Hold My Beer and Watch This...!

Ah, tornado season in Oklahoma.

I'm sitting here watching the local news channel issue a tornado warning...I'm actually watching one forming on the news right in front of me.

"Zoom in! Zoom in! Zoom in!!!"

"Tornado on the ground, debris in the air!!!!'

"Tornado is on the ground!"

"Go to the chopper...Jim in in the Channel 4 Helicopter...tell us what you see!"

"It's beginning to tornado near El Reno!"

...sound of thunder drawing closer to Casa del Armenia

A rope tornado forms on the tv in front of me. Debris beginning to stir in a field....not near a town yet, but it's REALLY close to one....

"It's growing from Chopper 4 here....could drop a very large tornado, Mike....this is happening on live TV right here from Chopper 4, Mike!"

The trunk of the tornado is getting thicker. The tornado is shifting toward I-40, and probably lots of traffic...it's still in farmland at this time...

cow!

another cow!

I think that was the same cow...

Hmm...they just mentioned NW Expressway....not good. The wife's parents live near there....

The wife just called her mother and told her to turn on the TV.

Only a weak F1 rope, but it's inching closer to I-40....

"Oh my god, it's crazy! Funnel tornado on the ground, Mike....150-180mph winds...."

"another tornado is forming just south of the firs one...golf ball size hail coming out of this super cell...."

"No rope down, but you can see churning dust....see a small cone coming out of the clouds...starting to really churn, I can see a lot of dirt now....we've got two areas we've gotta worry about now Mike...."

"The original one disspated, Mike....the second one is getting strong faster...very close to El Reno Airport..."

I'm watching as this second tornado is heading toward a building at the airport....I'm thinking this hangar is toast.....

Here it goes.....

The roof is gone...sucking it right up in the air...just took the hangars out....

Ate it whole....

Freakin' amazing to watch....

Heading toward a large pond now....

"Starting to dissipate....still churning up ground, there's a farm close by...if people are listening, take your tornado precautions now...."


garbled broadcast from David Payne...we can see his car in the shot from Chopper 4....

Here goes some storage tanks.....right over top of them....the tanks survive.....

Into a field now....still on the ground, but dissipating....

more thunder at the homestead, just for effect, I think....

"Just south of El Reno, there's a hook echo....so if you live around Union City, take your tornado precautions..."


...And so it goes....


I love this time of year. It's the only place I've ever lived where the weather is a spectator sport. Tonight, the storms are headed our way, and, hopefully, we'll dodge the bullet again...but, it's only late April...May is the worst month for tornadoes in Oklahoma. And, it's shaping up to be an active year...


-la

The wife's parents just called and they're grabbing their cat leaving their house and coming to find refuge here until this thing blows over. It's gonna be a wild ride. Hope they get out in time....