Serious Tornado Threat In and Near Louisiana on Saturday

[malaise]

https://www.wunderground.com/cat6/Serious-Tornado-Threat-and-Near-Louisiana-Saturday?cm_ven=cat6-widget
<snip>
Fast-moving supercell thunderstorms could produce strong, long-track tornadoes on Saturday across northern and central Louisiana, far northeast Texas, southern Arkansas, and western Mississippi. In its midday Friday outlook valid Saturday, the NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center placed this region in a moderate risk for severe weather, the second highest of SPC’s five risk categories.

A compact squall line or storm cluster is expected to take shape on Saturday morning as a strong upper low, surface low, and cold front tear across north central and northeast Texas, possibly sweeping through the Dallas-Fort Worth area before noon. This line of storms could bring large hail, damaging winds, and possibly tornadoes. The bigger concern for strong tornadoes will be with individual supercell storms that develop ahead of the squall line on Saturday afternoon, especially over northern Louisiana, as these more discrete cells would have greater potential for long-lived tornadic circulations.

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pay attention and stay safe

[Lochloosa]

1. I'll have to warn my brother.

He lives in Dallas and is at the French Quarter Fest. Serves him right for not taking me.

[malaise]

2. Hehehe

Funny

[Chipper Chat]

8. I'm in the French Quarter too.

We are just barely in the severe area but it looks like tonight will be drenching everyone on Bourbon Street.

[Lochloosa]

12. I love that festival.

[nolabear]

15. One of the best anywhere!

[Honeycombe8]

3. Tornadoes are not nearly the threat that flooding and hurricanes are.

A lot of rain coming? Or a hurricane anywhere in the area? Those are true disasters.

[UniteFightBack]

5. Actually today there is a warning for the potential for a lot of tornadoes to spawn at once

so it's quite serious. And of course there is a huge area of rain associated with this as well.

[Honeycombe8]

6. Rain is the big problem. I lived in Dallas (tornadoes), and now live in La.

Hurricanes and rain and flooding are by far the most dangerous things. They cover areas that are miles wide, drop devastating rains on already drenched land, and you can't seek protection much. You also have high winds. Hurricanes and rain and wind hover over large areas for long periods of time.

Tornadoes often don't touch ground in populated areas, and when they do, the area they hit, while devastating, is small. As for the winds, there are protections you can take. They don't last long.

I've been in both areas. Ins. cos. don't increase your HO ins. rates much, if at all, because of tornadoes. But your rates will double, if you live in a hurricane zone. Because the odds are that you will suffer damage.

That's not to say tornadoes are a good thing. But if one of these things were headed my way, I'd rather it be a tornado.

My water level in my yard is already so high from rain, that in places it sits above the yard. If heavy rains come, flooding is a real danger. And it's everywhere. You can't drive your way out.

[malaise]

7. Both are dangerous but you are correct re serious flooding

and landslides

[malaise]

14. Just heard there are tornadoes in Eastern Texas

https://abc13.com/weather/david-tillman-chasing-tornadoes-moving-through-texas/5247073/

[UniteFightBack]

4. Kicked for the seriousness of this matter. nt

[Grammy23]

9. I grew up in Jackson, Miss and very well remember

the weather this time of the year. We had tornado drills at school which mainly served to instill a lot of anxiety and fear when the storm clouds gathered. We’d assemble out in the hallway and crouch with hands/arms over our heads. So yea. We knew the drill.

That was back in the 50s. I was so terrorized by the thought of a real tornado hitting my school or house that even a photograph of one in the encyclopedia struck pure terror in my heart. I’d have to quickly flip the page to calm my racing heart.

A few years ago a tornado did come through my neighborhood in northwest Florida. We got the warning to get to a safe place via our local tv station. I did as I was told, headed for our inner bathroom and in seconds the loud noises began, rocks and debris pelting our house. My husband held onto the bathroom door as the suction from the passing tornado pulled on it the other way. It was all he could do to keep the door closed! We stayed couched in the bathroom for the 30 seconds or less it took for it to stop. My mind was a blank. No life review. No come to Jesus moment. Just blank. The instant the pelting stopped we crept out of the bathroom and went to the front door to see what had just happened.

Our front yard was covered in debris, fence boards, limbs, shingles and leaves. The lights were out but we could still see stuff everywhere in our yard. (It was around 8:30 p.m.) Looking out our backdoor, we saw a similar scene except that a very large oak tree at the corner of our house had been split 3 ways. One third was across the street, one third dangled precipitously over the corner of our bedroom and another third was in our neighbor’s yard.

Unknown to us at that moment, but about 1/2 a block or less from us, the tornado tore down the street and completely destroyed several homes and seriously damaged dozens more. Luckily no one was seriously injured or killed but how I do not know. We were most fortunate to only lose a large tree, our privacy fence and some shingles and have damage to the eaves of our house.

The moral of that story is keep up with the weather in your area. Know where the safest place is located in your house. (Interior room and away from windows.). Put cell phone, pillows, helmets if you have some, weather radio, first aid supplies in your safe place ahead of the bad weather. And most important: when the weather people say get to your safe place, just do it. Do not second guess them or go look out the window. We had less than a minute to get in the bathroom and less time than that for the whole thing to pass through and be gone to the next neighborhood. If the tornado had zigged just a tiny bit further over, we’d have gotten a direct hit. As it was, we were on its edge. And that was way too close for comfort.

[malaise]

10. You were ready - THIS

The moral of that story is keep up with the weather in your area. Know where the safest place is located in your house. (Interior room and away from windows.). Put cell phone, pillows, helmets if you have some, weather radio, first aid supplies in your safe place ahead of the bad weather. And most important: when the weather people say get to your safe place, just do it. Do not second guess them or go look out the window. We had less than a minute to get in the bathroom and less time than that for the whole thing to pass through and be gone to the next neighborhood. If the tornado had zigged just a tiny bit further over, we’d have gotten a direct hit. As it was, we were on its edge. And that was way too close for comfort.

[Grammy23]

11. Malaise, years of being told what to do

just kicked in. I didn’t even need to think, “what do I do?” I just got up and calmly walked to the bathroom. I never in my wildest dreams thought the tornado was actually about to grind and twist its way through our neighborhood. But within seconds of getting in the bathroom the noises began. And in 30 seconds or less it all stopped. Deathly quiet.

So yeah. Just get your ass to your safe place and ask questions later!

[malaise]

13. +1,000

It's like preparing for a hurricane except that we have days of warnings

[nolabear]

16. Just talked to my sister. They're under a watch and have had hail.

Spring can be brutal in the South these days.

[Niagara]

17. Thank you, Malaise

Kicking for visibility for the DUers who live in and around these areas.

Stay safe!