Twitter | Matt M. McKnight
Here are some wacky and wonderful weather stories: A tumbleweed-nado captured on video in Washington, and the dog that saved a family from a tornado, found after 54 days, receives a national heroism award from PETA.
You’ve probably heard of that wacky series of movies called Shark-nado, but here’s a new weather event you may not have heard of before, and this one is real… tumbleweed-nado!
It happened on Thursday in Eastern Washington. A dust devil occurred, and as it did, it sucked up an enormous amount of tumbleweeds, spiraling them up in the air until it became a “tumbleweed-nado.”
The tumbleweed-nado spun a crossed SR-240 slamming into vehicles. The “weed-nado” struck the van of Matt M. McKnight as he was traveling along the highway.
“I noticed a few scattered tumbleweeds bouncing along the road. Moments later it was a bunch grouped together and I needed to slow down a bit,” said McKnight.
OMG TUMBLEWEED TORNADO! 🌪 Saw this approaching and pulled over along WA-240 a few minutes ago near Hanford Site. #wawx pic.twitter.com/NL9Nny1j7a
— Matt M. McKnight (@mattmillsphoto) April 30, 2020
“Then I looked about a hundred yards down the road and saw a tumbleweed devil forming quickly—so I pulled over to be safe.”
“She appears to be fine with some minor scratches and a whole lot of tumbleweeds that I needed to clear from the undercarriage,” McKnight said, referring to his 1985 VW Vanagon he affectionately named ‘Bessie.’
“The most nerve-wracking part was actually driving out of the pile that had surrounded me.”
You’ve probably heard the story in the news recently of the dog that had saved a family from a tornado, only to go missing for weeks in the aftermath of the tornado outbreaks in Tennessee on March 2-3 that caused widespread death and destruction in Nashville and surrounding areas.
Last week the dog was found after 54 days and now – the dog is receiving a national heroism award. If you haven’t heard the story, here’s a recap…
The dog is owned by a family in Cookeville, Tennessee who credits the dog with warning them in the middle of the night only moments before the tornado struck, giving them just enough time to huddle together in a bathtub and survive as the tornado completely ripped their house apart around them.
After the tornado, the dog went missing. With the home destroyed, the family had to live elsewhere. They kept returning to their old neighborhood hoping their dog would be waiting there. The family looked for their beloved pet in vain for weeks, beginning to lose hope.
Then, last week, the family began receiving tips on their cellphones from people who had spotted the dog. Last Friday, Eric Johnson responded to a tip where the dog had been spotted four miles away from their former home. After 54 days, the family was reunited with the dog that saved their lives.
The dog named Bella, an Australian Shepherd, is now receiving a national heroism award from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), who were honoring her with its Heroic Dog Award and a treat basket.
Bella is credited with awaking in her family only minutes before a deadly tornado flattened the entire community on Hensley St. in Cookeville, TN.
Bella’s “dad,” Eric Johnson believes the family would have not survived the catastrophic EF-4 tornado if it hadn’t been for the dog giving them the critical warning in the nick of time.
