What rastahomie said, with a few modifications. Far north western Illinois, here; northern prarie, right on the Mississippi River.
The climate’s just extreme, y’know? IRC, a departing offical from the Australian consulate in Chicago said he’d miss the people but it was the most godawful climate he’d ever lived in. If the sweltering summers don’t kill ya the subzero winters just might. I hadn’t thought about in terms featherlou used but her words rang that with that “aha!” moment of truth. You adapt to the cold, learning what’s merely uncomfortable versus what’s dangerous. Same with the heat, actually.
Flooding can be a bear around here. We’ve had two “century” floods within a decade. It doesn’t help that we’re prone to crashing, wrath-of-god storms that can pack a helluva punch in wind, lightning and rain. (Local joke: what’s Canada’s primary export? weather fronts. “A Canadian front is sweeping down…”) A good Alberta Clipper, i.e. a storm with towering clouds, black as pitch underneath and dumping rain, lightning and pure hell, can send small rivers and streams out of their banks within a few hours.
Those sudden floods are the killers. People underestimate how how deep the water is on roads and highways and try to drive through it. Two years ago a local man drowned in his car in the middle of the city. The road dipped under an overpass, he saw what he thought was a broad puddle and tried to drive through it. It was over 6’ deep of swirling water and he died before rescue workers could get him out. Two hours later it was gone; the storm drains just couldn’t handle the onslaught.
I’ve gotten somewhat used to tornados, as much as anyone can. (Watched, trapped in a highrise, when a tornado took out Sayler Park in Cinti. years ago.) It’s fairly common around here to see the funnels, some just trying to form and others reaching the ground. The warning system is good, though. The alarm sirens are tested each week starting in spring. If you hear it sound anytime else (11 a.m. on Tuesdays here) it means bad trouble.
The National Weather service issues 1.watches, conditions are favorable to brew tornados and 2. warnings, tornados have been spotted in the general area. The sirens mean the tornados are very close. Since they move so fast there’s no time to waste.
Eve: If you’re inside, get into the basement. If you don’t have a basement, get into a room with no windows and the strongest walls, or under the heaviest piece of furniture in the house. Pull mattresses, etc. around your shelter if possible. If outside, get out of your car; they blow and roll like Tinker Toys. Then go to ground, just as close to buried as you can get. Lay flat in the deepest ditch you can find and shelter your head with your arms. The windblown debris is the killer; everything from straw to glass to miscellaneous junk turns into shrapnel. Your best protection is solid earth or sound walls. If it’s a direct hit you’re only realistic hope for survival is to be completely underground and wait for rescue workers to dig you out.
My, that was depressing, wasn’t it? Actually they’re magnificent to watch as long as you aren’t in the direct path.
Veb
