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prairiemoon2

Just had a tornado warning....

My phone started making these high pitched sounds and I opened it and there was an emergency warning saying head to the basement. On the way, while right at the door to the basement, we were watching the forecast, and we seemed to be out of the path they were indicating. Plus the sun was coming out here. I went to check how much rain we had. My rain gauge was empty this morning and it now has 4 inches of water in it!!

Comments (8)

  • 5 years ago

    Hope you are safe PM2! That's got to be a bit unnerving! We've had a few brief tornado watches over the summer but I don't get alerts on my phone telling me to head to the basement! Yikes that would make me worry!


    We're still so dry here. Despite some rain last Saturday, and more last night, it's still so dry. Getting dark here now so I'm hoping for some rain but I doubt it will happen.


    :)

    Dee


  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    Thanks Dee, we are fine! It passed by so quickly and the sun came out. I have never had an emergency notice on my phone though and it's so weird. The phone doesn't ring, it makes these high pitched sounds like an alarm until you pick it up and open it. I didn't know what I was hearing. Then there is that message from the Emergency Broadcast system. Makes me happy to know that in an emergency that works!

    I'm sorry you are still dry. I seem to be in the jackpot area. I've barely had to use my sprinklers and all 3 of my rain barrels were so full, that I only had to put the diverter down on one of them to fill it up again with this past rain. It's an embarrassment of riches, although I also have had foliar issues on a number of plants and low productivity on the tomatoes this year.

    I have had quite a few of those summers though, where you have forecasts for rain and every town around you gets it but you. I am really glad I measure the rainfall though, because although it rained pretty hard this morning, it wasn't for that long a time and I would have guessed about 2 inches, so it was a surprise that it was actually 4. So I highly recommend to anyone that doesn't measure their rainfall yet, that it's worth it. I didn't buy a device, I just took a large plastic container like you get at the supermarket when you buy soup in the precooked section and I use that standing up in the corner of a raised bed with a rock to keep it upright.

    We are supposed to get a lot of rain with the latest Hurricane coming up the coast, so I hope you get a bonanza on Sunday, Dee!

  • 5 years ago

    Yes, it was quite a few hours of downpour, wasn't it? And punctuated by that screeching alarm. The tornado warning also came in on my work phone and my coworkers who were probably pulled over on the side of the road reported the weather and flooding simultaneously from Beverly and Salem down to Lexington. Our 5 story office building in Woburn was evacuated down to the ground floor during the tornado warning.

    I did not see any large downed trees around here. There are a lot of old maples that are hollow inside and a big wind usually takes out a few.

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    I forgot, we were talking to someone who works in Beverly right after we got the alarm and they said everyone in their office had to go down to the garage. that is under their building. But apparently a tornado only touched down in Clinton MA. Not even in the North Shore area. Better safe than sorry though.

    No downed trees here either. Not really a lot of wind either, just drenching rain. The forecast for the next 6 days....wow....the humidity. 90% chance of rain on Sunday from Henri. Not all that much wind? One day of sunshine in 6 days. Not really cooling off at night either. Not what I'd typically expect the last 2 weeks of August.

    But after 4 inches of rain and potential for another large amount tomorrow, my ground must be saturated. I could even get some water in the basement. I hope we don't lose power, I'm just not in the mood. lol

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    PM2, I'm thinking the same thing - just don't want to deal with power outages here! I just stocked my freezer with meat from the farm last weekend, and there's the usual "no power = no water" equation because of being on a well, so it's always a pain.

    Just read the forecast. Going out today to pick up any loose stuff, maybe bring my pots in. Still debating whether rain-soaked pots will be heavy enough to withstand the winds. While the forecast said winds up to 40mph, the warnings said gusts could reach up to 100-125mph, I think it said. Although it WILL be nice to finally get some rain! But this may be a case of "be careful what you wish for"!!

    Hoping for the best!

    :)

    Dee

  • 5 years ago
    last modified: 5 years ago

    We just have a couple of lawn chaises out there and I have cattle panel trellises in the raised veggie beds, and the plastic ties holding them to the uprights, this year have all started to pop off. Didn't realize they did that. So I need to add a few more new ties to make sure the wind is not going to pull them over with my bean plants all over them.


    My husband is telling me they changed the pathway of the storm and the Western part of our state is going to take the brunt of it rather than us in the East. But we'll still get the rain. My husband has been joking about it, because we tried to make a food order yesterday and no delivery times. He said everyone is out stocking up for the 'storm of the century'. lol He said haven't you seen the neighbor across the street putting his plywood up? He was joking. No one here has ever put up plywood in 40 years...lol.

  • 5 years ago

    It seems every storm for the last ten years has been "the storm of the century" lol. I joke about it, but honestly with the climate the way it is it's getting harder to know what to expect these days.


    I think a potential hurricane is a bit different, but I always wonder about snowstorms. You stop at the store after work to get a quart of milk or a bag of carrots for dinner lol, and the whole town is shopping and acting like it's armageddon. I mean, in my city at least, we DO have snow plows, lol, and the streets are usually cleared by the next day. I certainly don't need to put in two week's of groceries for a snowstorm. I figure I'll be out by the next afternoon lol. I just wanted my carrots for dinner, snow or no snow!


    I do have to admit I don't like that western shift to tomorrow's storm! I was just on the edge of it - if it's shifted west I'll be smack in the middle. Ugh, I just hope I don't lose power.


    :)

    Dee

  • 5 years ago

    I hope so, Dee! I wonder if it will be passing over land before it gets to you.