June 16, 2005
I've never seen a tornado. The closest I've ever been to one was the movie "Twister."
That all changed Friday. Severe-weather sirens sounded in Sartell, Sauk Rapids and Rice.
The National Weather Service reported a tornado had touched down in St. Joseph.
Nearby, Hammond, Wis., sustained millions of dollars in damage from a touchdown. I'm not even sure I'd know what a severe-weather siren would sound like if I heard it. Not good, I suppose.
While I didn't see any funnel clouds — the lack of windows in the newsroom may have been partially to blame — the day still marked the first time I had been in a place where there was an active tornado warning. A part of me was waiting for one to touch down out of sheer curiosity.
Growing up without the threat of tornados, my reaction, if I would see one, would probably go against every bit of conventional wisdom.
I think I'd be too entranced watching it happen to run. And I'm not the only one. Photo editor Dave Schwarz spent the evening chasing funnel clouds to bring back a front-page photo.
Weather experts offer all sorts of advice to remain safe during a tornado warning. Most seem sound — lie in a ditch, avoid windows, find a basement. But there's one that puzzles me.
The National Weather Service says if a twister is heading your way, leave your car.
But nowhere — on the Internet, at least — can I find a solid reason as to why I should leave my car. Indeed, it would most likely help me find shelter faster or perhaps outrun the storm. I've hit triple digits, and going that fast from a tornado can't be a bad thing.
If a tornado is capable of easily tossing my 3,200 pound car, how would my 135-pound body fare? I'm almost compelled to find out.
Of course, I don't have a fascination with death. I think of a tornado the same way someone who was born and raised in Mexico must think of snow — an interesting weather feature never seen. It's the same kind of idea as jumping off the Empire State Building — cool in theory, but deadly and not so cool in practice.
It doesn't help my only point of reference of this natural phenomenon was formed by "Twister." Flying cows and storm chasing are romanticized. Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton make it seem like good fun.
I'm sure my views would change once a tornado touches down on top of my apartment complex. And they just put on a new roof. Maybe I should watch from a distance and up my renters insurance.
On a serious note, though, I do recognize the destructive power of a tornado. One look at the recent pictures from Hammond is enough to convince me that they're bad news. However, I still can't help but wonder about them, having come from the East Coast for my first venture through a tornado season.
I hope I never see a tornado. My curiosity would kill me.
Wasim Ahmad is a copy editor at the St. Cloud Times. His column is published the third Thursday of the month. E-mail him at wahmad@stcloudtimes.com.
© 2005 St. Cloud Times, St. Cloud, Minn.