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Scree - April 28, 2011 - Tornado Directions

rain on the streets of Nashville

Tornado Directions

Yesterday, thunderstorms ruled the day in Nashville. There were times when the sun peaked from behind the clouds; but soon the sun was chased away by yet another wave of storms.

I normally run around noon each day; but with the stormy weather I decided to delay my routine. Running in the rain is not bad; but starting a run in the rain is tough for me. Good excuses will cancel my run and poor excuses will at least postpone it. My excuses were lame, so I delayed the run until a clearing in the afternoon.

Twenty-five or thirty minutes into the run, it began raining hard. Shortening my route, I headed closer to home when the tornado siren began issuing it's alarm. The clouds did not look threatening; but I picked up the pace to head toward home.

The hard rain changed to a downpour. As I started up a hill, a car was approaching me, blinking it's lights and then even honking at me. They rolled down their window and I immediately told them, I know there is a tornado coming, I am on my way home.

The driver looked puzzled by my reply and then asked for directions.

The driver had stopped me in the middle of a torrential rain with tornado sirens blaring, to ask for directions ...

It took three times of repeating the directions for the driver to understand the directions; but perhaps the driver was having difficulty hearing over the tornado siren!

Continuing on my quest to get home, I was one street over from our house when I heard a car coming up from behind me.

It was still pouring rain and the siren was still sounding though not as loud since I was a mile away from the alarm. Someone said, HEY!, getting my attention.

I turned and tersely what-ed them ( as in, WHAT?) as I thought it was someone else asking for directions.

The driver asked, if I needed a ride?

I was so wet that it looked as if I had jumped into a swimming pool; but still the kind driver asked if I needed a ride.

I smiled and said I would be fine.

I felt a bit warmer the rest of the way home.

Storming

Though Nashville had tornado warnings, none touched down. Other locations in the southeast were not so lucky. Our thoughts go out to all those effected by the fury.