I actually asked this question a few hours ago in Del Rio, Texas. I was pulling out of my hotel when we were dazzled by an immense lightning display offsetting an ominous cloud formation that reached from a low sealing down to ground. I hit the brakes to avoid running a stop sign as the sky opened in an epic downpour. I asked my friend, “What does a tornado look like”. He pointed at the cloud formation – “like that”. It was then that the sirens for a tornado warning started. We were not sure what it meant, after all, Los Angeles is tornado free. We called a Texan for advice, only to get his voice mail. We decided to drive away from the storm. It was a scary moment. We ended up stopping for a steak outside of town while we watched a dazzling lighting show. When we returned, the streets were flooded, but everything looked ok.
The local news reported that a Super Cell produced numerous tornadoes to the north and south of the city of Del Rio. I’ve had fun for one night. I never want to see a tornado again.
3 comments:
It's always interesting to hear an etic view of phenomenons that some people consider commonplace. Being from Oklahoma, it's very easy for someone like me to picture the scene you describe.
I suppose I would have much the same kind of reaction in the event I ever experienced an earthquake.
Aww come on, tornadoes are fun! especially the little ones, when there are like 10 of them. Glad to hear your ok, but even that part I miss about living in Texas. I hate floods and sometimes hurricanes (ok no one like hurricanes) and I am give or take on earthquakes since the biggest i have felt is maybe a 4 or 5.0 and not near the fault. Tornadoes however were just a part of the landscape growing up.
When you're a non-native of tornado country they are an awesome sight to behold. I got close enough to one that I had to grab a nearby tree for an anchor. The wind almost ripped the shirt off my back. Even so we managed to get a couple of photos.
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