Part II of Extreme Weather

Mart, Trixie, Bobby, Moms, and Reddy sat huddled in the storage closet under the basement stairs. Nobody spoke as they listened to the sounds of the violent storm outside. Reddy snuggled close to Bobby and trembled.

"Hail," declared Trixie as she glanced upward.

"Hell is a bad word, Trixie," admonished Bobby.

"I said hail, not hell. It's hailing." explained Trixie as she rubbed Reddy's head.

"Moms, is our house gonna blow away like in The Wizard of Oz." Bobby asked worriedly.

Moms hugged Bobby close. "Of course not," she replied. It will all be fine. We're down in the basement where we're safe."

"From the tornado?" Bobby questioned.

Moms nodded as she stroked his damp curls.

"Actually, Robert," interjected Mart, "Moms and Trixie did not see a tornado. They saw a funnel cloud."

Bobby looked at Mart, confusion showing in his eyes.

"What's the difference?" he asked.

" A funnel cloud is the name of the cloud shape. Although it hangs down from the clouds, it does not touch the ground. It is made up of condensed water droplets and exhibits rotation. But it stays aloft."

Bobby, scratching Reddy behind the ears, nodded as Mart continued.

"A tornado is a term given to a rotating column of air that is in contact with both the earth's surface and clouds above. It is a funnel that reaches the ground."

"And a twister is just another name for a tornado," added Trixie.

"No, Trixie," grinned Bobby, "that's a game you like to play with Jim."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "And a cyclone?" she questioned Mart.

Mart went on, "is basically the same thing as a tornado but on a much larger scale."

Bobby piped up, "No. A cyclone is the roller coaster at Coney Island."

Moms sat back and watched her three children, amazed at their ability to remain calm while the storm raged overhead. She was grateful that they were all safe and silently sent a prayer upward.

After a bit, Moms whispered, "I think we might be able to come out."

The four carefully opened the closet door and crept out into the basement. Looking around, they saw nothing amiss. They tiptoed up the stairs to the kitchen. They all held their breath as Mart opened the door. Stepping into the eerie stillness of the kitchen, they noticed that it looked exactly as it had when they had fled the room. As the four fanned out, they found that the house appeared to have sustained no damage. When they looked outside, they could see numerous trees that had been uprooted. Limbs were strewn all around the Belden farm. Debris from neighboring properties littered the yard. The continued patter of the rain seemed soothing after the ferocity of the storm. Moms let out a huge sigh of relief.

"It looks like we're okay. But the power is out," she said as she noticed the dark face of the clock on the stove.

"Look," Trixie pointed out the back door, "the furniture on the terrace is all blown to one side."

"Moms," asked Bobby, "what's the difference between a terrace and a patio?"

Moms ruffled Bobby's hair as Trixie and Mart cautiously opened the back door and stepped out into the rain.