weather

[spacefem]

there have been storms in the forecast every day for the last few days so I stopped trusting the forecast. I was running thursday after work under a clear sunny sky, remembering that it was supposed to be a stormy mess, forget it.

friday my friend was having a party out at chicken and pickle on the east side and it was once again supposed to storm but I ignored it and went out anyway, with the kids in tow. it started raining at our house. then a little hail on the way there. then we ran into the place and found their party room and were eating chicken wings and drinking sodas just wondering if the hail and rain would stop long enough for us to play some pickleball. we were under a constant tornado warning.

then the rain curbed off and the tornado started. just right outside the window, it formed, then went away, then formed again, and we watched it slowly go from south of us to our north east where it hit andover pretty bad. I'd never seen one that close before. it was hard to tell if it was close, or was going away, and olive was scared so I was saying all these reassuring things to her but who knows? I told her we were safe where we were at because the chicken and pickle had some brick walls and bathrooms are usually shelters. but when they lost power, and we were sure the tornado was going the OTHER way, we opted to drive home.

street light power came on right after we crossed under the bridge for the beech field runway and everything at our house was normal. hopefully no one in andover got hurt, there were some striking photos. it hit the YMCA where we like to go climbing.

update: the people of kansas are unharmed! a few minor injuries were reported and a LOT of property damage, including one of our favorite YMCAs where we go climbing :( but no fatalities thank goodness.

Comments

[gilda_elise]

Yikes, scary! But you sounded so brave, not running for shelter after seeing the thing right outside the window!

We don't tornadoes very often; the lake seems to protect us from them. And it's only recently gone from cold to cool, so that helps, too.

[spacefem]

it's kind of hypnotizing, you can't look away. a lot of people were just going outside. I never thought I'd be one of those stupid people on my porch looking at a tornado but now I get it!

[vysila]

Eeeps! Nothing like getting up close and personal with a tornado. So glad you and your kids and home and friends are safe. They are terrifying to live through.

[tweek_uk]

That sounds pretty scary; news of it even made it to the BBC

[spacefem]

whoh!

it was so widely photographed - that has to help with the news, very little rain wrapping and so many people seeing it. I am surprised the UK cares about Kansas though! I mean, besides my internet friends :)

[anais_pf]

So scary!

[dandylover1]

Wow! I'm so glad everyone is okay! That must have been frightening, and I say that as someone who is usually not scared of anything. But even I have my limits, and that is one of them.

[elainegrey]

I worried when i saw the NY Times headlines, but assumed "Wichita is a big place, Spacefem was probably nowhere near." But, wow. So glad to hear the injuries were mostly minor and no one died (per the NY Times, citing The Wichita Eagle, via Associated Press).

[spacefem]

minor injuries only, we're happy to report!

yeah had it not been for that party I wouldn't have seen it up close, and the west side of wichita just saw stormclouds.

[siglinde999]

I read about that tornado earlier today. It was very sad. Glad you were all okay.