Tor-Con 9: Starting to Worry!
By Jeff Moffitt
@moffittjc (118306)
Gainesville, Florida
January 22, 2017 4:33pm CST
The area of north Florida where I live has been under a tornado watch all day today, as we have three rounds of potentially damaging storm fronts moving through. The tornado watch is in effect until 8:00pm tonight (eastern standard time). Two rounds of the bad storms have already gone through, and they were pretty bad. The third round is forecast to be the worst, although I don't know how much worse it can get than it already is!
We just received an alert notice that we are now at Tor-Con 9, which means there is a 90% chance of a tornado hitting within 50 miles (80.5 km). The winds are horrendous right now, and it reminds me of when the hurricanes were blowing through this past fall. As the sun goes down and it gets darker outside, it will become even more scarier out there. I just hope all this passes through soon without any serious damage.
24 people like this
26 responses
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Jan 17
Thank you for the prayers! God was looking after us. The last big line of storms just cleared out of Gainesville. Man, it was bad; I will admit I was a little nervous! But everything is calm and quiet now, and I can hear Mr. & Mrs. Owl outside hootin' and hollering, so it must be safe now!
4 people like this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Jan 17
@DianneN Yes, they definitely worked!
3 people like this
@DianneN (246334)
• United States
23 Jan 17
@moffittjc Yay!!!!!!! My prayers worked. Unbelievable. Hoot hoot!
3 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
22 Jan 17
wow I hope it misses you stay safe
4 people like this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Jan 17
I sure hope so too! I live on the top floor of my building. I'm probably the least safe out of everyone in my building!
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Jan 17
@fishtiger58 Third and fourth floor. But I have very high cathedral ceilings on the fourth floor, which makes me even more worried. I hope Belle Star is okay down in Ocala, they've had reports of tornados touching down somewhere south of her.
3 people like this
@fishtiger58 (29823)
• Momence, Illinois
22 Jan 17
@moffittjc yikes how high up are you
2 people like this
@PatZAnthony (14752)
• Charlotte, North Carolina
22 Jan 17
As such storms leave your area, they usually head our way. Not looking forward to the storms we will have this evening.
3 people like this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Jan 17
Yeah, I just looked at the national radar, and this storm system is pretty large and widespread. I hope you stay safe up in Charlotte!
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
22 Jan 17
God willing you will be safe and sound. I know you will be prepared if things do get a bit hairy for you! I have read the news reports this evening very sad indeed! All the best and pray you and your family are safe!
4 people like this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Jan 17
My prayers definitely go out to the families of all those injured and killed to the north of us in the state of Georgia. I'm hoping that when this is all said and done we won't have the same outcome here in Florida.
It's gotten very calm and quiet outside now, so I think we are out of the danger zone now.
1 person likes this
@cacay1 (83223)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
23 Jan 17
@garymarsh6 yes prayer saves us from harm.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325102)
• Rockingham, Australia
23 Jan 17
I do hope you'll be safe. I know there are other members riding out these storms too. I tend to forget that these emergencies continue on through the night when it must be so much harder to know what's going on whether it's fire, flood or storms that are hitting an area.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Jan 17
From what I can tell, all of us myLotters who were in the path of these dangerous storms made it through unscathed, or with only minor damage.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Jan 17
@JudyEv These types of storms usually don't happen until springtime, so in about 2-3 months is when we'll really see crazy weather like this again.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325102)
• Rockingham, Australia
24 Jan 17
@moffittjc That's very good to hear. You must be pleased it's all over for the moment. How many weeks/months before there is no (much less) danger from such storms?
1 person likes this
@Happy2BeMe (99410)
• Canada
22 Jan 17
Stay safe. I hope it passes by with little damage. So scary.
4 people like this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Jan 17
They say this is extremely rare for us to get this kind of weather. The last time this happened was 10 years ago on Christmas Day, when numerous tornados touched down all over north Florida.
4 people like this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
22 Jan 17
@Happy2BeMe I believe it just ended for us. Just like that it got quiet and calm. Looking at the radar, it does appear we are out of the danger zone. I hope everyone made it through safely. It was really bad.
4 people like this
@velvet53 (22528)
• Palisade, Colorado
25 Jan 17
@moffittjc That is great to hear. It is a blessing after everything that you went through.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Jan 17
I made it through safely. Thankfully, no tornados touched down in our area.
2 people like this
@LovingMyBabies (85127)
• Valdosta, Georgia
22 Jan 17
It is getting real windy here too with a lot of thunder and lightning. Hopefully we will all stay safe! 
2 people like this
@LovingMyBabies (85127)
• Valdosta, Georgia
23 Jan 17
@moffittjc We will be going into my closet if we need to. I am getting a little worried, especially since my husband is driving home from work in it right now! =(
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Jan 17
I just looked at the National Weather Service radar, and Jax is getting hit (or about to get hit) now. Please stay safe Jennifer!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Jan 17
@LovingMyBabies Oh my goodness, I can't believe he has to drive in that mess. Keeping him in my prayers that he makes it home safely!
I don't think you are in any danger of tornados, but if one were to touch down near you, another option besides an interior closet is to get in the bathtub and pull a mattress over you (or coach cushions).
1 person likes this
@CookieMonster46 (13447)
• United States
23 Jan 17
goodness, I will pray for you all, i hope you do not have any tornados
2 people like this
@CookieMonster46 (13447)
• United States
23 Jan 17
@moffittjc , that is great news...
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Jan 17
We are safe now. It's all passed through. I'm waiting to hear from a couple of other myLot members who are in the thick of it now; I hope they report in safe soon.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
23 Jan 17
I hope you made it through the night. While living in Kansas we often were warned and when the sirens went off we headed for the basement. Must be more scary that the average home in Florida doesn't have a basement. (Or do they?)
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Jan 17
Not many homes in Florida have basements. I know my home doesn't have one. I'm pretty sure if I try to dig 2 feet under my house I would hit water. Most of Florida is like that. Instead of naming us the "Sunshine State," they should have named us the "Flat State That is Barely Above Sea Level."
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Jan 17
@PainsOnSlate Is your land in the Ocala area? Are you close to Belle?
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
24 Jan 17
@moffittjc I actually own land in Florida but its just a big tree filled plot in the middle of the state. The houses there seen to be on slabs but I don't know
that for sure. But I did know the closer to the beach the less you can dig...
that for sure. But I did know the closer to the beach the less you can dig...1 person likes this
@nanette64 (20364)
• Fairfield, Texas
23 Jan 17
Please be safe @moffittjc . Remember: bathtub and a mattress.
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Jan 17
My mattress is too big to fit into my bathroom, let alone my bathtub, but I did have a plan to bring all the couch cushions into the bathtub with me if things got too bad. Luckily, we made it through unscathed.
1 person likes this
@nanette64 (20364)
• Fairfield, Texas
24 Jan 17
@moffittjc That would work (cushions). I'm glad you're okay.
1 person likes this
@Elizaby (6902)
• Pensacola, Florida
23 Jan 17
We had that mess yesterday and the last round this morning. Was glad whenit cleared through and moved faster with the last round. Now we have the very windy conditions with gale force winds that has the Gulf so stirred up that even the surfers are refusing to get in ( and we all know how they love when they can get some good waves)
2 people like this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Jan 17
Yeah, they are saying we are going to get those gale force winds tomorrow. Not looking forward to that at all.
1 person likes this
@Elizaby (6902)
• Pensacola, Florida
23 Jan 17
@moffittjc Just watching the news and surfers could almost surf on the Sound as there were high white caps
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
23 Jan 17
Yes, everything is safe now! We made it through! I've been through hurricanes that seemed less scary! haha
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Jan 17
@Beatburn Nothing like hitting it head on
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Jan 17
@sol_cee it depends on how late we are out on the river. We may see a few bats along the way!
@DeborahDiane (40009)
• Laguna Woods, California
23 Jan 17
@moffittjc - You will have to write another post in the morning to let us know you are OK. Stay safe!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
24 Jan 17
I am okay! No damage at all, despite how bad things were. Some of our neighboring cities and towns weren't so lucky though.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Jan 17
@DeborahDiane I'm hoping that these storms have finally cleared the entire east coast. Today was beautiful, yet cool, here in Florida, a much nicer change than the severe storms and tornados that we experienced over the past couple of days. But if I recall, the northeast is in the midst of a pretty bad Nor'easter right now.
1 person likes this
@DeborahDiane (40009)
• Laguna Woods, California
24 Jan 17
@moffittjc - The storms in the East sound like they have been pretty scary. Glad you are OK.
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (94208)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
29 Jan 17
Me too since tornadoes are very dangerous storms to be in. Stay safe.
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40248)
• United States
29 Jan 17
I hope all is well. Sometimes it's easy to forget that even the nice, warm, places such as Florida - have their own trouble weather too
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118306)
• Gainesville, Florida
29 Jan 17
Haha, yeah, Florida is not the paradise everybody thinks it is, even in the winter time!
