Trains.com

bad storm

909 views
16 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    March 2002
  • From: Harrisburg PA / Dover AFB DE
  • 1,482 posts
bad storm
Posted by adrianspeeder on Thursday, July 15, 2004 1:45 PM
Bad storm went through yesterday. Nobody dead, cept im dead tired

First thing was that dad and i just dropped off the bronco to get inspected. The guy gives a discount if you let him do the inspection over the time of about two days, so he can do it a little bit at a time between other auto work. He is a straight up dude that my dad and i have no problems with.
We get home and the sky is REALLY dark.

http://www.supermotors.org/getfile.php?id=134605&filename=Picture 003.jpg

The scanner then just lit up with fire chatter, and weather warnings. Turned on the TV and YIKES. Im under that mean looking thing.

http://www.supermotors.org/getfile.php?id=134606&filename=Picture 014.jpg

The weather dude is saying tornados and HUGE hail is coming right across harrisburg. Ohhh @#$%. The diesel is too tall to fit in the garage, so we thought at least pull dads truck in, maybe save it from hail damage. It is a little too long, but the wind blows away from the door, so rain dont come in. Then as we just stare at the beautiful paintwork on the diesel, i look down at the truck mat in the back of the 150 and we throw it up on the hood for protection.

Then the tempist hits. Fortunatly only small hail, so the truck was alright. But it was windy and that rain was coming down hard. Lots of branchs down and low level flooding. But i came out allright.

http://www.supermotors.org/getfile.php?id=134607&filename=Picture 010.jpg

Just as the rain stopped, the power went off. Thought it was over, so i started the genny and went to work on the yard. Aunt calls me on the cell and is freakin out that trees are on the house, yard, car, street, and she needs help. Dad and i grabbed the saws and chains and hopped in the truck.

Aunt lives outside of a place called campbelltown. The place was a mess, and we went to work Then the sky got dark again and we headed for the basement. Good thing because it was a suspected tornado. It is still unconfirmed, but it was loud, lots of damage, and i dont really care to ever be near one again. Read this.

storm

Now we were clearing the road so emergency crews can get through, so i called my buddy with one of them Stihl Farmbosses cus my little Husqvarna wasnt fast enough. All in all, two hours of hard work got two yards cleaned up and one road cleared.

This don't happen often around here and i am glad.

Adrianspeeder

USAF TSgt C-17 Aircraft Maintenance Flying Crew Chief & Flightline Avionics Craftsman

  • Member since
    June 2002
  • From: Independence, MO
  • 1,570 posts
Posted by UPTRAIN on Thursday, July 15, 2004 1:50 PM
There were some bad storms through southwest PA last night weren't there? I hope our forum members there are ok.[:O][sigh]

Pump

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern New York
  • 25,022 posts
Posted by tree68 on Thursday, July 15, 2004 3:09 PM
Most if it petered out before it got to northern NY, but as I write this, we are almost dead center in the circulation around a low pressure area...

I know exactly what the chainsaw routine is like. We had miles of roads blocked or otherwise obstructed during the ice storm in '98.

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date
Come ride the rails with me!
There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...

  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Reedsburg WI (near Wisconsin Dells)
  • 3,370 posts
Posted by Noah Hofrichter on Thursday, July 15, 2004 3:12 PM
Gol that had to be pretty bad. Closest I've ever been to a tornado was a few weeks ago I was about 15 miles norht of one, and that was close enough for me too. Glad your all right.

Noah
  • Member since
    February 2002
  • From: Muncie, Indiana...Orig. from Pennsylvania
  • 13,456 posts
Posted by Modelcar on Thursday, July 15, 2004 3:36 PM
Adrian...That was a good report...and I have special interest for the area as I'm a native Pennsylvanian.

Quentin

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: Louisville,Ky.
  • 5,077 posts
Posted by locomutt on Thursday, July 15, 2004 4:51 PM
Adrian,

That was a great report,very glad no one was injured.
Thats pretty much what we had Tue. night,so I believe I know how you feel.
We still have about 50,000 without power,and 20-30 roads blocked,
due to fallen trees and electric lines and poles.
Luckily CW & I didn't have any damage THIS time.

Being Crazy,keeps you from going "INSANE" !! "The light at the end of the tunnel,has been turned off due to budget cuts" NOT AFRAID A Vet., and PROUD OF IT!!

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Denver / La Junta
  • 10,820 posts
Posted by mudchicken on Thursday, July 15, 2004 6:10 PM
I hear a message for kevlar gloves, chaps, ear protection, hardheads and safety glasses somewhere in all this!

[;)][;)][;)]
Mudchicken Nothing is worth taking the risk of losing a life over. Come home tonight in the same condition that you left home this morning in. Safety begins with ME.... cinscocom-west
  • Member since
    June 2002
  • From: Independence, MO
  • 1,570 posts
Posted by UPTRAIN on Thursday, July 15, 2004 7:01 PM
I've been too close to a twister, about 2 miles, I volunteer as a spotter in the storm season in my off time, not to much fun to see the destruction they cause though.

Pump

  • Member since
    July 2003
  • From: Philadelphia, PA, USA
  • 655 posts
Posted by Mikeygaw on Thursday, July 15, 2004 7:30 PM
man... i slept like a baby when yesterday's storms hit Philly... now Monday... not much noise, but i thought i was gonna need my very own ark with all that rain coming down.
Conrail Forever!
  • Member since
    November 2002
  • From: US
  • 592 posts
Posted by 88gta350 on Thursday, July 15, 2004 7:31 PM
adrianspeeder, living in Carlisle, I know all about the destruction Campletown saw. It's been all over the news. Somehow, there was a small break a few miles wide in the line of storms and that break moved right over our house. Barely even rained here, just a few drops, but man was the sky dark. I was watching the weather channel's radar and knew somebody was getting nailed. My work sustained some damage.

Glad no one was injured for you.
Dave M
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, July 15, 2004 9:49 PM
cool TV. (j/k)
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, July 15, 2004 10:18 PM
Speaking of bad storms, a major storm ripped through the Illinois/Indiana border from Danville down to Terre Haute on Wed. I've worked the local down to Terre Haute the past two days and there are uprooted trees, limbs everywhere. Lots of towns still without power, and some of our signals are wacky as well. On thursday I about got scared out of my skin when a branch smacked into the mirror about a foot from my face while I was working on train's work order. The mirror shattered, but luckily the glass did not pop out or I would have had a face full.
  • Member since
    August 2003
  • From: Anywhere there are trains
  • 578 posts
Posted by Train Guy 3 on Thursday, July 15, 2004 10:19 PM
I've been close enough to a twister.... I don't plan to be that close ever again.

TG3 LOOK ! LISTEN ! LIVE ! Remember the 3.

  • Member since
    May 2004
  • From: central Indiana
  • 775 posts
Posted by philnrunt on Friday, July 16, 2004 3:16 AM
Glad to hear you're ok. Pa.dosn't get many twisters, but the ones they do get are doozies! Back here, (In.) they are part of springs rich tapestry! We keep our eyes to the sky alot between March and June.
Been in 2 tornados as a kid, just have weird disjointed memories of them, saw 3 more, heard one that I went outside thinking it was a train, and patrolled (police ) 3 times after tornados hit small towns near here. They are plenty scary, but I come away each time amazed at the power of nature. We really are dust in the wind compared to what nature can do.
I just read today in Skywatch East that the underwater nuclear bomb test in 1946 in the Pacific threw ten million tons of water into the sky, and that a fair sized hurricane evaporates that much water every 40 SECONDS!
And man thinks he is sooooo bad!
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Friday, July 16, 2004 6:40 AM
Funny thing is I'm an hour from were the worst tornado hit and we hardly got anything!
  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern New York
  • 25,022 posts
Posted by tree68 on Friday, July 16, 2004 6:42 AM
Cambelltown tornado reported as an F3, winds in the 200 mph range.

LarryWhistling
Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) 
Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you
My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date
Come ride the rails with me!
There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...

  • Member since
    May 2002
  • From: Reedsville, WI
  • 557 posts
Posted by wcfan4ever on Friday, July 16, 2004 6:32 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Noah Hofrichter

Gol that had to be pretty bad. Closest I've ever been to a tornado was a few weeks ago I was about 15 miles norht of one, and that was close enough for me too. Glad your all right.

Noah


I was within a few miles of one the other day. Our county had three tornados leveling one home and damaging 12 others including some barns and also many silos were destroyed. It was a good thing that there wern't as many homes out that way which also means less people. No one was injured in the whole storm path. It is sure interesting to listen to the weather spotters on the scanner to know where everything is and be able to call people in the path and tell them to take cover. They tend to listen when you tell them that you heard a trained weather spotter report a tornado. I too soon will be going for training for severe weather myself. I have always found storms to be very interesting and deadly and I do respect them.

Dave Howarth Jr. Livin' On Former CNW Spur From Manitowoc To Appleton In Reedsville, WI

- Formerly From The Home of Wisconsin Central's 5,000,000th Carload

- Manitowoc Cranes, Manitowoc Ice Machines, Burger Boat

Join our Community!

Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.

Search the Community

Newsletter Sign-Up

By signing up you may also receive occasional reader surveys and special offers from Trains magazine.Please view our privacy policy