Wow! We’re not used to tornadoes around here. We were under a tornado warning all afternoon yesterday and one reportedly hit very close by. Jerry was dubious and says it was more likely a dust devil like the one above. Dust devils can look huge and act nasty but usually they’re just full of hot air, garbage, and dust.
Tornadoes are much larger, boast winds of 65 miles an hour or more, and are very powerful, impressive, and usually destructive.
The Real Thing...
Luckily I live in a house rated for hurricane force winds. (I've weathered scarier storms, you noisy long winded be-atch). Not to mention this so-called tornado missed the mark by miles. I stared her down from the back porch and she didn't look like much. All we got was a long boring rainstorm and rice sized hail. I wasn't impressed in the least J.
The rather abrupt announcement of her existence was a surprise. Tornadoes usually don’t bother with us. They tend to go south and wreck their destruction on hotter locales. We get dust devils often but from a distance they're fun to watch, not scary. One of our local high schools are the Dayton Dust Devils. I love their mascot drawing.
Water spout on Lake Tahoe in 1998.
I do remember a similar incident of a water spout – which is a tornado on the water – a few years ago on one of our most popular local hot spots Lake Tahoe. It was a rarity and big news around here then, but alas harmless and fleeting.
Luckily we watched yesterday’s big “blow hard” move north and she left us unscathed. Bruno did hide under his comforter awhile in fear of the big baddie. Then he kept me up until after 11 pm because he was spooked. I cuddled him and explained the big bad tornado making storm blew north and would eventually blow herself out. He's up this morning and going off again about tornadoes blowing down houses. Remind me to never let him watch "The Wizard of Oz."
Storms do that, especially the noisy ones. As Waylon sang to Jessi, “Storms never last, do they, baby.”
The actual 'tornado' sighting was in a neighboring area (Silver Springs) with more sprawl and less altitude, and was reported by an attention hungry wanna-bee. The sheriff released the dubious story and it remains unconfirmed despite the genuine bad weather we’re dealing with. This morning the local weatherman said there were "at least two confirmed tornadoes touched down here in Northern Nevada. Although a rare event it does happen."
If you knew us you’d know we’re Battle Born and used to dealing with lots of extremes, not just weather, and take everything in stride and with a grain of salt, if not a whole salt shaker.
Tomorrow, I’m gonna soak up the sun (and float in my pool, baby). Underrated dark clouds that fill the sky and only spout off don’t scare me. *wink*
Worldly challenges, physical and health challenges, and the challenge to stay spiritually, mentally, and emotionally centered at the same time do have a way of arising all at once, don't they.
