping to hear back from him soon!

[Jolt]

If you are able to, hide under the stairwell on the bottom floor and cover yourself with a large cushion or even a mattress. If that is not an option, go to an area away from the windows and get as low as possible. Most deaths occur because of flying debris.

Ugh...the only stairwell I could get under would be the one going up from the second to the third floor (there's a little alcove under therer where I have a few things stored) and it's right across the living room from the two windows. Currently I do not have access to the basement although this may change as my landlord said he is planning on putting an outside entrance in to the basement at some point so everyone in the building can access it for storage etc. One person to whom I brought this up suggested I go outside and lie on the ground right against the retaining wall at the edge of the yard, but that would seem to be pretty exposed to any flying debris if it's coming from the wrong direction. I suppose the best bet would be to knock on my downstairs neighbor's door if she happened to be home.

[nancielle]

There was a pretty bad one in Great Barrington (Berkshires) about 10-12 years ago.

I was living in Great Barrington when that hit on Memorial Day of 1995. Was classified as an F4 tornado. Very scary. I had just gotten home from an outing and the sky turned green. Had never seen anything like it before. The funnel cloud torn down the street behind my apartment. Three people died in that one.

We got the severe thunderstorm with extremely heavy rain and hail. It flooded storm drains (and my front yard.) Fortunately, no tornado for us.