2/28/11-Chase, Then Be Chased

Yesterday was my longest chase to date.  I drove NW 20 miles from downtown Chattanooga to where the squall line was hanging out.  It is really insane, when I think about it.  I was about 5 miles from that squall line.. no warnings at that time.  I literally only saw one lightning bolt and got close enough to be sprinkled on.

Little did I know as I turned around and headed back to work, the line began to strengthen.  I quit paying attention, because I was pretty busy at work when I got back from lunch.  Luckily, one of my weather BFF's sent me a FB message.  A tornado emergency had been issued for right outside of Chattanooga!!

...A TORNADO EMERGENCY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1230 PM CST FOR
NORTHWESTERN FRANKLIN AND MOORE COUNTIES...

AT 1220 PM CST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A POTENTIALLY DESTRUCTIVE TORNADO. THIS TORNADO WAS
LOCATED JUST EAST OF LYNCHBURG...MOVING EAST AT 55 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO OAK
GROVE...ESTILL SPRINGS AND WOODS RESERVOIR.

Franklin County is where Monteagle mountain is and is literally a couple of miles from where I was only an hour before!  Of course, I went to the window.  The tornado warning was issued for Chattanooga, and then I pretty much planted myself in front of the window.  Very very dark skies were seen to my northwest.  Finally, I went back to look at my radar, and saw the storm was approaching.  I never saw rotation on the radar, but that doesn't mean it wasn't there.  I didn't have my GRL3.

I went back to the window and then a crowd had gathered.  I saw plenty of scud bombs.  No rotation on anything I saw, but then the squall line hit.  The wind was nuts and the rain..... It got so bad you couldn't see. I heard two really loud sounds.  One was of our main doors blowing open, which now when I think about it, is INSANE because they are locked unless you have an access card.  Then the crash came.  I don't know how the window blew out, but it did!  THEN they sent us to the tornado shelter.. hahaha.

I'm going to need to learn that I shouldn't chase storms.  The storms chase me!!!  I'm better off saving my gas money and waiting for them to come to me!