a tornado watch for western Pa.

**chocolatepuppy** · 06-17-2009, 07:50 PM

Originally Posted by happylabs

We get so many watches up here in Pennsylvania it is tough for me to get worked up about them. I used to fret and fret but realized if I was prepared I would be fine.

I agree with you there, they do throw out a lot of watches/warnings so that you tend to not take them seriously. My rule of thumb, if it gets windy, the furkids and I head for the basement, just in case.

**carole** · 06-17-2009, 08:54 PM

Please keep my big bro safe and all his furbabies, family and friends, i hope you are ok David, i am thinking of you, all paws and fingers crossed the storm will be over soon without too much damage, or loss to anyone, take care.

**davidpizzica** · 06-17-2009, 10:41 PM

Originally Posted by carole

Please keep my big bro safe and all his furbabies, family and friends, i hope you are ok David, i am thinking of you, all paws and fingers crossed the storm will be over soon without too much damage, or loss to anyone, take care.

Thanks, Sis for your concern. Marigold and I are okay ( the thunder and lightning scared poor Marigold),but we're doing good. Nothing right now except a steady rain, but there might be more on the way. No damage in my area, but some big branches are down. It was pretty scary!

**Cinder & Smoke** · 06-17-2009, 11:21 PM

Originally Posted by chocolatepuppy

... they do throw out a lot of watches/warnings so that
you tend to not take them seriously.

My rule of thumb,
if it gets windy, the furkids and I head for the basement, just in case.

*Waiting* till it gets "windy" can be a mistake ...

I survived the 1985 Newton Falls - Nilles - Hubbard F5 Tornado by being
about 6 miles south of the storm path - standing outside the Shop and
keeping a 'sharp eye' on the western sky. I was expecting to 'hear' the storm
if it happened ... the ole "Freight Train" everyone says they hear ...

No train that night ... from dead calm and not a sound to jet black sky,
torrential rain, knock-me-over wind gusts, and lights OUT took about
60 seconds - and I was *watching* for it!

The FurKid was already down in the basement - by the time I got to the basement door
I was soaked and had fallen down twice.

Since then, I've spent many a 'Watch' and 'Warning' sitting in a basement
with my little collection of Furry Kids gathered at my side.

**chocolatepuppy** · 06-18-2009, 05:04 AM

Originally Posted by Cinder & Smoke

*Waiting* till it gets "windy" can be a mistake ...

Phred, if the word 'tornado' is mentioned, watch or warning, we're in the basement. What I meant by this..

if it gets windy, the furkids and I head for the basement, just in case.

Any storm, warning or not, if the wind picks up, we head to the basement. As for the 1985 tornado, I just missed it as we lived in FL. at the time and were moving back, headed out, on June 1. Did see the destruction though, a couple days later.

David, good to hear you did ok.

**Medusa** · 06-18-2009, 06:35 AM

I thought for sure a tornado was headed our way last night. The rain and wind were severe and I ran around the house closing windows because rain was coming in. I looked outside and saw the rain "rolling" off my roof. That's the only way I know how to explain it. It was odd. The wind sounded totally different from how it's sounded before and just as I was gathering up the Fur Posse to go to the basement, it stopped. Ohio has had many tornadoes, even my little town and Pittsburgh, PA, too. Glad that you're ok, David. My family still lives there, too, what's left of it, that is.

**pomtzu** · 06-18-2009, 06:53 AM

We get warnings and watches very frequently anymore, compared to how it used to be, but rarely does one touch down. We had a wild storm last week that appears to have been a small tornado, hit about a half mile down the road from here. Huge old trees just ripped right out of the ground for a stretch of 5 houses, and a tree thru the roof of a mobile home right past that. I'm pretty much protected with woods on all sides, whereas those places are right by open farmland. It rained and blew so hard, that it looked like it was blowing snow, and the wind just howled like in a blizzard or hurricane. I only lost a limb from one of the big maples, and it tossed the gas grill around. Weather like that can be pretty darn scary, but it pales in comparison to what storms in the Tornado Alley do.

**davidpizzica** · 06-18-2009, 10:43 AM

Originally Posted by Cinder & Smoke

*Waiting* till it gets "windy" can be a mistake ...

I survived the 1985 Newton Falls - Nilles - Hubbard F5 Tornado by being
about 6 miles south of the storm path - standing outside the Shop and
keeping a 'sharp eye' on the western sky. I was expecting to 'hear' the storm
if it happened ... the ole "Freight Train" everyone says they hear ...

No train that night ... from dead calm and not a sound to jet black sky,
torrential rain, knock-me-over wind gusts, and lights OUT took about
60 seconds - and I was *watching* for it!

The FurKid was already down in the basement - by the time I got to the basement door
I was soaked and had fallen down twice.

Since then, I've spent many a 'Watch' and 'Warning' sitting in a basement
with my little collection of Furry Kids gathered at my side.

Phred, there was a tornado sighting in Monroeville last night which made me a little nervous since it's really close to Penn hills. It didn't touch down, though.

**Moesha** · 06-18-2009, 10:50 AM

Just a little information from my obsession with The Weather Channel and my Storm Spotter course. A watch means that conditions could become favorable for a severe storm or tornado (depending on what the watch is). A tornado warning for instance means that Doppler radar has indications of wind conditions indicating rotation. Radar can only relate what is happening in the clouds. So a tornado warning does not mean that a tornado is on the ground. It just means that there the radar indications rotation in the atmosphere. Sometimes you can see this rotation. It is called a funnel cloud. It is technically not a tornado unless it touches the ground. That's where storm spotters come into play. There are certain things to look for to indicate that the funnel cloud has touched down and become a tornado. For instance, as a storm spotter I can call into the weather service and say that I see a rotating wall cloud or a funnel cloud, but I cannot call in and say I see a tornado unless I see debris from the funnel cloud on the ground.

**davidpizzica** · 06-19-2009, 05:51 PM

There's another round of severe weather coming towards the western Pa. area sometime between late tonight and early tomorrow morning. People here are still trying to clean up after the last storm!

**Medusa** · 06-19-2009, 06:01 PM

It was dark this morning, then bright and hot and humid this afternoon, now it's very foreboding out there. Stay safe, David.

**davidpizzica** · 06-19-2009, 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by Medusa

It was dark this morning, then bright and hot and humid this afternoon, now it's very foreboding out there. Stay safe, David.

I will, Mary. There's a severe thunderstorm watch for Washington, Allegheny, and Westmorland counties until 11:00 tonight. Just in case, I cleaned off a storm drain in front of my house so that the water (I hope) will go there instead of my basement.