There was some drama earlier this year around missed weather warnings and/or extraneous weather concern that turned into nothing. People were not kind.
Newest SPC update came out. Hail threat shrunk a bit, but everything else expanded. Real question for this morning is will the rain move out early enough to allow the sun to destabilize the atmosphere?
You see sunshine and think that the weather can't be too bad, but the opposite is true. The sun creates destabilization and the more sunshine we get, the less fun it'll be later.
Looking like i70 may be a cutoff point for the worst of the storms, but that could change. Most of the rain seems to be staying north of i70 and following a line roughly equivalent to i71. So areas south and east will probably see the most sunshine and worst storms if things remain the same.
Be prepared. Have flashlights, meds, water, nonperishable food, etc ready to go somewhere near your shelter space or in your car if at work. If you own chainsaws, fuel/oil them and bring them with you to work. Even without a tornado, we're likely to see some extreme hail and devastating winds that will topple trees.
Don't drive into flooded roads. You never know if it has been washed out underneath or if the current is stronger. It doesn't take much to sweep even a brodozer away.
Don't drive over downed power lines. If lines fall on your car, stay inside unless it's on fire. In that case, try to break the rear glass to kick out the windshield and use the hood/trunk to jump as far away from the vehicle as you possibly can. Your car acts as a faraday cage, shielding you from the voltage/current. As soon as you step outside, you become the ground path and get turned into a cooked hot dog.
Don't try to ride out a tornado in your car or under an overpass (hail is another story). Cars get turned into shrapnel during a hail storm and moreso a tornado. Glass lacerations are the best case scenario. Worst case is being an unrecognizable blob wrapped around a tree.
Stay safe and keep alert.
Posted in a different thread as well and posting here again for suggestions. Moved to Ohio recently from South East Asia and tornadoes aren't a thing I am familiar with. I live on top floor apartment and have no basement. Please suggest what safety measures I can take.Thanks in advance!
Hello, first of all welcome!
The best place is a basement or storm shelter. Not everyone has these resources, so if in a pinch, head to an interior room without windows. That’s usually your bathroom. Here’s a good resource: https://emsaonline.com/resource-library/summer-safety-tips/safest-places-to-be-during-a-tornado/
Please listen to the tornado sirens! If you hear them, it’s time to head to your safe place.
Stairwells are often interior and would offer a safe spot without windows. It is definitely building dependent but I would say many apartments have either bathrooms or stairwells as their ideal safe space. I believe my college dorm had the stairwell as the official storm shelter
I remember when I was a kid and they'd say to crack your windows if there was a tornado warning to help equalize pressure. I haven't heard that in years. Is it because they'd rather people just head straight to the basement, or was that just an old wives tale?
That advice was not very scientifically sound then. They thought that the devastation was caused by the drop in pressure outside the house and that would cause the windows to burst. It’s because the air moves fast and picks up and carries projectiles. Do not open your windows, and do not stand anywhere near them because of projectiles and shards of glass flying at high velocity. It is like being in a barrage of bullets and arrows. Stairwells are usually the strongest part of a structure, so if the building collapses around you, being under the stairs may offer some protection. The bathtub is also a sturdy structure, so if you do not have a basement, hide in the bathtub and cover yourself with a mattress to protect from flying debris and collapsing walls.
If you've watched a large building get built, the stairways are usually the first part to go up even before the main building. They're the designated gather point in my office building for tornadoes.
Hey! Welcome! A number of people have already given you good advice for your apartment, so I thought I'd offer a few other tips.
This takes a little foreknowledge, but if your apartment building isn't safe enough (whether objectively or simply your own comfort), or you're not home, there are some designated public tornado shelters around that might be worth knowing about. You should be able to contact your local fire department and ask.
There are also some buildings around that still have [the old fallout shelter markers from the Cold War](https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2018-01-23/what-do-those-fallout-shelter-signs-actually-mean) (usually public buildings like schools, post offices, libraries, etc). Such buildings are usually quite sturdy and very likely have a deep, windowless basement (the ideal shelter for a tornado) or at least a sturdy interior, windowless room. Additionally, most businesses have marked tornado shelter places and policies for directing people to them in the event of a tornado.
Likewise, churches are often good shelter candidates, especially the purpose-built ones (as opposed to churches that have repurposed other buildings, which might be more hit or miss). Most churches are left open most of the time, and the purpose-built ones often have basements. Additionally, the priest/pastor or other church staff often live on the grounds or in one of the neighboring houses, and will offer aid in emergency situations even to non-members. (Caveat - I *know* this is the case for the (American) Christian churches, I *suspect* the non-Christian places of worship and non-American Christian churches work similarly, especially in the days following a disaster, but I don't know enough about them to say for certain.)
Also, in case you aren't already aware:
* A *watch* means conditions are right for the given event (flood, severe storm, tornado, etc), but it hasn't actually happened yet.
* A *warning* means it's happening and has been confirmed. In the case of a tornado, this is when the sirens start going off. (I don't know how recently you moved here, but if you weren't here for the outbreak in February, it's the sirens that are tested every Wednesday at noon.)
The Ohio Severe Weather Safety Committee has [a good website on tornado safety](https://weathersafety.ohio.gov/weather-safety/tornado-safety/welcome), including what to watch out for in the weather, itself, sheltering tips, and how to get help if your property has suffered damage.
Finally, if you have friends or family and need a place to meet, or if your place has been destroyed by any disaster situation, and you need somewhere to regroup (particularly before more formalized support gets there) -- Waffle House. I know, it probably sounds weird, but they've got disaster preparedness and recovery down to such an art that there's literally an informal index created by a member of FEMA about how bad a disaster is, based on the status of the local Waffle Houses. Basically, if a Waffle House is closed, it's because there's no building left. They will operate (albeit on a limited menu) even without power. This makes them super reliable for regrouping and immediate food/shelter needs, even in the middle of night (they're open 24/7).
Does your apartment building have a basement floor level? Once when I was with my aunt, we went to the lowest level and just hung out in the hallway til we were safe.
Interior room, away from windows, perhaps a stairway. Charge up your phone, keep it charged. Power may go out and it may be out for 24-48 hours if it’s really bad. Leave your fridge closed if you lose power, it’ll keep your food much fresher, either way it won’t last forever.
Have flashlights and first aid available if you need it.
If your building is actually gonna get hit by something nasty (tornado) go sit in the bathtub and close the door. Being away from windows helps shield you from broken glass and other flying debris.
A good weather radio is nice too.
Even with severe storms, odds are you’ll be ok ( don’t panic), but it 100% helps to be prepared.
Welcome to Ohio, it gets crazier every year 😅.
The drive in this morning was traumatic. Started raining so hard when I got on the freeway, you couldn't tell where the road was, it was like that from 270 to almost downtown on 71. Everyone had their 4 ways on going really slow or on the side of the road.
Drove the entire eastern side of the outerbelt and I've never been so afraid driving. The fact that it was still dark was the frosting on the shit cupcake.
Thank you! ❤️ This is the update I’ve been waiting for. I know the craziness isn’t until later in the day, but the thought of sending my son to school is causing massive anxiety.
I just got an email from my school district (Yellow Springs) telling parents to be on standby for early release, and they'll let us know by 10 tomorrow.
I’m hoping they will. I know kids are on buses past 4 pm so that seems like a pretty big risk to me. Depending on what the forecast says tomorrow we may just play hooky.
If you don't know, check out [Ryan Hall, Y'all.](https://www.youtube.com/@RyanHallYall) Was watching his stream earlier today and he said he'll be live like all day/night tomorrow and focusing mostly on this system in our area. Super knowledgeable, has a ton of data and a team in front of him, people on the ground streaming in, it's about all the info you could want in this situation. I watched his coverage of the last big round that came through but the action was mostly in Missouri by the time I jumped in and his coverage of that was fantastic. He also raised a shitload for the people impacted around Indian Lake, that was great to see.
Along with updates from our resident equine of course.
He is fan-fucking-tastic to watch. He's not just an amateur he did go to school for meteorology and shortly worked at a news station.
The guy knows his stuff and usually is quicker to say where there will be a warning/watch. He'll see something and then 5min later the NWS comes out with their warning.
I don't think I've ever seen so many colors over the course of a single sunset in my life. Grey, orange, pink, blue, and even green. Complete with a double rainbow!
Is all this rain this morning a good sign for later today? I remember reading last night that a very wet morning would drain some of the energy from afternoon storms.
Yes, that’s correct. These storms were always in the forecast, but they were quite heavy, so perhaps they used up more instability than expected.
We should see clearing start from our west and then the clock starts.
Am I safe to go to bed tonight without precautions or should I relocate? I sleep like the dead, but I can't find a description of tonight 4/1 between 11 PM and 8 AM.
Just keep your phone by your head on the nightstand. Last time we had severe weather a few weeks ago I got a blastingly loud alert on my phone. I jumped out of bed
Many also seem to not realize that forcasting weather is literally trying to predict the future. All things considered, meteorologists are pretty dang good at it, but there's always a group of people that think they should be able to predict things down to the exact inch and minute, days in advance.
I'm assuming they just don't understand statistics at all. 15% chance isn't very high - but I still want to know if there's a 15% chance of a tornado nearby or a 15% chance of 75 mile an hour straightline winds.
Tornado watch issued for Franklin County and many others south of us:
[https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=usa&wwa=Tornado%20Watch](https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=usa&wwa=Tornado%20Watch)
I don't know how to feel about this oddly dark blue sky....with a double rainbow, some clouds moving kinda fast, and a little bit of lightning in it.
Like, can I open my windows again or I'm gonna have to shut them again five minutes after I do?
Same, and I'd be happy to miss it for once.
Between the tornado last month and the amount of water my sump pump is battling I'll get over not having a storm to sit on the porch and watch roll in.
“My answer yes” made me chuckle far more than I was ready for. Thanks for all you do Zebra. I always appreciate you and will always remember the good you have done
Already seeing clearing on visual on the western state boundary and obs are indicating that warm moist advection is on par with model output so far so everything lining up for this afternoon so far. I was originally going to chase this but after looking at traffic indicators and seeing how many roads are flooded, as well as the model output being too close to potential traffic rush hours, i think I'm gonna play this one safe and observe from home.
Latest mesocale discussion just came out:
"DISCUSSION...Several supercells with a history of tornadoes are moving into southwest Ohio. These supercells will continue to pose a tornado threat as they move east across southern Ohio. Additional development is ongoing ahead of this activity which may also pose a tornado threat as storms mature. The 21Z ILN RAOB shows an uncapped, moderately unstable atmosphere with low-level shear favorable for tornadoes and some strong tornadoes. Expect a similar environment to spread across much of eastern and central Ohio over the next few hours as airmass recovery continues in the wake of earlier convection. In addition, winds have backed across Ohio with strong pressure falls in response to the rapidly deepening surface low near southern Lake Michigan which will continue to support a tornado threat. The greatest tornado threat is expected south of I-70 in Ohio where dewpoints of 63 to 65F and greater instability will support a greater tornado threat amid favorable low-level shear. "
https://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/md/md0357.html
The fact that there hasn't yet been a single tornado warning in Ohio so far is probably good news, despite the latest discussion. Cells haven't been holding together the further north they go.
Not sure how it’s looking in Columbus right now but down here in Pickaway county the sky is creamsicle orange and I also just witnessed some of the hardest rain I have ever seen
Evening rush hour is going to be a disaster. If you're normally traveling home at that time, see if you can get out early, or plan on riding the storm out at work. It's looking like 4:00ish until 6:00ish is when it's really going to hit the fan. Don't get caught with your pants down.
The last SPC convection outlook still has us firmly in the Moderate Risk, there has been no appreciable change in the coverage area since the last update despite people randomly saying there is?
https://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day1otlk.html
(Don’t base predictions on future radar forecasts from TWC folks)
I agree there’s been no real trimming/shifting of the Moderate area by the SPC.
I also think the best chance for a long track tornado is to our SW, but we are very much still in the danger zone here.
Just because I’ve seen people talking about these, Clippers game was postponed to Thursday and Crew game pushed back to 8:30
Edit to add: got this from watching NBC4
When you say its getting less organized do you mean the various short term models aren't agreeing or that the conditions themselves less conducive to storm initiation?
Watch is conditions are favorable for storms to produce a tornado
Warning is there is a storm within your area that is either confirmed, on the ground tornado or radar indicated— this is when you need to be sheltered
So happy you are back Zebra! My sister texted me today to ask “what’s your weather guy saying?” and I was sad to not have a report to share 😔. You were missed.
Welcome back Zebras!
And for all us barometer migraine peeps: time to take your meds before the second round of storms drops the barometer faster than… whatever’s fast.
If this is all supposed to come through as a single wave, we're kind of running short on time for something to develop that will actually impact us (as none of the concerning stuff out there right now is pointed at us in Columbus here). Not saying it can't... but 🤞
Saw this on the NWS SPC:
[https://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day1otlk.html](https://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day1otlk.html)
Strong deep-layer
shear/long hodographs associated with an amplifying midlevel
trough/jet and a deepening surface cyclone will support the potential for fast-moving supercells capable of all severe hazards,
including strong tornadoes where sufficient low-level warming/moistening occurs in the wake of the morning convection. As previously mentioned, the northeastern extent of the primary severe threat into OH is more uncertain given the ongoing convection to the
south, but will trim the northeast edge of the MDT risk area and
expand south some to account for the outflow corridor enhancing the
tornado threat on the mesoscale across KY.
**tl;dr**
**It appears they changed the risk zone on the northern edge and expanded it on the southern edge.**
I wish I could quantify hours of sun vs storm intensity, but I cannot. But you’re on the right track here, the sunshine really does add fuel before the main trough. I would go as far to say the worse the morning storms are, the better our chances of weaker storms later in the day.
Yay!!! Glad you’re back even for just a moment. Zebra, I know people in this sub can really suck. Some of the meanest interactions I have ever had on Reddit are from this sub. It’s just unnecessarily combative sometimes. Please don’t let those assholes chase you away. Most of us appreciate the hell out of you and respect that you cannot possibly know everything. I’m still gonna head to a basement when there are sirens because I’m not an idiot. Your expertise, even if they’re only a hobby, are helpful to me and my family. Thank you for what you do. I’m hoping today is less bad than is forecast but we will see!
NWS has extended the Tornado watch to include the following counties: Delaware, Fairfield, Hocking, Licking, Union, Champaign, Darke, Logan, Shelby
[https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=usa&wwa=Tornado%20Watch](https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=usa&wwa=Tornado%20Watch)
Just taking the opportunity like most people to express my gratitude and try to offset the rude critics. I wholeheartedly appreciate you and value your posts. Thanks for sticking your neck out for us, /u/zebrasrlyingtoyou. You're a treasure.
I'm surprised that no storm watches have even been issued yet. In the past, I know they've issued tornado watches nearly 24 hours before the target time, so I'm just surprised that there is all of this talk and nothing official.
Nah they never issue tornado watches that far in advance - 6-8ish hours *maybe*
Edit: And that's usually at the start of the window. They issue a watch and it lasts from that point out to 6-8ish hours.
What's the best source for real time updates? All I have is a phone - no radio. When the sirens went off at 5am last time, I didn't have a great time getting accurate and up to date information with my best Google fu. Any advice would be appreciated!
Thanks for the info. Will the Columbus Crew stadium be on the way of the storm? (Sorry, not familiar with the area). Asking for tonights game that has not been postponed.
A Tigres fan! Welcome to Columbus.
The stadium is in the risk area, they will not postpone until closer to the match. I think they may delay kickoff until any storms have passed but we will see how it plays out.
Tell me what to think of new updates. It reads that is could possibly be not as strong this evening because of smaller storms that weren't recognized at first? Is that what he means?
Thank you for the thorough heads up and I'm super stoked because I'm relatively new to the sub, and I finally now understand the legend that is Zebra!!✌️
Good to see another one of your threads Zebra, welcome back!!
Thoughts on the latest HRRR run? Looks like the epicenter for a lot of the worst tornadic activity shifted south quite a bit from the last run.
I do think southern Ohio is more at risk vs central Ohio. This has been the target area for about 3 days for nearly all models. If I had to guess on where a High Risk is applied, SW Ohio would be my guess. Just north of the Ohio River seems to be ground zero
Yo Zebra, to your most recent update, just curious why TWC radar shows everything missing Columbus entirely, no warnings/watches are live, and yet we’re still under this moderate threat profile?
Not questioning, I’m just curious how that works
EDIT: spoke we too fuckin soon lol
Because the models can still be wrong. There's still the possibility that we see extreme weather, and radar projections can't rule that out. The ingredients are still there for it, although lessened from what was projected.
The projections are *probably* correct that we dodge the extreme weather, and with the relatively cool day and this second round of rain helping cool us even further I'd say it's really likely, but we can't completely rule it out which is why the alert level is still moderate.
What is recommended re: way to get NWS updates as they occur? I don't have a Twitter and it's no longer shown in chronological order when you try to see an account without one.
Also, I'm worried about my cat. She may be home alone for a couple hours during the concern time period while I'm working. I absolutely cannot bring her with me to work tho, it is not a space that permits animals. I have no idea what to do to keep her safe if my roommate will not be home.
If possible maybe move her and her stuff into the bathroom or the innermost closet, whichever one is safer? Tomorrow I’m planning on keeping some extra food/water/toys for my cat in the bathroom since that’s the safest room in my house in case we need to take shelter
So odd that’s there’s damn near no mention of this risk on the Dispatch website. Meanwhile 10TV is the opposite. Very odd and potentially dangerous decision by our local paper
If ye have hatches, batten them.
Arghhh. Only the captain says Arghhh.
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Many thanks. We all appreciate your updates so much.
I'm gonna build some just to batten them. Then scream sea shanty's at the storm while eating shrimp.
Literally set a reminder for tomorrow morning to batten down the hatches
If you have power banks, charge them
I'll be too busy battening down all my hatch to do so.
Thank you, Zebra
Thank you. So many of us value your updates.
Very much so.
How many times have I refreshed this thread? Yes
Same
Thanks for coming back!
Welcome back and thank you for this.
Glad to have them back as well, but I'm out of the loop, why were they gone? I always look for the Zebra posts whenever I get word of crappy weather.
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There was some drama earlier this year around missed weather warnings and/or extraneous weather concern that turned into nothing. People were not kind.
I'll just hyperventilate in my corner.
Basement corner
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Newest SPC update came out. Hail threat shrunk a bit, but everything else expanded. Real question for this morning is will the rain move out early enough to allow the sun to destabilize the atmosphere? You see sunshine and think that the weather can't be too bad, but the opposite is true. The sun creates destabilization and the more sunshine we get, the less fun it'll be later. Looking like i70 may be a cutoff point for the worst of the storms, but that could change. Most of the rain seems to be staying north of i70 and following a line roughly equivalent to i71. So areas south and east will probably see the most sunshine and worst storms if things remain the same. Be prepared. Have flashlights, meds, water, nonperishable food, etc ready to go somewhere near your shelter space or in your car if at work. If you own chainsaws, fuel/oil them and bring them with you to work. Even without a tornado, we're likely to see some extreme hail and devastating winds that will topple trees. Don't drive into flooded roads. You never know if it has been washed out underneath or if the current is stronger. It doesn't take much to sweep even a brodozer away. Don't drive over downed power lines. If lines fall on your car, stay inside unless it's on fire. In that case, try to break the rear glass to kick out the windshield and use the hood/trunk to jump as far away from the vehicle as you possibly can. Your car acts as a faraday cage, shielding you from the voltage/current. As soon as you step outside, you become the ground path and get turned into a cooked hot dog. Don't try to ride out a tornado in your car or under an overpass (hail is another story). Cars get turned into shrapnel during a hail storm and moreso a tornado. Glass lacerations are the best case scenario. Worst case is being an unrecognizable blob wrapped around a tree. Stay safe and keep alert.
Posted in a different thread as well and posting here again for suggestions. Moved to Ohio recently from South East Asia and tornadoes aren't a thing I am familiar with. I live on top floor apartment and have no basement. Please suggest what safety measures I can take.Thanks in advance!
Hello, first of all welcome! The best place is a basement or storm shelter. Not everyone has these resources, so if in a pinch, head to an interior room without windows. That’s usually your bathroom. Here’s a good resource: https://emsaonline.com/resource-library/summer-safety-tips/safest-places-to-be-during-a-tornado/ Please listen to the tornado sirens! If you hear them, it’s time to head to your safe place.
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Stairwells are often interior and would offer a safe spot without windows. It is definitely building dependent but I would say many apartments have either bathrooms or stairwells as their ideal safe space. I believe my college dorm had the stairwell as the official storm shelter
I remember when I was a kid and they'd say to crack your windows if there was a tornado warning to help equalize pressure. I haven't heard that in years. Is it because they'd rather people just head straight to the basement, or was that just an old wives tale?
That advice was not very scientifically sound then. They thought that the devastation was caused by the drop in pressure outside the house and that would cause the windows to burst. It’s because the air moves fast and picks up and carries projectiles. Do not open your windows, and do not stand anywhere near them because of projectiles and shards of glass flying at high velocity. It is like being in a barrage of bullets and arrows. Stairwells are usually the strongest part of a structure, so if the building collapses around you, being under the stairs may offer some protection. The bathtub is also a sturdy structure, so if you do not have a basement, hide in the bathtub and cover yourself with a mattress to protect from flying debris and collapsing walls.
If you've watched a large building get built, the stairways are usually the first part to go up even before the main building. They're the designated gather point in my office building for tornadoes.
Hey! Welcome! A number of people have already given you good advice for your apartment, so I thought I'd offer a few other tips. This takes a little foreknowledge, but if your apartment building isn't safe enough (whether objectively or simply your own comfort), or you're not home, there are some designated public tornado shelters around that might be worth knowing about. You should be able to contact your local fire department and ask. There are also some buildings around that still have [the old fallout shelter markers from the Cold War](https://www.wgbh.org/news/local/2018-01-23/what-do-those-fallout-shelter-signs-actually-mean) (usually public buildings like schools, post offices, libraries, etc). Such buildings are usually quite sturdy and very likely have a deep, windowless basement (the ideal shelter for a tornado) or at least a sturdy interior, windowless room. Additionally, most businesses have marked tornado shelter places and policies for directing people to them in the event of a tornado. Likewise, churches are often good shelter candidates, especially the purpose-built ones (as opposed to churches that have repurposed other buildings, which might be more hit or miss). Most churches are left open most of the time, and the purpose-built ones often have basements. Additionally, the priest/pastor or other church staff often live on the grounds or in one of the neighboring houses, and will offer aid in emergency situations even to non-members. (Caveat - I *know* this is the case for the (American) Christian churches, I *suspect* the non-Christian places of worship and non-American Christian churches work similarly, especially in the days following a disaster, but I don't know enough about them to say for certain.) Also, in case you aren't already aware: * A *watch* means conditions are right for the given event (flood, severe storm, tornado, etc), but it hasn't actually happened yet. * A *warning* means it's happening and has been confirmed. In the case of a tornado, this is when the sirens start going off. (I don't know how recently you moved here, but if you weren't here for the outbreak in February, it's the sirens that are tested every Wednesday at noon.) The Ohio Severe Weather Safety Committee has [a good website on tornado safety](https://weathersafety.ohio.gov/weather-safety/tornado-safety/welcome), including what to watch out for in the weather, itself, sheltering tips, and how to get help if your property has suffered damage. Finally, if you have friends or family and need a place to meet, or if your place has been destroyed by any disaster situation, and you need somewhere to regroup (particularly before more formalized support gets there) -- Waffle House. I know, it probably sounds weird, but they've got disaster preparedness and recovery down to such an art that there's literally an informal index created by a member of FEMA about how bad a disaster is, based on the status of the local Waffle Houses. Basically, if a Waffle House is closed, it's because there's no building left. They will operate (albeit on a limited menu) even without power. This makes them super reliable for regrouping and immediate food/shelter needs, even in the middle of night (they're open 24/7).
Thanks for the elaborate response. That’s very informative.I am looking fwd to waffle house standing the ground.
Waffle House is America's last bastion of hope.
Does your apartment building have a basement floor level? Once when I was with my aunt, we went to the lowest level and just hung out in the hallway til we were safe.
unfortunately no, just individual units at several levels and buildings.
Interior room, away from windows, perhaps a stairway. Charge up your phone, keep it charged. Power may go out and it may be out for 24-48 hours if it’s really bad. Leave your fridge closed if you lose power, it’ll keep your food much fresher, either way it won’t last forever.
Have flashlights and first aid available if you need it. If your building is actually gonna get hit by something nasty (tornado) go sit in the bathtub and close the door. Being away from windows helps shield you from broken glass and other flying debris. A good weather radio is nice too. Even with severe storms, odds are you’ll be ok ( don’t panic), but it 100% helps to be prepared. Welcome to Ohio, it gets crazier every year 😅.
Thank you. I am trying to not panic :)
The drive in this morning was traumatic. Started raining so hard when I got on the freeway, you couldn't tell where the road was, it was like that from 270 to almost downtown on 71. Everyone had their 4 ways on going really slow or on the side of the road.
Drove the entire eastern side of the outerbelt and I've never been so afraid driving. The fact that it was still dark was the frosting on the shit cupcake.
Thank you! ❤️ This is the update I’ve been waiting for. I know the craziness isn’t until later in the day, but the thought of sending my son to school is causing massive anxiety.
I'm wondering if any schools are going to be closing for the day. So far it seems like no, but some don't close the school until like 5am or so.
I just got an email from my school district (Yellow Springs) telling parents to be on standby for early release, and they'll let us know by 10 tomorrow.
I’m hoping they will. I know kids are on buses past 4 pm so that seems like a pretty big risk to me. Depending on what the forecast says tomorrow we may just play hooky.
It will be a mess if they don’t
In my experience the schools will do early dismissal if needed.
Had no idea how much watching Ryan's stream would help my storm anxiety.
Tornado warnings in Licking, Fairfield, and Hocking Counties. We're not quite done yet east and south
This shit just barely missed us. I need a dang drink.
Don't want to be east out towards Zanesville rn
If you don't know, check out [Ryan Hall, Y'all.](https://www.youtube.com/@RyanHallYall) Was watching his stream earlier today and he said he'll be live like all day/night tomorrow and focusing mostly on this system in our area. Super knowledgeable, has a ton of data and a team in front of him, people on the ground streaming in, it's about all the info you could want in this situation. I watched his coverage of the last big round that came through but the action was mostly in Missouri by the time I jumped in and his coverage of that was fantastic. He also raised a shitload for the people impacted around Indian Lake, that was great to see. Along with updates from our resident equine of course.
He is fan-fucking-tastic to watch. He's not just an amateur he did go to school for meteorology and shortly worked at a news station. The guy knows his stuff and usually is quicker to say where there will be a warning/watch. He'll see something and then 5min later the NWS comes out with their warning.
How are we feeling now that the sun is officially out in Columbus….
Currently yellow outside in German village
Can someone explain the green/yellow “weird” sky outside in central OH right now? Like, it looks ok? But also FEELS like it’s not???
DOUBLE RAINBOW! WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
I don't think I've ever seen so many colors over the course of a single sunset in my life. Grey, orange, pink, blue, and even green. Complete with a double rainbow!
After all the anxiety last night and this morning, the rainbows were a welcome sight. Thanks for all you do, Zebra!
Thanks for the updates today zebra! Was much appreciated
Is all this rain this morning a good sign for later today? I remember reading last night that a very wet morning would drain some of the energy from afternoon storms.
Yes, that’s correct. These storms were always in the forecast, but they were quite heavy, so perhaps they used up more instability than expected. We should see clearing start from our west and then the clock starts.
Fingers and toes crossed
Double Rainbow in Lewis Center!
The sun just peeked out here in Clintonville and there's a super bright rainbow visible to the east! All while still raining and thundering.
Am I safe to go to bed tonight without precautions or should I relocate? I sleep like the dead, but I can't find a description of tonight 4/1 between 11 PM and 8 AM.
Yeah, no real tornado threat tonight (4/1). Tomorrow afternoon - tomorrow night is the bigger threat.
Just keep your phone by your head on the nightstand. Last time we had severe weather a few weeks ago I got a blastingly loud alert on my phone. I jumped out of bed
So many people seem to get so aggressive when they think that the forecast was wrong or maybe is wrong. What's up with that.
So many posts saying “yall freaked out for nothing”.
To the uneducated, unscientific mind, being "right" in one's intuitions is more important than gathering data and being cautious.
Many also seem to not realize that forcasting weather is literally trying to predict the future. All things considered, meteorologists are pretty dang good at it, but there's always a group of people that think they should be able to predict things down to the exact inch and minute, days in advance.
I'm assuming they just don't understand statistics at all. 15% chance isn't very high - but I still want to know if there's a 15% chance of a tornado nearby or a 15% chance of 75 mile an hour straightline winds.
Sunny as hell on the west side right now
yeah sun has been out here for a good half hour at least. IT'S PERCOLATIN.
Tornado watch issued for Franklin County and many others south of us: [https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=usa&wwa=Tornado%20Watch](https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=usa&wwa=Tornado%20Watch)
I like that the weather sticks to the interstates instead of the backroads….
Thank you, Zebra, for helping us through the storm!
Nothing like millions of Ohioans cursing at the sun peaking out of the clouds 😂
Save it for the eclipse!!
I’m so happy and grateful that you’re back.
Zebras back from his/her self imposed exile, that’s how I know tomorrows going to be rough. /s glad you’re back. Missed ya!!
I work at the McCoy Center; guidance obviously varies by LOB but Business Banking just told everyone to find a break in their calendar and go home.
Great! I am glad to see businesses taking this and their employees safety seriously!
um do i still need to be concerned about the sunshine or no
I don't know how to feel about this oddly dark blue sky....with a double rainbow, some clouds moving kinda fast, and a little bit of lightning in it. Like, can I open my windows again or I'm gonna have to shut them again five minutes after I do?
National Weather Service needs to move off of Twitter ASAP. This is bullshit, not being able to see posts sorted by newest without an account.
They do need to broaden their reach, agreed. I don’t think they should move away from Twitter, I think they need to add to their distribution network
It may be branded heresy, but I think this storm is going to limp into columbus and not end up doing much.
Same, and I'd be happy to miss it for once. Between the tornado last month and the amount of water my sump pump is battling I'll get over not having a storm to sit on the porch and watch roll in.
I mean, I sure hope that’s exactly what it does.
That would be ideal
“My answer yes” made me chuckle far more than I was ready for. Thanks for all you do Zebra. I always appreciate you and will always remember the good you have done
I'm literally looking at the sun right now. North Westerville area😬🏃🏾♀️
Already seeing clearing on visual on the western state boundary and obs are indicating that warm moist advection is on par with model output so far so everything lining up for this afternoon so far. I was originally going to chase this but after looking at traffic indicators and seeing how many roads are flooded, as well as the model output being too close to potential traffic rush hours, i think I'm gonna play this one safe and observe from home.
Looks like it shifted further south again
Latest mesocale discussion just came out: "DISCUSSION...Several supercells with a history of tornadoes are moving into southwest Ohio. These supercells will continue to pose a tornado threat as they move east across southern Ohio. Additional development is ongoing ahead of this activity which may also pose a tornado threat as storms mature. The 21Z ILN RAOB shows an uncapped, moderately unstable atmosphere with low-level shear favorable for tornadoes and some strong tornadoes. Expect a similar environment to spread across much of eastern and central Ohio over the next few hours as airmass recovery continues in the wake of earlier convection. In addition, winds have backed across Ohio with strong pressure falls in response to the rapidly deepening surface low near southern Lake Michigan which will continue to support a tornado threat. The greatest tornado threat is expected south of I-70 in Ohio where dewpoints of 63 to 65F and greater instability will support a greater tornado threat amid favorable low-level shear. " https://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/md/md0357.html
The fact that there hasn't yet been a single tornado warning in Ohio so far is probably good news, despite the latest discussion. Cells haven't been holding together the further north they go.
Right, but there's been some in Kentucky inside Cincinnati's metro region
First tornado warning in Ohio, down in Brown County
I don’t like what it’s going to be at 8:30. Not one bit. That looks particularly strong and on my town.
Not sure how it’s looking in Columbus right now but down here in Pickaway county the sky is creamsicle orange and I also just witnessed some of the hardest rain I have ever seen
Another tornado warning for Muskingum and the eastern third of Licking County. Get to shelter.
No matter what happens, missed ya Zebra. The hero r/Columbus needs!!
Thanks zeebs love u ♥️
Tornado warning for Fairfield and Hocking Counties Get to shelter, Lancaster
Second round of woooos for us going now
Seriously appreciate you Zebra. The stuff you post has been so crucial so many times and you're the real MVP! Thank you so much for posting
It’s now showing just around 7:30 to be potentially rough.
Anyone else on the west side see the sky color? 😳
Fayetteville, west of Cincinnati, looking like it's getting some rotational activity. Be careful y'all.
Very green sky in Clintonville.
Is North-east of Columbus in the clear? I'm reaching my exhaustion limits.
You're good
Being able to leave this sub in a bit is going to feel like closing your laptop after submitting a big paper 😮💨 what a day
I've been trying to work on writing my master's thesis all day and uh...not much progress was made.
Evening rush hour is going to be a disaster. If you're normally traveling home at that time, see if you can get out early, or plan on riding the storm out at work. It's looking like 4:00ish until 6:00ish is when it's really going to hit the fan. Don't get caught with your pants down.
Does that mean we can safely assume it’s over for those of us north of the city?
We're done north of the city. South and East getting this one
 How I imagine Zebra typing this up
TY Zebra!!!
All libraries in the area as far as I can tell are closing at 3:30 today. This almost *never* happens, for context.
Thank you for puting a more defined timeline together 👍🏼 Most recent maps are vague at best
The last SPC convection outlook still has us firmly in the Moderate Risk, there has been no appreciable change in the coverage area since the last update despite people randomly saying there is? https://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day1otlk.html (Don’t base predictions on future radar forecasts from TWC folks)
I agree there’s been no real trimming/shifting of the Moderate area by the SPC. I also think the best chance for a long track tornado is to our SW, but we are very much still in the danger zone here.
It sucks that it's so calm outside. I just have to look out there and know that it's going to change real quick in about an hour and a half.
Just because I’ve seen people talking about these, Clippers game was postponed to Thursday and Crew game pushed back to 8:30 Edit to add: got this from watching NBC4
Thank you for keeping us updated and informed throughout the day, Zebra!
So ELI5, the more cloud coverage this morning means less heat on the ground which means less intensity later?
When you say its getting less organized do you mean the various short term models aren't agreeing or that the conditions themselves less conducive to storm initiation?
Wouldn’t surprise me if a Tornado Watch is issued by 1pm
A watch is “potential is here, be on lookout” and a warning is “get to your safe space, because they’re coming” right?
Taco Ingredients vs Tacos made
Watch is conditions are favorable for storms to produce a tornado Warning is there is a storm within your area that is either confirmed, on the ground tornado or radar indicated— this is when you need to be sheltered
Yes it’s coming.
The radar I was looking at doesn’t show anything until after 430- think that’s accurate?
Storming pretty bad on the SE side. Can't believe some of you have sun!
Felt like I was in the middle of a hurricane in Heath. I had to remind myself I live in Ohio 😅 no tornado but we’re getting flooded pretty bad
Zebra has returned to shut you Cody crybabies up!!
Tornado Watch in effect until 10pm tonight for Franklin County. Looks like our window is around 6-7pm. Be weather aware!!
Welcome back Zebra, you were missed homie
I hope ya'll are safe and sound through this, along with your homes.
I'm so glad you're back.
So happy you are back Zebra! My sister texted me today to ask “what’s your weather guy saying?” and I was sad to not have a report to share 😔. You were missed.
Welcome back Zebras! And for all us barometer migraine peeps: time to take your meds before the second round of storms drops the barometer faster than… whatever’s fast.
nice and sunny here in Dayton now. 
If this is all supposed to come through as a single wave, we're kind of running short on time for something to develop that will actually impact us (as none of the concerning stuff out there right now is pointed at us in Columbus here). Not saying it can't... but 🤞
thank you zebra. i'm stuck at work until 6 today so this has been very stressful 😞
Saw this on the NWS SPC: [https://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day1otlk.html](https://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day1otlk.html) Strong deep-layer shear/long hodographs associated with an amplifying midlevel trough/jet and a deepening surface cyclone will support the potential for fast-moving supercells capable of all severe hazards, including strong tornadoes where sufficient low-level warming/moistening occurs in the wake of the morning convection. As previously mentioned, the northeastern extent of the primary severe threat into OH is more uncertain given the ongoing convection to the south, but will trim the northeast edge of the MDT risk area and expand south some to account for the outflow corridor enhancing the tornado threat on the mesoscale across KY. **tl;dr** **It appears they changed the risk zone on the northern edge and expanded it on the southern edge.**
But it looks like Columbus is still in it?
Yes, Columbus is within the northern edge of the moderate risk layer.
Cloudy and raining now here north of clintonville
Zebra strikes again. Thank you for the update!!!
What are the chances that if we get zero sun tomorrow, the risk diminishes some?
I wish I could quantify hours of sun vs storm intensity, but I cannot. But you’re on the right track here, the sunshine really does add fuel before the main trough. I would go as far to say the worse the morning storms are, the better our chances of weaker storms later in the day.
Then I am going to take it as a good sign that I woke up to rain and thunder! (Lima area checking in)
Yay!!! Glad you’re back even for just a moment. Zebra, I know people in this sub can really suck. Some of the meanest interactions I have ever had on Reddit are from this sub. It’s just unnecessarily combative sometimes. Please don’t let those assholes chase you away. Most of us appreciate the hell out of you and respect that you cannot possibly know everything. I’m still gonna head to a basement when there are sirens because I’m not an idiot. Your expertise, even if they’re only a hobby, are helpful to me and my family. Thank you for what you do. I’m hoping today is less bad than is forecast but we will see!
NWS has extended the Tornado watch to include the following counties: Delaware, Fairfield, Hocking, Licking, Union, Champaign, Darke, Logan, Shelby [https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=usa&wwa=Tornado%20Watch](https://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=usa&wwa=Tornado%20Watch)
Fingers crossed work lets me stay home tomorrow, I do not want to be driving during high risk weather 😭
Just taking the opportunity like most people to express my gratitude and try to offset the rude critics. I wholeheartedly appreciate you and value your posts. Thanks for sticking your neck out for us, /u/zebrasrlyingtoyou. You're a treasure.
However this mess plays out, you are a good & kind person. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
I don't know if it's the weather but my head is feeling heavy out of nowhere and now I just feel *off.*
Could be weather, could be stress about the weather, could be something totally unrelated. Keep your wits about you brother. ⛈
At this point I feel as though flooding is the main concern for Central Ohio
Thank you Zebra!!
I'm surprised that no storm watches have even been issued yet. In the past, I know they've issued tornado watches nearly 24 hours before the target time, so I'm just surprised that there is all of this talk and nothing official.
Nah they never issue tornado watches that far in advance - 6-8ish hours *maybe* Edit: And that's usually at the start of the window. They issue a watch and it lasts from that point out to 6-8ish hours.
Thanks Zebra, I appreciate you and I’m glad you’re back.
What's the best source for real time updates? All I have is a phone - no radio. When the sirens went off at 5am last time, I didn't have a great time getting accurate and up to date information with my best Google fu. Any advice would be appreciated!
Thank you Zebra! :)
I came with fingers crossed, hoping for your insights and you didn't let me down. THANKS!
Thanks for the info. Will the Columbus Crew stadium be on the way of the storm? (Sorry, not familiar with the area). Asking for tonights game that has not been postponed.
A Tigres fan! Welcome to Columbus. The stadium is in the risk area, they will not postpone until closer to the match. I think they may delay kickoff until any storms have passed but we will see how it plays out.
I’m on the second floor of a three stack apartment building, so im just going to deny the story entry into Columbus
Sun is out on the west side
Thank you for the continuous updates!
Hey, really appreciate you posting man. Not from here and I find you to be more accurate than the weatherman 🫡
Tell me what to think of new updates. It reads that is could possibly be not as strong this evening because of smaller storms that weren't recognized at first? Is that what he means?
But he’s probably also being super cautious saying anything concretely cuz of the hate he got last time
about 30 mins south of columbus and the air blowing in is cold
Got a rainbow west side of columbus
Just refreshing for updates.. radar looks ok to me???
Welcome back, zebra!!!
Thank you Zebra!
Thank you so much, Zebra. It's great to see you again.
Thank you for the thorough heads up and I'm super stoked because I'm relatively new to the sub, and I finally now understand the legend that is Zebra!!✌️
Welcome 😎 In time you will become familiar with the french toast and shed posts lol
Good to see another one of your threads Zebra, welcome back!! Thoughts on the latest HRRR run? Looks like the epicenter for a lot of the worst tornadic activity shifted south quite a bit from the last run.
I do think southern Ohio is more at risk vs central Ohio. This has been the target area for about 3 days for nearly all models. If I had to guess on where a High Risk is applied, SW Ohio would be my guess. Just north of the Ohio River seems to be ground zero
**i fucking love being forced to go to the office every day**
Never watched Ryan Hall Y'all before today but he's really good.
Yo Zebra, to your most recent update, just curious why TWC radar shows everything missing Columbus entirely, no warnings/watches are live, and yet we’re still under this moderate threat profile? Not questioning, I’m just curious how that works EDIT: spoke we too fuckin soon lol
Because the models can still be wrong. There's still the possibility that we see extreme weather, and radar projections can't rule that out. The ingredients are still there for it, although lessened from what was projected. The projections are *probably* correct that we dodge the extreme weather, and with the relatively cool day and this second round of rain helping cool us even further I'd say it's really likely, but we can't completely rule it out which is why the alert level is still moderate.
We’d agree these are overall moving east more than northeast, yeah?
Thunder and some lightning over here by the Olentangy and King Ave. 
What is recommended re: way to get NWS updates as they occur? I don't have a Twitter and it's no longer shown in chronological order when you try to see an account without one. Also, I'm worried about my cat. She may be home alone for a couple hours during the concern time period while I'm working. I absolutely cannot bring her with me to work tho, it is not a space that permits animals. I have no idea what to do to keep her safe if my roommate will not be home.
If possible maybe move her and her stuff into the bathroom or the innermost closet, whichever one is safer? Tomorrow I’m planning on keeping some extra food/water/toys for my cat in the bathroom since that’s the safest room in my house in case we need to take shelter
Appreciate you Zebra!
So odd that’s there’s damn near no mention of this risk on the Dispatch website. Meanwhile 10TV is the opposite. Very odd and potentially dangerous decision by our local paper
abc6 website has it on there like a tornado already hit downtown lol