Storms redux - The January Edition
Just as no-one expects the Spanish Inquisition, NO-ONE expected such unbelievably violent storms in the region this time of year. Obviously, I'm alive as is the family here and elsewhere. This time the storms cut dangerously close to Tammy's family and Brenna at Montevallo. Fortunately for us, everyone came through without injury or damage.
To note, overnight severe weather is the worst. All of it is bad, but the late night early morning stuff leaves you unable to sleep or rest well. In most cases, I got the family to bed before 10:30p and I stayed up watching the weather reports. In some cases I sent warning txts to friends west and north of here telling them to seek shelter. By midnight, I was tired enough I couldn't stay up though the main parts of the storm was merely an hour or so way. At 1:30a and 2:10a I was jolted from my dozing by massive, house shaking peels of thunder. At 2:25 the civil defense sirens went off. Tammy who'd had a massive back spasm before bed was awakened immediately and helped gather the family in the studio downstairs. The studio is partially below ground level and my computer is here so I could check the weather alert.
The CD sirens went off throughout the county but the tornado was only threatening the furthest southeastern corner of Madison County, AL. The storm was not heading our direction so I sent everyone back to bed. All told, Amy and I got about 3 hours of sleep. Chris 5 and Tammy about 6. I'm glad we have the sirens so close, but I wish the ham-fisted siren operator would have looked at their map before lighting up their entire system.
If we're getting storms like this one now, I hate to think what spring in the south will be like.
To note, overnight severe weather is the worst. All of it is bad, but the late night early morning stuff leaves you unable to sleep or rest well. In most cases, I got the family to bed before 10:30p and I stayed up watching the weather reports. In some cases I sent warning txts to friends west and north of here telling them to seek shelter. By midnight, I was tired enough I couldn't stay up though the main parts of the storm was merely an hour or so way. At 1:30a and 2:10a I was jolted from my dozing by massive, house shaking peels of thunder. At 2:25 the civil defense sirens went off. Tammy who'd had a massive back spasm before bed was awakened immediately and helped gather the family in the studio downstairs. The studio is partially below ground level and my computer is here so I could check the weather alert.
The CD sirens went off throughout the county but the tornado was only threatening the furthest southeastern corner of Madison County, AL. The storm was not heading our direction so I sent everyone back to bed. All told, Amy and I got about 3 hours of sleep. Chris 5 and Tammy about 6. I'm glad we have the sirens so close, but I wish the ham-fisted siren operator would have looked at their map before lighting up their entire system.
If we're getting storms like this one now, I hate to think what spring in the south will be like.