Tornado!

[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 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

[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.