Tornados Over the Ocean, September 2012

First, Just a Tornado Watch

Now Jersey does not have a long history of tornado activity, but I have been up close and personal to several! So when a tornado watch is posted for the Northeast, I am not happy, but off to my part-time job a few towns away I must go.

The sky does not look good. My co-worker and I are antsy—we both have lived through tornados, and lived to tell. We keep a steady eye on the wind, the sky and the debris blowing by the front door.

Power goes off on next block. Yep, not a good sign.

Call home, so far so good.

Come home around 5 pm and start knocking on doors for tenants to pull in their deck stuff: chairs, plants and anything that could fly away and crash into a windshield.

Difficult tenant comes out, states, “It is ONLY a watch.” He has the most crap on his deck.

I reply, “Do NOT split hairs with me. Move it all inside, NOW!”

He negotiates.

I don’t.

At 8 pm, it seems as though the storm missed us, at 8:36 pm the wind whipped around and slammed into the building: Ocean looks like a washing machine; debris is flying down the block. So glad that I already walked the dog.

So glad that remaining deck stuff REMAINED and did not crash into any windows. Whew!

Second, I Watched 2 Tornadoes

The following week, again the weather looks bad, clouds are way too low overhead and they have that funny grey-green shade with very raggedy edges. It doesn’t look good. I went out on the deck and looked east and west, yeah, these could be tornado clouds. Drat.

Two neighbors join me, the wind has picked up, now blowing from the south. I mention to first neighbor that the one cloud over the ocean is particularly ominous and might be forming the top of a funnel. He scoffs that the wind is from the south, “It’s nothing.”

Really? So why are parts of the cloud blowing towards the south?! Duh, I have seen tornados up close and far away—this is how some start.

First neighbor leaves, second one stays: We decide to go up to the top deck for a better view.

We both watched in fear as the top of a massive funnel took shape over the ocean. Incredulously, a long, slinky sidewinder formed next to it. TWO tornados are now over the ocean. I live on that ocean.

We are transfixed. Neither of us has a camera, not even our cell phones with cameras.

Running through my mind is the terrifying thought, “How do I evacuate this building if those twisters touch down and travel inland!” “Will they be water spouts?” “What can I do?”

Then both tornados dissipated. Whew!

The next day I tell the same co-worker from earlier and her eyes popped. She knew exactly what I saw; her neighbor had caught both twisters on camera and showed them to her. I want a copy to show neighbor who scoffed at me. I will post if I can track it down.