I was coming home last night in a really bad storm with an ominous, eery looking sky when a tornado alert came on the radio. The rain had been pounding, intermixed with pea sized hail, when suddenly - everything went completely still. The storm sirens started wailing and the radio reported a funnel cloud had formed over Huntsville. At the time I was stuck in slow moving traffic trying to get over Chapman Mountain. I managed to get off the main road, out of traffic and onto a back road that went parallel to the Hwy when suddenly stuff started falling out of the sky! It looked like roofing material, paper, all kinds of crazy stuff. I was scanning the sky from my limited vantage point when a super gust of wind sheered down upon me and nearly lifted my truck on two wheels… :shock: I’m not exaggerating! I looked out the window where the gust came from and there was stuff flying at me … looked almost like streamers, and at the same time a transformer blew! Then my truck shook like a train was coming through. I was white knuckle scared and pulled off in a nearby neighborhood thinking about getting out and laying down in a ditch. Storm sirens were blaring. I stopped for a moment and that weird calmness came back again - so I decided, wisely or not, to head for home, ignoring speed limits completely.
My mom calls my cell phone and asks where I am … I tell her I’m on 72 E. She’s watching the TV weather alert and tells me there’s a tornado heading right down 72 E. I’m not sure if the thing is behind me or in front of me! I get off 72 and start heading down Ryland Pike which pulls away from 72. My mom starts quoting places in the path of the funnel cloud … 72 E, Maysville, RYLAND PIKE!!! Holy sh!t, that’s is exactly where I am!
The sky was ominous black - I mean more black than you can imagine - except it was lit up by frequent strings of lighting in the clouds. I pass a Dollar General and that place is PACKED. People are getting out of their cars and running in for shelter. I figure, the tornado probably looks at a Dollar General like a condensed trailer park. That thing has a bull’s eye painted on it for sure. I have no idea how I am going to die, but I am determined it will never happen in a Dollar General. There was only one car on the road, a Sheriff headed the other way! I wondered if that was a bad sign. Regardless, I didn’t slow down and he wasn’t about to turn around after me.
Anyway, I made it home without any further excitement and, while it was wet it didn’t look like any wind damaged had hit my cove. No trees down. No abundance of branches down. Dogs were fine. Wife and kids managed to get home about a half hour later. All was safe.
I have to admit … it was the most exciting drive home I have had in a long while.
Holy cow, glad you’re safe Keith! Speaking of bad acid trips and tornados…
I grew up in IA, where tornados were common. Seems like every year a small town would get wiped off the map. One time in college, I went to a friends house for a visit and a tornado ended up heading right for the town. We had both just taken some acid (disclaimer: this was 40 years ago…I don’t do that stuff any more!). His dad was a minister, so we headed for the church basement to ride it out. Tripping our brains out, sitting in a church basement as a tornado roared over us was one of the strangest experiences I’ve ever had!
I’m glad all are safe. Tornados are scary. I grew up in Northern AL and have seen my share. If I have a bad dream/nightmare (which is rare) it usually involves a tornado or two.
Glad you’re safe, but dude, That is SWEET!! I love big storms. Been in some pretty hefty ones myself, and I’m positive two tornados, small ones at least. My dream is to go on a tornado chasing vacation.
:o Holy crap that is freaky exciting!
Great story, I almost never read that much script,
but the Dollar General made me spit and then howl with laughter
I have to admit that those kinds of wicked thunderstorms fascinate me,
when it gets all black and foreboding, wind and lightening…wow that makes my blood roil!
Although I have never experienced the full-on destruction of a tornado,
and that might put a damper on the cool factor.
