Severe weather awareness week continues in Alabama. Our primary spring tornado season comes during the months of March, April and May, but in some years the big storms come early. On this date 31 years ago, I was working the Sunday afternoon shift at the “BIG 1230”, WTBC in Tuscaloosa.
Talk about a fun job; I was a rock and roll disc jockey on the big “top 40” radio station in town at the ripe old age of 18 on February 23, 1975. Just like the job I have now, I always looked forward to every shift. Those were the days when radio was magic to me. Seemed like every young person in Tuscaloosa was listening.
I recall that day as being warm and balmy, and being a weather freak I knew the weather “felt funny” for February. I was on the lookout for storms out the TBC “weather window” on 15th Street. Shortly after 1:00, the Civil Defense radio in the studio sounded the alert tone, and a tornado warning followed by Tuscaloosa. This was before NOAA Weather Radio, and the warnings on the AP wire machine were typically slow to arrive. That CD radio was a lifeline.
I broke into the song that was playing at the time (I don’t recall which one), and passed on the message that a tornado was indicated by Centreville NWS radar between Tuscaloosa and Moundville, and it was moving rapidly northeast. I gave as much information as possible (I probably rambled on for about five minutes), and then I played the song “Lightning Strikes” by Lou Christie. About two minutes into the song, the power at the station went out and as ferocious thunderstorm moved through. I stepped outside, but I could not see a tornado.
With no power, I went down to the CD operations center where I learned that tornado damage was widespread, and one person was killed. Her name was Thelma Hill, and she was working at the old Scottish Inn at the intersection of McFarland Blvd and I-59/20. The F4 tornado produced severe damage from Skyland Blvd and McFarland Bvld... through Alberta City and into Holt.
That was my closest call from a significant tornado, and one I will never forget.
Talk about a fun job; I was a rock and roll disc jockey on the big “top 40” radio station in town at the ripe old age of 18 on February 23, 1975. Just like the job I have now, I always looked forward to every shift. Those were the days when radio was magic to me. Seemed like every young person in Tuscaloosa was listening.
I recall that day as being warm and balmy, and being a weather freak I knew the weather “felt funny” for February. I was on the lookout for storms out the TBC “weather window” on 15th Street. Shortly after 1:00, the Civil Defense radio in the studio sounded the alert tone, and a tornado warning followed by Tuscaloosa. This was before NOAA Weather Radio, and the warnings on the AP wire machine were typically slow to arrive. That CD radio was a lifeline.
I broke into the song that was playing at the time (I don’t recall which one), and passed on the message that a tornado was indicated by Centreville NWS radar between Tuscaloosa and Moundville, and it was moving rapidly northeast. I gave as much information as possible (I probably rambled on for about five minutes), and then I played the song “Lightning Strikes” by Lou Christie. About two minutes into the song, the power at the station went out and as ferocious thunderstorm moved through. I stepped outside, but I could not see a tornado.
With no power, I went down to the CD operations center where I learned that tornado damage was widespread, and one person was killed. Her name was Thelma Hill, and she was working at the old Scottish Inn at the intersection of McFarland Blvd and I-59/20. The F4 tornado produced severe damage from Skyland Blvd and McFarland Bvld... through Alberta City and into Holt.
That was my closest call from a significant tornado, and one I will never forget.
on February 22, 2006, 9:52 pm
-jared
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