Tornado warning briefly issued for Santa Cruz and Santa Clara Counties

Holy S#!T are you SERIOUS???

By Shanna McCord – Santa Cruz Sentinel

Posted: 01/20/2010 02:18:06 PM PST

Updated: 01/20/2010 02:40:10 PM PST

A tornado warning was briefly in effect for Santa Cruz County from 2:07 to 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The warning was prompted by Doppler radar indicating a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado moving northeast at 35 mph.

The storm could produce quarter-size hail, forecasters said.

The safest place to be during a tornado is in a basement or under a workbench or other piece of sturdy furniture. If no basement is available, seek shelter on the lowest floor of the building in an interior hallway or room such as a closet. Use blankets or pillow to cover your body and stay away from windows.

Event:	Tornado Warning
Alert:	THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR… SANTA CLARA COUNTY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA… THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF MORGAN HILL… SANTA CRUZ COUNTY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA… * UNTIL 230 PM PST * AT 202 PM PST…NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH. THIS STORM MAY PRODUCE QUARTER SIZE HAIL.
Instructions:	THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE…SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES…EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE…LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

The Daily News

1 The strange thing about the tornado warning was that I was just sorta finishing up grading papers and goofin’ off on Facebook when everyone started writing about flood and tornado warnings in Santa Clara County.

2 I looked out the window of the Cathedral and saw little evidence of either, but something MUST have been up.

3 I just ignored it all and continued multi-tasking. I talked with people on Facebook and found many concerned with the floods and the tornadoes and all. I again looked out the window and saw little going on in any of those areas.

4 I turned on the radio because I do like to know what’s going on around me, and found that there was indeed a tornado warning in Santa Clara County, but just a small window of time.

5 On the way home, however, I looked right behind my house and saw a cloud formation dropping down behind my house like a huge cloudy wedge, and it REALLY scared me. It looked like a tornado forming, but the practical side of me figured it was just fancy from all the news stories.

6 Still…

7 The news JUST said “Brace yourself!” but they said another storm will slam into us today, but in our own area, it should be okay, and Friday things are supposed to settle a bit. The area south of Monterey will get hit pretty hard, however.

8 The news just posted “Last in the System”. We’ll get hit with lots o’ rain today, but everything is supposed to calm by Frideeee.

9 I didn’t think today’s DN would be a weather report, but I guess it is. Expect rain and wet today is all, but it doesn’t seem to be anywhere near the intensity of yesterday’s strange forecasts.

10 I tried talking to several people all at once, but as always, I should stay WAY away from any sorta chat. I’ve been anti-chat since I got my first IM years ago. I totally get how others can deal with it, but I can’t see myself trying to keep track of talking to ten people at once. I’ve probably chatted maybe three or four times since getting my Facebook, and each time I get all mixed up and end up wondering why I ever bother.

11 It’s funny, our own idiocies. That is one of my worst, along with always managing to be in the wrong lane. If there is a freeway entrance on the left, I’m sure to be in the right lane.

12 Like, consistently. It’s funny those little idiosynchs we have in our lives. At least I’m happy to admit it. I may swear off “chat” for the rest of my life! = ) <–goofy smiley dude.

13 Yeesh.

14 Moving on, Part One: Yesterday I talked about my early days directing. The poetry of the rain brought that on, because Our Town is a pretty soulful and poetic play, but I wound up talking about my very first Show, and its use of interesting special effects. I’ll come back to Our Town, and even to some other memories of other shows. It was enjoyable going down Memory Lane and bringing some of those special days to you.

15 I always thought of writing some memoirs of the days in the immortal YB Theatre, but figured I’d be the only one who would really care, but it occurs to me that LOTS of people worked on LOTS of Shows over the years, and I’m thinking that every now and again I’ll give my own thoughts and memories to the masses.

16 If nothing else, it’s a fun thing to think of each Show, because every single Show brings so many amazing stories and memories, and each performance night would be different.

17 I think it will make for some fun reading, but if it were all the DN did, then it would be pretty one-dimensional. What makes the DN fun is that like everything in my life, it talks about everything and nothing, and it has no real destination; it just lives, and loves living life, and lives life, and it loves life.

18 Live life. Love life. Simple words.

19 Amazing how many people rush all around avoiding simplicity.

20 Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.

—John Lennon, Beautiful Boy

21 Truer words, truer words.

22 Moving on, Part the Second: I think I’ve finally turned the corner on the mountains of paperwork I’ve been suffering for the past two months. The challenge of working in a successful school is that the almost ALL my students do their homework, every single night. It’s wonderful in so many ways, but it is still a tedious process that takes untold extra hours to maintain. We teachers might get summers off and all the rest, but make no mistake: we still balance those hours with long work weeks during the school year.

23 At least those of us who actually take the time and effort to read the reams of papers we assign, which I do. I just thought I’d say a quick word on behalf of teachers out there who work really hard. To be good at this job takes tons of work, passion, and devotion. Doing it and loving it is truly the secret!

24 I LOVE teaching, and probably always will. It is one of the most rewarding jobs on the planet, and one of the toughest. The true way to be a good teacher is to look like it’s the easiest job in the world. I mean, come on. You just talk for a living, right?

25 Haha!

26 Of course.

27 You also meet amazing people, many of whom become lifelong inspirations. Many who read the DN have inspired me over the years. Inspiration is a two-way street, and it has been an absolute pleasure to have worked with SO many talented and amazing people over the years.

28 This Old Brown Shoe salutes all of you, and thanks YOU for being inspirational and significant. Great classes, FUN Shows, and moments that nobody will ever take away!

29 Oops, goin’ deep again. I’d probably better bow out gracefully before a tear hits my computer, causing it to go up in smoke.

30 Poof. The fighter still remains.

31 Peace.