JD, if that's near you, you better take cover!!  Hope no one gets hurt! 

well I called my folks, it was nearer to them, but my ma says their fine and its already past them.....

Right now I just got back from evacuating to the company's basement. I'm the evac warden in my area and had to get everyone down there...can you say "herding cats"?

garougal wrote:

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Right now I just got back from evacuating to the company's basement. I'm the evac warden in my area and had to get everyone down there...can you say "herding cats"?

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wow you guys are smart. we all just crowded by the front door to go "where is it where is it!?"

 

I used to be one of those guys that would go get in my pickup and sit on a hill dodging lightning strikes and hail stones to talk on a radio and say "It's right here! Its right here!"

JD The Jazz Doctor wrote:

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garougal wrote:

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Right now I just got back from evacuating to the company's basement. I'm the evac warden in my area and had to get everyone down there...can you say "herding cats"?

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wow you guys are smart. we all just crowded by the front door to go "where is it where is it!?"

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Those were the people I had to go back and tell to go downstairs. Oh, and the people saying "My bike, my bike!"

Holy cow, Sparky, those babies must've stung when they hit the other parts of your body!!! 

I was never a "chaser" but a "spotter". We didn't actually chase the storms with equipment like the chasers you see on tv. What we did was dispatch to specific, known spots throughout the county, and once you were on point, thats where you stayed.

All these "spotter points" were planned and marked out on maps. This way, when someone would report what they were seeing "West from point 4-2", everyone else could look at their own maps and know right where the spotter and the weather condition was located. Also, if for some reason, you became silent, everyone else knew right where to go looking for you.

We would report back into a command central via ham radio. The tv stations and broadcast radio stations would monitor us and use our reports to keep everyone else updated. My wife always listened to us and she said it always took at least 20 minutes for our reports to be put out on the tv or radio.

My wife thought it would be fun to go with me once to see what it was like. She did go ONCE and would never go with me after that. She happened to pick one of the rougher/longer storms to go on.

Yeah, with all the radar advancements and everything, there's not much excuse for getting caught off guard now.

I was spotting when we still lived in Lincoln. One thing that made us feel needed and important is that they trusted our eyes more than the radar images. Some communities blow the whistles based on radar signatures. Lincoln wouldn't blow the sirens until one of us reported or confirmed a funnel. Many times we would watch and track rotating clouds, but they were never reported as a funnel based on that alone.

The civil defense monitored us closely with their fingers on the siren buttons, but didn't blow the sirens until necessary. The good thing about that was that the city didn't become used to the sirens going off and "crying wolf". If you heard the sirens go off, you knew there was a funnel spotted and confirmed and not just a "well, we think there might be one over there".

Tornado warning canceled for Milwaukee

The National Weather Service has canceled the tornado warning for southern Milwaukee County.

The storm has moved out over Lake Michigan.

FRIDAY, June 6, 2008, 3:19 p.m.
By Tom Held

Tornado touches down near Waterford

A funnel cloud touched down near Hwy. 20 and Britton Rd., roughly five miles east of Waterford, shortly before 3 p.m.

That tornado reported by a National Weather Service spotter prompted the warning now in effect for Racine and Milwaukee Counties. Warning sirens in Milwaukee have been sounding, in response to the alert from the National Weather Service.

Alex Lamers, a meteorologist with the weather service, said the line of storms extended from Sheboygan to Lake Geneva and was moving to the east. Much of the severe weather will end in the late afternoon, but the potential for additional storms will carry through the weekend.

FRIDAY, June 6, 2008, 3:08 p.m.

Tornado warning for Milwaukee, Waukesha

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for Milwaukee and Waukesha counties.

FRIDAY, June 6, 2008, 2:59 p.m.

T-storm warning for Milwaukee metro area

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for northern Milwaukee, southern Ozaukee, northeastern Waukesha and southeastern Washington counties until 3:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, June 6, 2008, 2:58 p.m.
By Tom Held

Tornado spotted, no damage reported

A National Weather Service spotter reported a tornado just south of Sturtevant in Racine County about 2:25 this afternoon, and the weather service's radar also detected a tornado, near Pell Lake and south of Lake Geneva.

A Racine County Sheriff's dispatcher said no damage had been reported, as of 2:50 in the afternoon.

The thunderstorms moving through the southern portion of the state also generated high winds and hail, starting a bit before 2 p.m.

The tornado warning for the area will be in effect until 3:45.

FRIDAY, June 6, 2008, 2:48 p.m.

Tornado warning for Racine, Kenosha

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning for Racine and Kenosha counties until 3:45 p.m.

Residents of the counties should take cover.

FRIDAY, June 6, 2008, 2:39 p.m.

Tornado warning for Walworth County

A tornado warning remains in effect until 3:15 for southeastern Walworth County.

Residents in that area should take cover.

FRIDAY, June 6, 2008, 2:36 p.m.

Severe storm hits western Waukesha County

A strong thunderstorm with wind gusts approaching 60 mph is moving through the southwestern part of Waukesha County, according to emergency channel radio dispatchers.

Dispatchers put out a severe thunderstorm warning for Waukesha County. No damage has been reported.

FRIDAY, June 6, 2008, 2:25 p.m.

T-storm warning extended to north

The National Weather Service has extended the severe thunderstorm warning into Milwaukee, Ozaukee and Sheboygan Counties until 3 p.m.

FRIDAY, June 6, 2008, 2:19 p.m.

Wind advisory until 6 p.m.

The National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for southeastern Wisconsin until 6 p.m. today. Wind gusts of up to 60 mph are possible.

Keep your tails tucked.

I covered mine but Sparky was on his own.



We didnt even get a drop of rain....not a hail stone...no wind.

You know, having now experienced both an earthquake and a tornado in the same general area, I have to agree with CP.

Welcome to my part of Michigan, Woo.    We always get hit with nasty weather year round.