Stormy Weekend

[HeeBGBz]

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/

Everybody in the mid-country watch out. Potential for some tornado and straight-line winds, hail and other nasty stuff. Further north gets blizzardy. Tonight and tomorrow especially.

[emmadoggy]

1. I'm living it right now.

I'm in the far NE corner of Iowa. There is a major blizzard raging outside right now - the worst I've seen in probably 10-12 years, probably longer. To make it even freakier...there is WICKED thunder and lightening!! Not frequent, but BIG. We are supposed to have a small lull in the storm late tonight/early tomorrow morning and then it's supposed to wind up into high gear again. Expecting probably 12-16" of snow here in my location. My sister, about 80 miles west of me, was getting downpours of freezing rain earlier along with really nasty thunder and lightning. Last time I talked to her a few hours ago, it was switching over to sleet/snow, but tomorrow it is supposed to be freezing rain/sleet mix again for a while and then turn to snow with several inches expected. If they get much of an ice coating and then the heavy, wet snow on top of that, then add in the strong winds - it's a recipe for lots of downed trees and power lines.

This is a huge and very powerful storm and I think it is going to really kick us in the pants. I made a quick trip to the grocery store this afternoon, and it was INSANELY busy. This storm isn't supposed to wind down until late sunday, so I guess everyone had the same idea - food!!

My other sister lives in the Kansas City area and they are going to be getting more of the severe thunderstorms, lots of wind etc.

It's a wild one! :yoiks:

[HeeBGBz]

2. My brother is in Des Moines

My sisters are in southern Missouri. I think all of us are going to feel this storm.

[deminks]

3. We have tornado watch and blizzard warnings at the same time.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/top/

[HeeBGBz]

4. Dumas Arkansas hit hard

I stay there every time I travel back to Missouri.



Damage from Mad Butcher east, I hear.
People still unaccounted for and they are doing a house to house search.

[emmadoggy]

5. Update...

My sister, Mom, brother and other relatives - who all live about an hour west of me - have all received SO MUCH freezing rain that there are power lines down all over and the power line POLES are SNAPPING OFF! My brother made a nail-biting trip to the town where my sister lives (about a 25 minute drive normally) after her power went out (she's a single mom with an 8 year old daughter with Down's) to bring them back to my Mom's where they still have power (for now). He said there were stretches of 20-30 power line poles snapped off and power lines were all over the roads, whipping in the wind. He said the road signs were even BENDING from the ice and wind (a "no passing sign" was all bent back, he said). He made it back safely with my sister and her daughter and then headed 10 miles in the opposite direction to get my 82 yr.old grandmother who had no power either. They are all camped out at my Mom's for now. My sister's street was impassable due to huge sections of a tree that had fallen. She said there were branches and sections of trees down everywhere. Some of the lower branches on her trees were touching the ground, she said. We had only a small layer of ice here at my home, thankfully, but now have a blizzard (literally - the NWS upgraded our Winter Storm Warning to a Blizzard Warning). We are supposed to get several inches of snow tonight through tomorrow (probably either side of a foot).

This is definitely one of the worst storms in this area for quite a while. :-(

[HeeBGBz]

6. How awful! I'm glad you all got together safely.

This is a very rough system on both ends.