03/28/06 2:58 PST

BARDSQUILL: Merced has a tornado warning

http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/iwin/us/tornado.html

MERCED RESIDENT: yeah - watched it on TV - golf size hail

MERCED RESIDENT: winds here were really bad - thunder boomers too

BARDSQUILL: THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...

MERCED BY 315 PM PST

BARDSQUILL: 6 minutes

MERCED RESIDENT: thundering here again now

MERCED RESIDENT: black clouds flying by

BARDSQUILL: look south

MERCED RESIDENT: sun is shining - and thundering at same time

BARDSQUILL: hear anything? like a roar?

MERCED RESIDENT: let me go outside

BARDSQUILL: aaaagh

BARDSQUILL: might not be a good idea to go outside

MERCED RESIDENT: its dead calm out there except for the rumbling of the thunder in the cloud that just passed us

MERCED RESIDENT: we had horrible winds before

MERCED RESIDENT: there is a trail of black cloud off to the south but its real thin and BLACK

BARDSQUILL: gulp

MERCED RESIDENT: not tornado - real thin and wispy

MERCED RESIDENT: odd looking

BARDSQUILL: ummm...does it go down to the ground

MERCED RESIDENT: no - not that far

MERCED RESIDENT: now its dead quiet out there again

BARDSQUILL: maybe it touched down south somwheres

MERCED RESIDENT: probably not

MERCED RESIDENT: I'll turn the radio on and see what they have to say

MERCED RESIDENT: oh - Savage is on

MERCED RESIDENT: will have to wait for news in 5 minutes

MERCED RESIDENT: can hear lightning in radio

BARDSQUILL: weird

BARDSQUILL: wait, you in Mariposa or Merced?

MERCED RESIDENT: near Merced

BARDSQUILL: ah, my old stompin grounds

MERCED RESIDENT: yeah :-)

BARDSQUILL: used to murder pheasants in Merced for which I will burn in hell.

MERCED RESIDENT: yeah - right - come and feed the ones in my orchard

BARDSQUILL: not peasant--PHEASANT

MERCED RESIDENT: ah :-)

BARDSQUILL: your storm cell somewhere in this mess

mercedstrm.gif

BARDSQUILL: Tornado just reported

2248 2 SE MERCED MERCED CA 3728 12046 POWER LINES DOWN. ROOF TORN OFF BARN. (HNX)

BARDSQUILL: pretty wimpy tornado

MERCED RESIDENT: yeah - can't see that from here

MERCED RESIDENT: quiet out there

---------------------------------------------------------

WFUS56 KHNX 282252

TORHNX

CAC047-282315-

/O.NEW.KHNX.TO.W.0004.060328T2252Z-060328T2315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED

TORNADO WARNING

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CA

252 PM PST TUE MAR 28 2006

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HANFORD CA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...

EAST CENTRAL MERCED COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF MERCED

* UNTIL 315 PM PST

* AT 242 PM PST...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO 10

MILES SOUTH OF MERCED...MOVING NORTH AT 10 MPH.

* THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR...

MERCED BY 315 PM PST

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED

BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW

SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3711 12054 3713 12031 3738 12027 3742 12049

$$

DUDLEY