But as soon as we turned onto Amnicola and drove under the DuPont parkway overpass, it was gone. Viewable in the rear-view mirror but very little where we were then on Amnicola.
I learn a lot from my son about weather and clouds and wind patterns. Afterall, that's a major part of his course of study in college: environmental geology. A mix between environmental science and rocks from the earth. And he's good at studying it--still on the Dean's List despite those required science lab courses.
I said to him as we passed the Burger King and Wisdom Street, "Look at that cone-shaped cloud over Lookout Mountain."
Seeing the mountain at that point was easy; no rain blocking the view. Clear and crisp viewing.
He said, "That's not a tornado but it sure is a weird-looking wall cloud."
He continued, "See the shelf-cloud above it, but the wall cloud is a triangular shape. And this wind here keeps changing direction."
He was right about the changing directions on Amincola by the swamp: downforce, hard to the left and then to the right. Very strange wind patterns.
As we crossed the bridge by the American Water tanks, I suddenly realized the impact of the wall cloud coming across the mountain and down towards downtown.
"Driving towards the wall cloud is not a good thing is it," I asked.
"Nope," was the reply.
We veered left at UTC and headed east to get away only to run into it by Warner Park.
Just glad to make it through to Main Street where, once again, nothing was happening but in the rear-view mirror.
Picture at UTC before we turned left down Third Street.
