National Weather Service - Reno, NV
Here are the official details of the tornado in Hawthorne on Friday, June 5.
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Saturday, June 6, 2015
Nevada tornado damages 6 homes, 5 businesses in Hawthorne (see videos,photos)
Yesterday a tornado struck the little town I live in. It significantly damaged homes and businesses lifting off the ground about a tenth of a mile from where I work. Having lived my life in the western part of the United States, I have never experienced a tornado. Strong winds blow through the town sometimes gusting over 100 mph and blowing over semi trucks, uprooting trees, and taking off roofing material, but a tornado is different. Tornadoes rarely happen in mountainous areas in the west. If they do, they are usually short-lived; and, with so much open space around us, it would be unlikely to touch down where people live. Though I said I haven't experienced a tornado, something did damage my home's roof about ten years ago. When I came home from work, I saw the shingles in the center of my garage roof had been pulled up and twisted around in a spiral. I looked at the shingles and wondered what could have happened. I might have never guessed what had happened if it hadn't been for the custodians at the high school across the street from my home. They told me they watched as what looked like a mini tornado touched down on my garage roof. They said it came down from the clouds, not up from the ground as most whirlwinds or dust devils do here. That cost me a little bit of money to replace the shingles, but the structure of the roof was okay.
Unfortunately several people in our community had their homes and businesses damaged by the tornado yesterday. The tornado that struck here was at the bottom of the scale as a F 0-1 tornado, but it still did some significant damage leaving some people without a home to live in. I am so grateful the tornado didn't turn towards where I was working or towards my home. I am grateful that it only stayed on the ground for about half a mile through our town. I am grateful I do not have damage to my property to deal with. I do feel bad for those whose homes and businesses were damaged.
When you write your story include weather events that impacted you or your family. Such events change the way you look at things. It is a reminder that things can happen suddenly and unexpectedly. It increases your compassion for others who have been harmed and increases your gratitude for the protection you received.
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