It's coming!

Wow my kids have never been frightened by storms before.
I should of got that thundershirt!!!!

we are in the basement drinking wine and watching tv

We're in the basement too, but drinking water. If you want to listen to the storm on the scanner go to:

DuPage County Scanner

GEPD is Golf
GEFD is 20-38

Just heard the warning was extended to 9:30.

also google chicago tornado and hit real time. you can watch the twitter chicago feed

Power is out here just NE of Five Corners.

They were all tornado. The weather service extended the warning and Ducomm set it off a couple extra times to get everyone to pay attention.

Worst epic storm, ever. Nothing happened in the CLEA.

I have never heard four warning sirens in a row before. Weather channel scroller told us it was over at 9:15pm. There wasn't an all-clear. I don't believe there ever will be an all-clear tone due to liability in the event something bad happens soon thereafter.

Part of the problem with the multiple sirens could of been because Ducomm was having radio problems last night.

Nope, they never do an all clear.

It's a good day! I was able to drag the sizeable tree limb that fell during the storm last night out to the parkway where it was picked up not 15 minutes later along with the regular branch and brush pick up. Hooray for the branch/brush truck not getting around to my street until Wednesday!

southge, did you take that picture? is it the actual storm that blew through the area? What a great picture!

This one was from NE Oklahoma from my parent's neighborhood a few weeks ago when Joplin got hit. They live about 35 miles SW of Joplin. It is rumored the first tornado is the one that went through Joplin. This tornado missed their house by maybe a 1/4 mile. They live on a lake, and the distance from the camera to the tornado is maybe 3 miles at best. It is traveling straight for the camera.

OK Tornado (Joplin)

Huh. We don't have a basement, I live on the second floor. But when I looked outside my window, it didn't look like much more than doomsday clouds with a little rain and wind. My daughter was freaking out and so was my cat, though. Perhaps my interpretation of it was based on my attempts to appear calm for them, lol.

Btw, it was fun driving through Bensenville (near O'Hare) yesterday. It was like a maze on every street and traffic was exceptionally horrific due to various stoptlights being out.

quote:

I looked outside my window, it didn't look like much more than doomsday clouds

When you hear the sirens always move to safety. What looks like nothing to you could be a rain wrapped tornado.

This is a picture of a tornado, can you see it?





Another even harder to see

Actually, I can....but thanks for the heads up on the sirens. I was actually stuck at Newton with a bunch of third grade girls a few years ago when the sirens went off once. Now THAT was scary.

I'm curious....where exactly is "safety" in an apartment building? Every room except the bathroom in my unit has windows and the bathroom is smack-dab in the middle of the unit. In my old building, we had little storage-like areas underneath the stairways that we'd all go into when it got bad, but this building doesn't have that. The downstairs isn't even really below ground. What do you suggest?

GESM2, you want to put as much protection between you and the debrie of a tornado. In you case, the bathtub in your bathroom, with a mattress on top, would be the ideal spot. Or, if your building has a basement, head down to it. I'm sure if you called the property manager, he/she would be happy to share with you the plan in place for such an event.

If you're ever in a car and have no other options but to try and get away from a tornadoes, try and get south of it. They usually travel from the SW to the NE, roughly so. It was also taught to me that the NE corner of the basement is the safest spot as well. If the house gets hit, you'll be the furthest from the intial strike point. It's not necessarily the debrie of the house that's dangerous (although it is), but the debrie already pulled into the tornado and spinning around it already. The winds are bad, but what really does the damage is the debrie. Kind of like a sand blaster. The air might loosen the paint, but add the sand, and it strips the paint right off..

Yeah, I knew the debris in the tornado is a bigger concern than the wind itself.

I'm not entirely convinced that my landlord has anything like that in place, he's not the most on top of that kinda thing.

NC is right. If you live in an apartment and don't have a basement a center room is the best.

Maybe your downstairs neighbor would let you hang out there for a tornado warning. I guess it would also depend on how many people you can fit in their bathroom.

Probably worth a call. One of those things that you'll most likely never need, but when you do, it's nice. Sort of like what my dad told me last fall about buying a snow blower. When you need it, you'll love having it. Boy, was he right this winter!