Turbulence on the ground!

[Passenger Mark]

Huge storms throughout many southern states including Tennessee last night, and early this morning. We are just fine, but unfortunately, many didn't come out as well. The winds, thunder, and lighting were ferocious.

Yesterday temps were in the 70s, very odd for early February. This is what caused the storms as the cold front moved through.

Thankfully, today's technology gives warning, which saves lives. At 3:00 am this morning we were in our "interior" room listening to the wind outside. Had our weather radio and laptop with the national weather service radar.

Sitting there in the early morning makes you realize how "small" we are. It is humbling. It also makes you think about how safe flying is. How you cannot escape risk... not even in your own home. How important it is to live life to it's fullest.

[Barb-SAN]

Thankfully, today's technology gives warning, which saves lives. At 3:00 am this morning we were in our "interior" room listening to the wind outside. Had our weather radio and laptop with the national weather service radar.

Dang, Mark....that must have been scary. It sounds like you were tracking the tornadoes there on your radar. :eek: Glad that you are O.K.Thanks for letting us know...it was the first thing I wondered when I saw the headlines on MSNBC.

Having been to your house for Nashfest...I was trying to imagine just which room is the most "interior". The kitchen? At least you have access to comfort food there...;) Do they build those houses with a reinforced interior room if you don't have a basement?

[Passenger Mark]

The kitchen is the most interior room... but is open on both ends... and all the glass, heavy appliances, knifes, etc don't make it a good room.

The room we used was the master closet.

They don't reinforce for homes with slabs. Some (not many) people have a steel room in their garage which is bolted to the slab.

[Barb-SAN]

The kitchen is the most interior room... but is open on both ends... and all the glass, heavy appliances, knifes, etc don't make it a good room.

EEK...I'm just getting a visual of "the kitchen tornado"...with all that stuff whirling around....good point...the closet at least is padded with lots of nice soft clothes. :D

[Barb-SAN]

Just checking out the tornado story on the news...wow! So far I haven't read any stories of problems for planes flying around those areas last night/this morning.

[Passenger Mark]

Yep... that is the storm path! Planes are smarter than humans... they don't get NEAR those things!

Here is a photo of one of those steel rooms I was talking about...

http://www.tornadosaferoom.com/images/5personsmall.jpg

The website... (http://www.tornadosaferoom.com/)


A good idea (if used). My thought is that most folks would not stay all night in one... would most likely wait till they thought (or saw) a tornado coming... and by then it can be too late.

[tusphotog]

Yet another reason living in Arizona is so nice. :D It's a beautiful 70 degrees today and you can see Mexico from my patio.

Glad you escaped unscathed, Mark. It's amazing to see the power of nature up close. When these warm and moist air masses collide with cold air, it can spawn up some really nasty storms, like last night.

Stay safe...

[Barb-SAN]

A good idea (if used). My thought is that most folks would not stay all night in one... would most likely wait till they thought (or saw) a tornado coming... and by then it can be too late.

It might be hard for people with claustrophobia to stay in one for a long time. On the other hand...after looking at the debris aftermath of a direct hit by a tornado...it might feel like a secure "den" that one would be grateful to be inside.

I was thinking about the force of the wind of the tornadoes (150-300 MPH). The air is passing over the wings of our commercial jets at twice that speed. It is truly a marvel of engineering that the planes are designed to fly many thousands of miles over their lifespans in the face of such high wind speeds. :cool: And you aren't even that aware of that high wind speed as you sit in your airplane seat watching the scenery below, or a movie in your seatback.

[Barb-SAN]

Yet another reason living in Arizona is so nice. :D It's a beautiful 70 degrees today and you can see Mexico from my patio.

Ditto from San Diego...just slightly cooler...but nice and clear, and I know where to go if I want to see Mexico! :D And...walking on the beach beckons...:D (but Mark knows all about that...he was a California dude for years....:D)

[Lynda]

Glad you are ok, that weather sounds scary!