[molsen]

Well a tornado just passed through. And by "through" I mean right over my apartment.

It started getting REALLY windy outside about 15 minutes ago, so being interested in weather systems, I stepped outside my front door to get a peak of what was going on. I looked up, and there was a funnel cloud just protruding from the base of the clouds literally directly above my apartment. I grabbed my cellphone, still watching this crazy swirling cloud thing, and called 911 to report it.

911 operator: "Where is it lo....oh, wait, the NWS just issued a tornado warning for your area, you should go inside"

Me: "Yes, I know, I just saw it, it's passing over me and heading east-northeast."

911 operator: "You should go inside, sir! It's not safe for you to be outside. What is your location?"

Me: "Right, *******************"

911 operator: "Sir, you're not inside, you need to get inside. I can still hear the wind howling through your phone!"

Me: "I will, thank you. Bye."

So I guess it touched ground just east of me and went through some woods, then came back up, then went back down and created a MASSIVE waterspout in the intracoastal waterway, then went up, then touched down again just off the beach.

It was a priviledge to get to look right underneath a developing tornado. Freakin' CRAZY looking.

I've been through one tornado before that actually just skimmed my parents' house, didn't do much damage but tore the roof of my neighbor's house.

Anyone else have some tornado stories?

[molsen]

for your visualization, a path of the tornado I have deduced from news and weather reports. my location is the red star. I'm not sure how long the funnel cloud was in formation before I saw it.

[Trotter]

Living in the Tennessee Valley, we have a lot of tornadoes come through. I've seen a few.

Back when I was a kid, my grandfather was in the hospital in another town up a piece from where we live. We were there visiting him when a tornado came through the town. We were standing in the cafeteria, which had a large picture window, and watched it pick up almost every car from a used car lot and just toss them about. Very cool.

My mom was chased by two tornadoes once. She was headed down a road, and saw one touch down ahead, moving in her direction. She turned onto a different road, but then saw another one (not the same one!) skipping hills heading straight for her. She turned around and floored it home. Those two really demolished that area that day... about 15 houses, bunches of silos, and a trailer park.

[The General]

Wow that's crazy! You are lucky your apartment didn't get damaged.

[killians45]

Seen a few in TN, and a bunch in ND when I was stationed there. Had one form over a house I lived in while in Nebraska much the way you're describing.

[c0rr0sive]

One funnel forming over your house? Over this summer we had three funnels form above my house, there was never really an updraft though so they didn't make it to the ground, but three all right beside each other is really really scary...

[Snake-Eyes]

Having lived in Michigan all my life, i've never seen a tornado.

[/jealousy]

[Crysalis]

never seen one before, but i bet you've never been in as crazy winters as me! NE ohio has the WORST winters... i HATE it

[talldude123]

I live on an island, so i don't get tornadoes. But that's a good thing. No damage...

[molsen]

its not all the common for tornados in florida. not that they're rare or anything, but they're usually not very strong. when hurricanes come through, however, tornados are ALL OVER the place and they're pretty serious. it sucks.