by Nicole K.
(Lockport &Joliet, Illinois)
It was a beautiful day to start out with. I’m 13 now, but then I was 8. It was a warm soggy day in Lockport Illinois. Perfectly natural to me. I was with friends in an Ice Cream Parlor near the down town area. I’ve always had an interest in weather. ALthough, I’ve had othre horrible experiances. This one didnt come two much after it. It was about a month after the first tornado I ever remeber. I was on a Zoo feild trip coming home. My mom was a chaperone that day. It started to pour coming home. Every one thought it would be a typical day, but by 8pm that evening, the tornado sirens went off. They went off about 5 minutes later, and the next day I found out it was about 2.6 miles from our house.
Two weeks later, another one hit. I was just getting home from school. We had dinner and the sky turned green. We were waiting for my dad to get home from work that day. And when he did, he explained the 13.9 miles from us, it hit. He also said That a treee fell into the middle of the rouad. Near night fall that day, another one happened. The tornado was less than a mile away and had blown down our pool. We ended up getting a new one close after.
Then, less than 3 weeks later, the ”Ice Cream Parlor Tornado” happened. This one was the first time I had ever seen a tornado blow in from day light. It was sunny that day. I was at the Ice Cream Parlor with my friends, we had herd the sirens going off, as we were told to get away from windowes. There wree five years olds with us, they started to cry. The closud literally raced in, leavinf noothing but darkness. Thank God, the tornado barely passed, but that whole rest of daylight was extremely haeavy down pour.
Shortely after that one, me and my brotehr were watching Twister on Cable and had to decide to go out side. My friends kept telling us that ther was a tronafdo watch, but I didnt believe then (Which I shouldve, beacuse I accualy met tham on the day a severe thunderstorm hit) The nthere mom said there was at one point, a warning. I hid under mu blanket the rest of the day until I was forced back out side. 🙁
Then we moved. I was living with my gandparents at the time while out new house was getting built less then a mile away. My cusins were over as their mom got home from work. My older cusins who lived down the street from my grandparents were also over. They had herd of the warnings, and decided to go home since they had walked there and had pets at home. MY younger cusoins began to get paranoid. Twenety minutes after my older cusins had left, their mom came. Their dad had called and said that a tornadoe had touched down near their hous (3 miles away.) So, intentionly, their mom got all paranoid and rushed home. Less then an hour aftaer they had left the sirens went off. I, as a scard 10 year old at the time, ran upstars (Smart, right?) and hid under the covers. I came down shortly as they went off. The guy behind us told my mom that: “It went back up” and my mom said “I know, knock on wood.” The guy went back inside. My great grandma who lived next door called and said that her cable went out. Me and my Uncle went over there. When he got it back on, I was watchin ABC 7 NEws as they were talking about itr. Less than 5 minutes in the showed a picture of a funnel cloud (Tornado) Coming from the clouds between brick and Vinyle siding. I went to look out the front window. I started to shake. The tornado was directly across the street! And there were people sittind out on lawn chair watching it! It hit August 20, 2006 , I only rmember beacuse it was 2 days vefore school started. And my grandma took my to Jewel to get chicken 10 minutes after it almost touched down. (Darn, was I dumb at that Time.)
Then we moved again. The only odd tronado that happened here so far was one with eerie-ness so far. It was July during Summer break, It was a nice day ot start out with, I was out side most of it. It was late afternoon. I was here typing on aim when my dad asked me “How severe is the storm coming.” I go “I dont know, Ill check.” I loked out the window and liteally started to cry. I was so afraid I ttold my fried I had to go, then they all went out side with my two dumb dogs, (MY dad, brother, the two daogs, my mom was working) watching it filled with lightning. Sadisticly, I ran up and hid under the covers (I was 12 and terified!) There were tons of lighting as the dark clouds moved rapidly, it was a supersell than thank God never touched down!
Fianlly the rest hapend in August. I was at my cusins house during thei birthday party. They had a huge field behind their hous nad I was watching strorms come in, though no one beliveved me, so we ate dinner, then all the little people went back on the water slide. I herds thunder, still no one believed me still. They finally say lightning, and the told them to get off. We all watched thre enventully violent storm role in. It started pouring and we were all forced in. We were under a Severe Thunder Stporam Warning and a Torndo Watch. It was horrible. Very soon after that I go home from school and was on aim once more. There was a bad lighning storm and when I got off, I went to go look ou tthe front door. I didnt know why, but I couldnt get my self to leave it. Then there was a huge bang of then there was a huge bang of thunder and lightning struck the girl who lived across the street. I told my mom and she didnt believe me at all. Later that day though, the fire department came. Then they all believed me. The next day, she came to school and told me that ever thing that was plugged in at that moment had to be replaced.
I hope I never have these experiances again but, its only March right now. (The first) Ill have to find out, evern thought I wont be here for most of this summer, I’ll be worried for the rest of my family ¢¾