Storms

It's been a nerve-wracking day in these parts.  Shortly after I arrived at work this morning, in Rome, the first big front rolled through quickly leaving a significant amount of devastation in its wake.  Countless huge trees down, many across streets and taking down power lines.  I drove about a mile toward town just before noon (foolishly expecting Staples to be open!) and saw chunks of metal all over the place from signs and buildings, one brick building whose front had collapsed into a traffic lane, and one long concrete block wall that had tumbled down onto a row of cars in a  used-car lot.  Traffic lights were mostly out.  Staples didn't have power (duh!).  There was damage everywhere.  Cedartown mostly escaped, as the storm traveled northeast. There was a report of a funnel cloud on the south of town, in the air but not touching down.  A house below it had two huge trees crash across it from opposite directions.

Chattanooga has seen the brunt of it all day, and continues to be right in the path of the front as it travels right through the city going northeast.  Huge tornadoes have been seen not all that far away in Alabama. So far, we've gotten off fairly lucky.  I just hope it stays that way although I surely don't wish destruction to others. 

About 7:30. See the two tornadoes to the left, around Birmingham?  And all the ones to the north around Chattanooga?  Polk County is indeed right in the path of the one in Birmingham, unless it scoots north.

Now, at 7:30pm, I am rather anxiously awaiting the next front to roll through -- this is the nasty one that has produced so many bad tornadoes and so many deaths in its march across the country.  I'm becoming almost complacent, there have been so many this spring.  Looking at all the radar maps, the line seems to still be traveling northeast at an angle that will keep it north of us, but I can't trust that and relax, certainly.  Our local radio station is saying that this huge storm that has several tornadoes in Birmingham right now is headed directly for us, and they've got live radar to look at.  All I can do is wait and see what happens.  What will the night bring?