Have You Ever Seen A Tornado?

Have You Ever Seen A Tornado?

Topic Author: Darin

Posted: 11:20 AM Dec 24, 2007

Replies Posted: 27 comments

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Have You Ever Seen A Tornado?

A common stereotype, is that people in Kansas always see tornadoes, but I would actually be willing to bet that not many people have witnessed any at all. Have you seen a tornado? If so, share your story about the date, time, location, etc. and if you were effected by it in any way. If not, would you like to see one?

Darin

Posted by: Donald Location: jackson
Hello Hows it going? Hows the storm spotting going? I am 37 yrs old and in a wheelchair and i loooove to watch storms and ive always wanted to go storm chasing but i cant go cause of my whelchair, i can get int n out of a truck, car or van but never had the chance to go storm chasing. but anyways i do have a question. If there is a threat of a tornado and im at home n i do have a basement and cant get down in the basement you know a good place to go in the house to be safe in a threat of a tornado? i can get on the ground tho and back in my chair if need to be but its the sliding down to the basement thats be hard to do cause how steep the stairs are. also when i am outside and there is that threat is is really safe to go in a deep ditch during a threat as well or where is a good place when i am outside. if i cant go chasing at least i can go outside in my town to watch the sky for the threats ect... always wanted to make ppl safe from these storms is why i like to go out n watch.thks

Posted by: Karen Location: silver lake
me and Darin used to try to see tornadoes together when we was kids we once saw a little one out by his house.darin im just glad you followed your dream of being a storm chaser you are way better at it then me!

Posted by: Jan Location: Manhattan
The 1966 tornado I was talking about that I was in with my Dad was in Manhattan. Our house was in the North West part of town on Marlatt Ave. It is all built up now. There were only five house in the housing development at the time of the tornado. The land owner still had pigs and cattle on the land that has houses now.

Posted by: Jordan Location: Shawnee,ks
Ive seen many tornado's. When me and Darin lived in the OC, we were always out hunting. Thanks Darin.

Posted by: bethany Location: topeka
i have never seen a tornado and do not plan to see one

Posted by: ahlam Location: michigan
no i never saya tornado befor!

Posted by: brittany cloyd Location: silver lake
Is it a dangerous job you could get killed from it?

DARIN'S RESPONSE: Sure, it's a dangerous 'job' at times. Really though it isn't job at all to me. We go out there, do what we love, and hopefully aid in giving people more time to react when severe weather occurs . A lot of people might think that the tornado is the biggest threat to safety when chasing...but I worry A LOT more about driving in hazardous conditions or lightning that could strike anywhere at any time around the storm. Tornadoes will usually follow a pretty straight path unless mother nature decides to throw a curveball at you. The best thing you can do is just to not to put yourself in a bad position if it decides to. Darin

Posted by: Jim Location: Blaine
after attending a spotter class a couple years ago i was all fired up to go chasing. Well, the first good storm to come along myself and a couple friends loaded up and took off cross country(dirt roads and all whatever was the shortest distance to the action). A tank of gas and many radar checks later we found nothing but rain, meanwhile my wife and some of her friends(with no knowledge of what they were doing, other than driving around)ended up within a half mile of a tornado that touched down by hanover. I never did catch up to the action although it spawned several more twisters into Nebraska that evening.

DARIN'S RESPONSE

Sometimes luck is the name of the game. It looks like you have found out that a lot of gas can get burned very quickly while tracking down storms!

Posted by: Megan Location: TOPEKA
I Have seen 3, the andover 1 of 1991, my mom and I were leaving the dillons parking lot in my home town ( derby

DARIN'S RESPONSE:

Those are three pretty famous tornadoes that you have seen Megan! The day of the Andover F5 was occured on the day that I saw my first tornado as well. Around Wichita is a good area to live in if you like to see tornadoes.

Posted by: Luke Location: St. George
I'm 12 and have seen an anominus amount of funnel clouds The one I best remember was near McFarland my parents and my siblings and I were out driveing around when it moved in. I also remember a rope tornado that was south of here last year we kept check for warnings but the radar tower in Alma was being worked on!

DARIN'S RESPONSE

It seems like there are a lot of warnings around St. George....if there is ever a situation where you see a tornado, you should report it to the National Weather Service so they can get out a warning without having to use radar, because ground truth is very valuable.

Posted by: David Location: Topeka
I worked for the Kansas Highway Patrol for 30 years. I was stationed in Great Bend and remember vividly traveling up K-96 Hwy and seeing a tornado at least 1 mile wide. I chased it going east to try to warn the citizens of its coming. I also remember watching in Rush County at least 20 tornadoes coming down and then up from the sky. I moved to Topeka in 1977 and vividly remember the tornado in May 1983 that came across SE Shawnee County. I watched it as it crossed Lake Shawnee from the SW to the NE. I traveled into Lakeshore Estates after that tornado and saw the destruction.

Posted by: Jan Location: Manhattan
The tornado of 1966, my Dad and I were the only ones at home. I was asleep in my room taking a nap after swim team practice. Dad came and got me did not even give me time to put my shoes on down to the basement we went. My cat jumped into my arms on the way to the basement. It sound like a huge train going over the house and then quite. Dad said we could go up now we started up the stairs and he went out the basement door and it was ripped out of his hands another tornado came from a different angle. So back to the basement. The second time up we were able to get upstairs. Dad had to find my shoes there was glass everywhere. All the windows were gone, the house next door gone, the garage was off the foundation. It was a mess. But we were unhurt and our neighbors were in the fireplace of their home, that was all that was left of it. It was a an experience that I do not want to repeat. The cat stayed on my chest all evening.

DARIN'S RESPONSE:

That sounds like quite the scary experience! Would you be referring to the Topeka or Manhattan tornado that day?

Posted by: Cathy Location: Topeka, Ks
I believe the first tornado I experienced was in April of 1968. My parents and I were inside our trailer at England's park when it imploded the trailer sucking us up with it and my dad remembers being about 30 feet up inside the tornado(not a huge tornado but big enough for us. F2-F3?). We all survived by the grace of God! My mom had some severe injuries but has since recovered. I also remember a tornado in 1978 that struck 45th street just east of Lake Shawnee. I was observing from my house on 37th street at the time. I highly respect severe weather and am currently a storm spotter. I also intend to do some storm chasing (after proper training) when my kids are grown (4-6 years from now?). I have always had an intuition about severe weather and would like to know how to become a trained storm chaser.

Posted by: Greg Location: Olsburg
Hey Darin!!! Just happened on to your blog. Cool!!!! Mr. G

DARIN'S RESPONSE:

Hey Mr. G! It's been too long since I have seen you. Hopefully I get some free time so I can come up and visit before the end of the school year! I'll send an email your way!

Posted by: Love Tornado's Location: Topeka
I watched the big 66 tornado go by we lived a few blocks from the VA when I was a kid and watched it from the back yard we have seen 4 since then. 3 commig out of the Silver Lake area and crossing 75 HWY to the north of us and one when we was on vacation in CO. it was picking up snow and it was pure white.

DARIN'S RESPONSE:

Those all sound like wild experiences....I would like to hear more about the snownado in Colorado!

Posted by: elena Location: Topeka
I ahve not seen one but i would love to but on the 4th of July i was at lake Shawnee and i was going to go and get ready to leav and My mom and i were half way up the beach and all ovasudden We were right next to the pool and The life gard said that there were going ot be sever thunder storms and to get ready to leav and then the sirens went off and every one started to panic and i started crying and because i had no idea what was going on and no one was going very fast and on our way home we i said to drive faster because i was realy freaked out and did not know what to do and some people left thier stuff there because they did not care about it at the time they just wanted to get to shelter with their kids if they had any.

Posted by: Kris Location: Clay Center
I have actually seen two. The first was in 92 or 93. It was the year of the Andover/Hesston tornados. My dad and I sat on top of our silage pit in Marion County and watched it as it went over the Marion Resevoir and on towards Pilsen. The second was 2 years ago at Longford. We saw 3 funnels drop down and go right back up into the clouds. I then watched one travel on the ground for a few minutes from the gym windows in the elementary school. I started going to Storm Spotter meetings after that!

Posted by: Chelsea I've never seen a tornado but on July 4, 2007 I was at the North Topeka Kmart when the tornado sirens were going off. Obviously Kmart didn't have a basement to go running to so everyone decided to go outside, a pretty stupid idea, i know, but there were spinning, creepy, and dark clouds right above me. It was really freaky considering Im deathly afraid of storms. That day there was a funnel cloud at Perry Lake. What a crazy fourth of July!

DARIN'S RESPONSE

Yes it was. I remember driving to Greensburg that day and hearing about the warnings. That's never a good situation where there is nowhere to take cover.

Posted by: Wendi Location: Topeka, KS
In 2003 I was on the west side of Lawrence when the tornado hit town. It was amazing to watch and I'll never forget it. I can't wait until I get to see my next one!

Darin's Response

Let's hope it's not hitting a populated area though! I like my tornadoes out over open fields

Posted by: Ron Location: Waverly
I was about 10 when I saw my first tornado, west of Emporia. I grew up on the west edge of Emporia. The next was the 1972 Tornado that hit the west side of Emporia, killing about 12 people. Then years later, the next one that done major damage on the west side, I witnessed passing a block away from my parents house. I can't count the number of funnels, wall clouds, and tornados that I've seen during my law enforcement career in the Emporia area..

Posted by: geordan Location: topeka kansas
i wall in missouri for 2 year's and 2 tornad's well never my home no tornado's god keep's tornado away

Posted by: Joe Location: Kiowa, CO
While driving between I-70 and Kiowa CO on a trip from Topeka, I saw a tornado in the distance running through an unpopulated farm area. It touched down and picked up 3 times while I watched and before it dissapated. It was both facinating and terrifying at the same time. The most awesome thing I have seen in my 61 years.

DARIN'S RESPONSE:

They are the most beautiful thing you will ever see in nature....as long as they stay away from homes and populated areas!

Posted by: Nellie Location: Lyndon
Remember the mile wide tornado that just missed Lyndon a two years ago? I do! I stood in my upstairs bathroom while it passed. It was so powerful, that even though we were a long way off the roar drowned out all the other sound and we could feel the air rushing out of the house. I had always wanted to see one and hope that I never do again.

Posted by: Frank Location: Manhattan
I've seen only one live. I was a kid visiting my grandparents in the Sunnyside neightborhood of McDowell Creek. Looking across the Kaw river valley towards Keats or Riley, I called my grandparents and uncle out and from their hill we saw a white tornado. It was a snake type. We were in sunshine where we were. I was about 10 years old or so.

Posted by: Randall Location: Topeka
My brother and I "chased" the Tornado that hit Lawrence about 4 years ago. We were parked on the Clinton Spillway Damn, when we looked at each other and said "this probably isn't the best spot to try and see this thing" since there was NO WHERE to go if it was close. We drove to the Wells Overlook Tower (a few miles south of Lawrence) and just got up in time to see it come across a field after it has struck the west side of town. VERY IMPRESSIVE! MY First Tornado, but several funnel clouds! I'm now married with a small child and one on the way...my storm chasing days are now, I fear, officially over! Darin's Response My sister loves severe weather too and has chased with me before but those days were put on hold as well when she had her first child. He is 3 now and I told her the day he was born that he would see his first tornado before he is 4 so it looks like I've got some work to do this spring!

Posted by: Rita Location: Topeka
I've seen several, including the big '66 tornado. It had been storming, but the weather looked like it was starting to clear and the sun was shining - it was a white tornado when it started, but soon turned dark from the dirt it picked up. My father was the first to report it. That was the most memorable one not only since it was the first one, but the most famous.

Posted by: Belinda Location: Olathe
I have seen several wall clouds but no tornados. I hope that changes after my kids leave home and I can start chasing a few storms as a hobby. I like watching the weather and become so energized during the changing seasons. I have been checking weather blogs regularly for the past year trying to learn more before my husband and I begin chasing in a few years.