Surprise, Surprise
* What a wild, wild day. Tornado warnings flew fast and furiously today across Mississippi and Alabama. I have a few thoughts and comments...* First, what a fantastic job by Renny Vandewege and the WTOK team today. While I was not able to see the coverage, I listened to much of it on AM 1010 WMOX, and Renny and the gang did a wonderful job while dealing with staffing issues - some of which were my fault. Which, brings me to my next point...
* I owe the people of this area an apology. I had plans to spend the weekend at Mississippi State for an unofficial reunion with some close friends of mine - folks I haven't seen in a few years in some cases. Our weather team (and almost everyone else in the weather forecasting community) agreed that the chance of widespread severe weather was very small this weekend. Weighing the apparent small risk, I made the decision to go ahead and go to Starkville. That was the wrong decision. Lesson learned, and I look forward to doing better in the future. This will also be a great lesson about how far we still have to go in the science of weather forecasting. Hats off to Renny for his many hours of hard work! The National Weather Service offices also did a fantastic job.
* We often talk about how fast tornadoes move - a lesson I learned firsthand today. While watching a football game (also watching radar on my laptop), the power began to flicker. The lights went out and a deep rumbling roar could be heard in the distance. The roar grew louder, and the apartment began to shake. At this point, we moved into the interior hallway. The roar lasted for about 15-20 seconds and then subsided. We walked outside and there were trees down everywhere, some of which had fallen on cars. It happened so quickly! Luckily, there were only minor injuries. This was my first tornado, and I now have an appreciation for their speed and power.
* We are continuing to watch the tropics. There are a few areas that show the potential for at least some slow development. Right now, they aren't doing much. We'll hope that continues and keep our eyes on the tropics.
posted by WTOK Weather Staff @ 10:07 PM
3 Comments:
Seems like every time you leave town, we have severe weather... Guess today was an educational experience..
Yea, Don't leave anymore! lol I'm just kidding. You deserve to have a little fun.
Don't be so hard on yourself! Renny did a great job,and it was great experience for him.
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