We're not in Kansas anymore!

[sundial]

I have spent most of the morning either huddled in the fraidy room or checking the clouds. We have had severe weather with tornado warnings. The system has moved on but we're still getting straight line winds and a neighbors trampoline just blew across 3 back yards.

For TE'ers in AR, TN and MS, here's the latest updates.



Tornado Watch Update

/O.CON.KMEG.TO.A.0009.000000T0000Z- 080109T0300Z/
TORNADO WATCH 9 REMAINS VALID UNTIL 9 PM CST THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS

IN NORTH MISSISSIPPI THIS WATCH INCLUDES 22 COUNTIES

ALCORN BENTON CALHOUN CHICKASAW COAHOMA DESOTO ITAWAMBA LAFAYETTE LEE MARSHALL MONROE PANOLA PONTOTOC PRENTISS QUITMAN TALLAHATCHIE TATE TIPPAH TISHOMINGO TUNICA UNION YALOBUSHA

IN WEST TENNESSEE THIS WATCH INCLUDES 20 COUNTIES

CARROLL CHESTER CROCKETT DECATUR DYER FAYETTE GIBSON HARDEMAN HARDIN HAYWOOD HENDERSON HENRY LAKE LAUDERDALE MADISON MCNAIRY OBION SHELBY TIPTON WEAKLEY

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF... ABERDEEN...AMORY...BARTLETT... BATESVILLE...BOLIVAR...BOONEVILLE... CLARKSDALE...COLLIERVILLE... CORINTH... COVINGTON...DRESDEN...DYERSBURG... GERMANTOWN... HUMBOLDT...HUNTINGDON... IUKA...JACKSON...LEXINGTON...MARTIN... MEMPHIS...MILAN...MILLINGTON...NEW ALBANY...OLIVE BRANCH... OXFORD... PARIS...SAVANNAH...SOMERVILLE... SOUTHAVEN...TUNICA... TUPELO AND UNION CITY.

[crazycanuck]

Which room is your fraidy room??? Do most houses in the southern US have safe rooms in the basement for times like this? Are there sirens?

I've no clue!

Take care!!! Crazy-thankful that she lives south of the Western Australia/Northern Territory cyclone zone-canuck

[sundial]

The National Weather Service Has Issued Tornado Watch 9 In Effect Until 9 Pm Cst This Evening For The Following Areas

In Tennessee This Watch Includes 12 Counties

In Middle Tennessee

Benton Cheatham Dickson Hickman Houston Humphreys Lewis Montgomery Perry Robertson Stewart Wayne

This Includes The Cities Of...ashland City...camden... Centerville... Clarksville...clifton...collinwood... Dickson... Dover...erin...hohenwald... Kingston Springs...linden... Lobelville...new Johnsonville... Pegram...springfield... Tennessee Ridge...waverly...waynesboro And White House.

[sundial]

CC, our fraidy room is the master bathroom, lol. Some people will have storm shelters outside in their yards or have an interior safe room. Many will head for the central room in the house which is often a bathroom. We like to set up camp in the master bath and closet. It's pretty entertaining when you have 4 dogs, a dog bed, radio, emergency tote, and your imagination when crammed in together. Hubby and I have been known to eat pizza and share ice cream with the dogs while sitting on the side of the tub listening to the weather alerts.

Our town does not have sirens that go off when threatening weather comes. Instead, I check weather.com and watch the skies.

Here are some pictures of a 2006 tornado that hit a nearby town:


Rescuers canvas the remains of a neighborhood.


This cat was hiding in the cabinet. Note the missing roof and the water tower in the background.

[OakLeaf]

Our town does not have sirens that go off when threatening weather comes. Instead, I check weather.com and watch the skies.

A weather alert radio is a good investment ($40-70). Tornadoes have come through here in the middle of the night more than once, when most people were asleep and not online.

Unfortunately we have a hill in the way and haven't bothered to run an external antenna up our existing tower... so we only get the weather alerts for the counties downwind of us.

Glad you're OK. Hang in there.

[sbctwin]

I hope you are safe Sundial. We are having some winds at present with another front moving through, but I am sure, nothing like what you are experiencing...

[maillotpois]

Wow, Sundial. Having gone through some weather related nastiness over the last week I really feel for you. Take care! Keep the fraidy room warm.

[sundial]

A weather alert radio is a good investment ($40-70).

We have a couple of NOAA radios--one for the house and one for the car. I really like them and they will sound the alarm when severe weather is headed for our county. I just heard that AR was rated #2 for tornadoes. Ack!

Looks like KY and IL will probably get these storms. Hope everyone is safe tonight.

[Brandi]

Please be safe. Strange to have them this time of year isn't it?

[Zen]

Sundial, that's just terrifying. I can't imagine what such devastation must be like. Please let us know you're OK.

[melissam]

Sundial,

I'm wishing you and other TE'ers in AR, TN and MS continued safety & shelter.

Keep us posted!

-- Melissa

[sundial]

Strange to have them this time of year isn't it?

One year Memphis had a tornado in December. Ack!

Tuckerville, did you get any storm damage in your area last night?

We're ok here. The temps have dropped 20+ degrees and it's now cool and a little windy. Tomorrow I should be able to get out and play. The dogs and I are doing much better after knoshing on snacks all afternoon.

I just love living in tornado alley.

[sundial]

Here's another update from National Weather Service:

TORNADO WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WT 11
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
640 PM CST TUE JAN 8 2008

TORNADO WATCH 11 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM CST FOR THE
FOLLOWING LOCATIONS

TENNESSEE COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

BEDFORD CANNON CLAY
COFFEE CUMBERLAND DAVIDSON
DEKALB FENTRESS FRANKLIN
GILES GRUNDY JACKSON
LAWRENCE LINCOLN MACON
MARSHALL MAURY MOORE
OVERTON PICKETT PUTNAM
RUTHERFORD SMITH SUMNER
TROUSDALE VAN BUREN WARREN
WHITE WILLIAMSON WILSON

[Popoki_Nui]

Hope you're all ok down there.

Keeping you in our thoughts,
~Sherry.

[sundial]

TE'ers in AL, you're in the line of this storm system:

Significant Weather Alert

LAUDERDALE-LAWRENCE-LIMESTONE- 747 PM CST TUE JAN 8 2008
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ALERT FOR LIMESTONE...EASTERN LAUDERDALE... AND NORTHERN LAWRENCE COUNTIES UNTIL 815 PM CST...

AT 747 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF LAWRENCEBURG TO 6 MILES EAST OF KILLEN TO TOWN CREEK...MOVING EAST AT 45 MPH.

PEA SIZE HAIL...WINDS UP TO 55 MPH... FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING... AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.

* LOCATIONS IN OR NEAR THE PATH INCLUDE... RED BANK. WHITEHEAD. WHEELER. MT ROZELL. RIPLEY. CARTWRIGHT.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM CST WEDNESDAY MORNING FOR NORTHWESTERN ALABAMA AND CENTRAL TENNESSEE.