Rambling through central Illinois, hoping tornadic activity is over for 2026.
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There’s nothing like the threat of a tornado to bring neighbors together, standing outside as the storm hastily approaches and sirens wail.
At least that was the case last Thursday in our Elmwood neighborhood. People you had not seen outside in months were clustered in front of their homes, looking to the northwest to witness what Mother Nature cooked up this time.
Fortunately, for us in Elmwood at least, the storm was not as bad as it sounded. The train-like roar I heard was reminiscent of a June 2010 day when a tornado passed over our house, snatched a slightly ajar window and then a few blocks later bumped back to earth and tore up the downtown.
Then too we were outside watching that storm approach from the northwest. And that storm also sent us to the basement much faster than this one, which yielded small hail and lots of rain but thankfully no major damage.
Not everyone was so lucky. At least one person was stranded in a vehicle after getting tangled in wires. Others emerged to see homes, sheds or outbuildings damaged. Still others lost trees and power.
You’d think that would make people more scared of bad storms. And maybe at first it does. I recall being at a baseball game at Sweetwater Park not long after Elmwood’s tornado and seeing people almost panic when tornado sirens sounded, even though the sky over us was not very threatening.
But that initial fear seems to wear off for many. Why is that? Why are people so intrigued with storms that they stand outside their homes, risking potential danger?
And what drives storm trackers who travel cross country simply to witness a storm, post pictures and videos online and then move on to the next scary situation?
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Speaking of storms, one thing I did learn last week was to fear mammatus clouds – weird udder-shaped clouds that appear to hang beneath other clouds. Everything I’ve read say they are formed by sinking cold air and are usually indicators of severe weather to come. If you’ve never seen one, check out the Facebook group Illinois Storm Community and you can get an eyeful from last week. … Hey, do you think we actually went to the moon this time, or were those cool pictures by Artemis all just elaborate fakeries?
… Wild temperature swings so far this spring have not been kind to some flowering beauties. Forsythia bushes never got to put on much of a show and our star magnolia had just a brief moment to shine. After Tuesday’s chill, though, the coast looks fairly clear through April 21 in terms of freeze-free weather. Even so, I tend to agree with David Christy, proprietor of the Yates City Greenhouse. He tries to urge patience with gardeners who get in a rush to put fragile plants into the ground too early. Mother’s Day is usually a good frost-free date. For those who can’t wait, Christy will open his greenhouse April 22 and then stay open Mondays through Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. until he runs out of plants.
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Parting shot: Just kidding about that moon mention earlier. Some conspiracy theories resonate for me. Not that one. In Apollo I trust.
Contact Jeff Lampe at (309) 231-6040 or jeff@wklypost.com.
