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Thursday, March 18, 2010

Tornado Season




Coming from the mountains of British Columbia tornadoes are something we never had to think about.  Avalanches, snow storms, rockslides, bears in your back yard and hitting a moose on the highway, now those are things we had to be concerned about....but never tornadoes. Now that I live in south central Kansas tornadoes are something I take VERY serious. When the weatherman is telling us to 'get into your storm shelter now or the lowest part of your home'...I do what I'm told! Heck...even if you don't see one on the ground now it doesn't mean it can't drop out of the sky on your head!! Right? My step daughter (a native Kansan) is a very funny girl....always has a good joke for her Dad and one of her most recent ones is...'where do Kansan's go when there's a tornado?  OUTSIDE!!! And guess what.....it's TRUE! At least as far as my husbands family is concerned and our former neighbors from the city. While I'm panicking and wanting to drag him to the basement...he's out on the porch or on the road looking at the sky! Maybe I'm a bit paranoid not having been born in Tornado Alley.....but geeeeeez. Living in cities or towns in areas prone to tornadoes you have the sirens to warn you when there's a tornado on the ground or if there is rotation in the clouds coming your way or overhead. When you live in the country as we do you don't have that luxury...so you get a weather hazard/alert radio. Ours just got pulled out of the drawer and will be set up today. Recently I just saw on the news that they are predicting a particularly bad year for tornadoes here in Kansas. The Wichita Eagle said that "local meteorolgists are anticipating a potentially active tornado season in Kansas this spring". The president of WeatherData Inc stated recently "I'm quite concerned this could be a very busy tornado season". He states this because the United States has been wetter than usual and because there is a high pressure dome situated over British Columbia (!!!!!) that is directing the jet stream right through Tornado Alley. Well...who'd have thought British Columbia could have something to do with tornadoes down here in the middle of the US of A! So...it looks like there's a chance this could be a very 'interesting' spring down here on the farm. One thing for sure...I'm going to make sure my hubby wears his cell phone at all times when working outside around home and the weather radio is going to be turned up loud and clear. If we start hearing Professor Marvel from the Wizard Of Oz start shouting "Better get under cover Sylvester. There's a storm a blowin' up, a whopper..." we'll be doing exactly that!

Photo from The Wizard Of Oz

5 comments:

Beatnheart said...

Geepers Maura that's all you need right!! Did you take those tornado photos? Scary stuff for sure. At least you get a warning. Earthquakes? not so lucky. They just jolt you awake and all your dishes rattling. I do hope all is safe for you this "season".

Maura @ Kisiwa Creek Photography said...

Hi Cynthia...you're right at least we get a warning ...if we're listening for it that is. Now earthquakes are something I've had nightmares about. Not here in Kansas but up in British Columbia. The area where I lived has earthquakes quite regularly but they are so mild that the population doesn't even know about it. In all the years I lived there (over 30) I only remember one report of an earthquake that people felt. I didn't but we had a water bed at the time and it was while most people were sleeping. They keep close tabs on them there because there are 2 dams up-river ( Columbia River) of the town and there is a huge 'slide' area in a narrow canyon where the river flows through. So..I know how you feel about earthquakes but you're probably so used to them by now you don't even notice them! Right? I'm afraid I don't think I could live there for that reason...then again there's probably people who wouldn't live in tornado alley because of the chance of a tornado! I guess like you...we take our chances and hope for the best. I hope you have an earthquake free year my friend...enjoy your beautiful weather. Maura

Catherine said...

I hope for you , that you won't have any!here we had only one in 1999, it was during the night after xmas and i thought we were all going to die, i'm so scared now!!! take care , Catherine

Laura~Pretty Pix said...

Yikes! Tornadoes scare me to bits. Here in the Pacific Northwest we only have to worry about the occasional earthquake, as you know. I hope Mother Nature is kind to you this tornado season, and all future tornado seasons.
Thanks for visiting my blog! I love yours and read it regularly.
Hugs,
Laura

Girl Tornado said...

I'm with you on this ... our weather radio has a fresh battery in it as of this past week. No tornado sirens out here on the prairie! But I have to say, even though I'm not a native Kansan and I've only been here less than 2 years, I still can be found outside in bad weather, with my camera close by. I'm fascinated by the many cloud formations, the lightning, the wind. I push it right to the very last minute, when I finally have to run into the house!!!

But seriously, I'm not looking forward to the ominous sounding weather people this year, predicting that it could be a bad year for tornadoes. Sure, I'd love a few good pics right out of my very own camera, but I'm not wishing for a twister to wreck our lives!

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