We woke up on Friday morning to dark skies. It felt more like 5 or 6 a.m. rather than the actual time of 7:30. The rain had just started, but eventually began pounding and pouring. Then, at about the time the tornado sirens started going off, the clouds took on that nice slate green color. I was out of the shower but Mo was taking hers.
“You’d better make it quick,” I said. “We might have to duck here in minute.”
We grabbed the weather radio (powered by a crank if your batteries die!) and prepared to “duck” in Mo’s little walk-in closet. It didn’t come to that, thankfully, but all over southwest and southern Missouri, the damage was widespread. Two weird things about Friday’s weather: the system took on the characteristics of an inland tropical storm after a swirling low pressure system took shape in the center, and after it passed we had an absolutely gorgeous day. At 8 a.m., we had probably the worst non-winter weather day of 2009. By noon, it was probably the nicest day we’ve had all year. Go figure, but we’re pretty used to that here.
The NL has pics from inside Springfield, and around the area. Also, I’m quoted in this story. (And that’s about all the linkage Gannett’s getting out of me for a while…)
