Weather Dog Indicates Tornado Won't Hit Fishers, Indiana

who shakes and quakes

at the first sign of a storm.

Weather Dog. The wuss.

This is the dog

who climbs you like a tree

hours before the first rain drop.

Weather Dog, known for his

100% accurate fearcasts.

Tonight tornado sirens shriek,

lightning cracks and

thunder rumbles

but Weather Dog

wants to play ball.

TV tornado warnings

say take cover now

stay far from walls and windows

while Weather Dog naps

by the sliding glass door.

"Go to the basement.

Put a mattress on your head.

Do not leave the building."

Not that Weather Dog

would notice.

Next door neighbor calls

from the back of her hall closet

to see if Tinyville still stands.

I tell her I have the

latest weather report

from a trusted source.

Weather Dog

indicates no tornado

will touch down in

Fishers tonight.

As usual, he's right.

From the National Weather Service, 4/7/2010:

"AT 924 PM EDT... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR LAWRENCE... OR 12 MILES NORTHEAST OF INDIANAPOLIS... MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH.

THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR... FORTVILLE AROUND 935 PM EDT... GREENFIELD AND INGALLS AROUND 940 PM EDT... WILKINSON... MARKLEVILLE AND PENDLETON AROUND 945 PM EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...TORNADOES ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE AT NIGHT. TAKE COVER NOW.. .

A tornado is a violently rotating column of air extending between, and in contact with, a cloud and the surface of the earth.It's a "twister."

Tornadoes are generally spawned by thunderstorms, though they have been known to occur without the presence of lightning. The stronger tornadoes attain an awe-inspiring intensity, with wind speeds that exceed 200 mph and in extreme cases may approach 300 mph.

Tornado wind speeds are estimated after the fact based on the damage they produce. Tornadoes are categorized on a scale of 0 (weakest) to 5 (strongest) according to the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

The United States has the highest incidence of tornadoes worldwide, with more than 1,000 occurring every year. This is due to the unique geography that brings together polar air from Canada, tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico, and dry air from the Southwest to clash in the middle of the country, producing thunderstorms and the tornadoes they spawn."

Sources:
The Weather Channel
National Weather Service
Weather Ready
The Weather Dog