MntnBoy
Member
I’m planning to ride my 05 FJR down to Austin TX next month (from upper East Tennessee) with my girlfriend Brenda (she rides and owns her own bike but will ride pillion down). We wanted to get a little “seat time” in this past weekend (as a precursor to the trip to test our gear and see how well we handle 350 mile days); the weather map looked sunny and in the upper 60’s for Saturday and Sunday. Friday looked a little rainy, but there were to be two bands of weather, one early, and one later in the day. We decided on heading towards Nashville in Middle Tennessee to a State Park 40 miles south of Murfreesboro, which would be about 250 miles each way—no problem. Little did we know what awaited us.
Friday morning started with heavy rain at the house, but looked like it would end around 10:30 or so. We called ahead and Nashville said they were expecting the second round of storms to hit there around 3:00 pm. If we left at 10:00, we could be there around 2:00 (they are on Central time and we gain an hour) and miss the second round of storms (which were to be some serious storms—but no storm alerts had been issued or mentioned).
We left in the rain at 10:00 am; weather cleared a bit in Knoxville, although the roads were still wet. We experienced high winds for the next 100 miles, but we plowed through them hauling ass on the super-slab (80-90 mph) wanting to beat the next line of storms. It wasn’t to be.
The storm came early. We hit rain in Crossville, about an hour east of Nashville. Heading straight west on I-40, almost to Nashville, we turned south onto state road 840. Heavy rain, high winds, but we still drove on…funny thing though, a lot of cars were pulled under bridges waiting out the storm…odd, it didn’t seem that bad for so many cars to be pulled over.
Just after we pass Murfreesboro (in Rutherford County) we really hit bad weather. Still, we hadn’t heard anything (due to being on the bike) but every underpass was filled with cars, trucks, bikes, and other assorted vehicles (one ambulance) on both sides of the road…why are they all stopping? I must have been really concentrating on driving as it never dawned on me until I saw it...just after we passed 840 and I-24, there it was…I pointed to it acknowledging we were about to enter some SERIOUSLY bad weather. What I didn’t know was it was the tail end of a devastating tornado that would kill two people and injure many more, several critically.
Not long after we passed the 840 / I-24 interchange, we saw this huge (what looked like a) “cloud” of pure white to the left of us, a slightly darker white cloud lay straight in front of us, and the darkest grey skies to the right (we were still on 840 heading south). You could not see across the road, you could not see into the “cloud” 10 feet. Immediately we were pelted by a barrage of hail ranging from large marbles to penny size. One hit me square in the jaw (I was wearing a half helmet and goggles—just spent a grand on bike stuff and have to save up for my new Shark modular helmet) leaving a big welt that lasted till late Sunday), high winds—FORGET ABOUT IT ( ? mph – highest I’ve ever been in—gusts must have been over 80 mpg from the side), and hard, blinding, driving rain. I slowed down to around 30 mph, concentrating on keeping the bike upright. We were through the hail in a little over 20 seconds, but the rain pounded us hard for another 25 miles until we got to the state park. Later, we heard reports that the storm blew over a tractor trailer just a mile down on I-24.
Prior to the hail, I kept thinking, “I’ve ridden in severe weather all over the country and this isn’t as bad as I’ve experienced. It’s not good, but I’ve been in worse.” But once we hit the super cell, I thought, “OK, this is bad, this is as bad as I’ve ever experienced.” I’m thankful we made it through in one piece without wrecking or getting hit by debris. I can say this; the Yamaha FJR 1300 is one super bike…what a machine. I never felt “puckered” and the bike never gave me reason to feel insecure. The storm blew us around (a lot), but the wheels stayed firmly planted and the full fairing kept us protected (for the most part—my chin was hurting bad). When I arrived at the state park, they had the news reports on the lobby TV and we actually saw what we had just passed through. I said a silent prayer of thanks to the Lord above for keeping us safe.
We rode through this area sometime around 1:45-pm (we arrived at the park around 2:10); here is what they posted on CNN.com and various other news agencies today:
“The bad weather began about noon when a band of severe thunderstorms swept across the state from the southwest, said Donnie Smith, a public information officer with the Tennessee Department of Emergency Management in Nashville.
Just before 1:40 p.m., the tornado hit Murfreesboro in Rutherford County, 30 miles southeast of Nashville, he said.
Seven people in Rutherford County had critical injuries, a mother and her infant child were killed, about 718 homes were damaged, 94 houses were destroyed and 300 have major damage. Thirty-six people were treated for tornado-related injuries at Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro, said hospital spokeswoman Martha Tolbert.
Reports of destruction were widespread across the region Friday, with funnel clouds spotted in Kentucky and Alabama and devastating winds, huge hail and heavy rain reported in several states. But the damage was worst in Rutherford County, Tenn., some 30 miles southeast of Nashville.
The National Weather Service said the tornado tore a 23-mile path through Murfreesboro and packed winds as high as 165 mph. The width of the storm was a half-mile, and it was on the ground for 36 minutes.
… on Friday, Interstate 24 at state route 840 was backed up after a tractor-trailer crash. Storm spotter Wesley Marshall said from his perspective at exit 55 off Interstate 24, he saw a tornado blow debris and touchdown for an estimated six to eight minutes. Marshall said the storm hit near the Murfreesboro Airport.”
On the way home, we kind of got lost taking the back roads, and ended up driving right past the subdivision where the woman and infant were killed. My God the devastation…homes on both sides of the road were leveled, dozens of trees snapped off 15’ from the ground, whole trees uprooted, and yet one house, right next to a home that was totally destroyed, was left untouched. It was quite an event. Hug your family and tell them you love them tonight…one never knows.
Friday morning started with heavy rain at the house, but looked like it would end around 10:30 or so. We called ahead and Nashville said they were expecting the second round of storms to hit there around 3:00 pm. If we left at 10:00, we could be there around 2:00 (they are on Central time and we gain an hour) and miss the second round of storms (which were to be some serious storms—but no storm alerts had been issued or mentioned).
We left in the rain at 10:00 am; weather cleared a bit in Knoxville, although the roads were still wet. We experienced high winds for the next 100 miles, but we plowed through them hauling ass on the super-slab (80-90 mph) wanting to beat the next line of storms. It wasn’t to be.
The storm came early. We hit rain in Crossville, about an hour east of Nashville. Heading straight west on I-40, almost to Nashville, we turned south onto state road 840. Heavy rain, high winds, but we still drove on…funny thing though, a lot of cars were pulled under bridges waiting out the storm…odd, it didn’t seem that bad for so many cars to be pulled over.
Just after we pass Murfreesboro (in Rutherford County) we really hit bad weather. Still, we hadn’t heard anything (due to being on the bike) but every underpass was filled with cars, trucks, bikes, and other assorted vehicles (one ambulance) on both sides of the road…why are they all stopping? I must have been really concentrating on driving as it never dawned on me until I saw it...just after we passed 840 and I-24, there it was…I pointed to it acknowledging we were about to enter some SERIOUSLY bad weather. What I didn’t know was it was the tail end of a devastating tornado that would kill two people and injure many more, several critically.
Not long after we passed the 840 / I-24 interchange, we saw this huge (what looked like a) “cloud” of pure white to the left of us, a slightly darker white cloud lay straight in front of us, and the darkest grey skies to the right (we were still on 840 heading south). You could not see across the road, you could not see into the “cloud” 10 feet. Immediately we were pelted by a barrage of hail ranging from large marbles to penny size. One hit me square in the jaw (I was wearing a half helmet and goggles—just spent a grand on bike stuff and have to save up for my new Shark modular helmet) leaving a big welt that lasted till late Sunday), high winds—FORGET ABOUT IT ( ? mph – highest I’ve ever been in—gusts must have been over 80 mpg from the side), and hard, blinding, driving rain. I slowed down to around 30 mph, concentrating on keeping the bike upright. We were through the hail in a little over 20 seconds, but the rain pounded us hard for another 25 miles until we got to the state park. Later, we heard reports that the storm blew over a tractor trailer just a mile down on I-24.
Prior to the hail, I kept thinking, “I’ve ridden in severe weather all over the country and this isn’t as bad as I’ve experienced. It’s not good, but I’ve been in worse.” But once we hit the super cell, I thought, “OK, this is bad, this is as bad as I’ve ever experienced.” I’m thankful we made it through in one piece without wrecking or getting hit by debris. I can say this; the Yamaha FJR 1300 is one super bike…what a machine. I never felt “puckered” and the bike never gave me reason to feel insecure. The storm blew us around (a lot), but the wheels stayed firmly planted and the full fairing kept us protected (for the most part—my chin was hurting bad). When I arrived at the state park, they had the news reports on the lobby TV and we actually saw what we had just passed through. I said a silent prayer of thanks to the Lord above for keeping us safe.
We rode through this area sometime around 1:45-pm (we arrived at the park around 2:10); here is what they posted on CNN.com and various other news agencies today:
“The bad weather began about noon when a band of severe thunderstorms swept across the state from the southwest, said Donnie Smith, a public information officer with the Tennessee Department of Emergency Management in Nashville.
Just before 1:40 p.m., the tornado hit Murfreesboro in Rutherford County, 30 miles southeast of Nashville, he said.
Seven people in Rutherford County had critical injuries, a mother and her infant child were killed, about 718 homes were damaged, 94 houses were destroyed and 300 have major damage. Thirty-six people were treated for tornado-related injuries at Middle Tennessee Medical Center in Murfreesboro, said hospital spokeswoman Martha Tolbert.
Reports of destruction were widespread across the region Friday, with funnel clouds spotted in Kentucky and Alabama and devastating winds, huge hail and heavy rain reported in several states. But the damage was worst in Rutherford County, Tenn., some 30 miles southeast of Nashville.
The National Weather Service said the tornado tore a 23-mile path through Murfreesboro and packed winds as high as 165 mph. The width of the storm was a half-mile, and it was on the ground for 36 minutes.
… on Friday, Interstate 24 at state route 840 was backed up after a tractor-trailer crash. Storm spotter Wesley Marshall said from his perspective at exit 55 off Interstate 24, he saw a tornado blow debris and touchdown for an estimated six to eight minutes. Marshall said the storm hit near the Murfreesboro Airport.”
On the way home, we kind of got lost taking the back roads, and ended up driving right past the subdivision where the woman and infant were killed. My God the devastation…homes on both sides of the road were leveled, dozens of trees snapped off 15’ from the ground, whole trees uprooted, and yet one house, right next to a home that was totally destroyed, was left untouched. It was quite an event. Hug your family and tell them you love them tonight…one never knows.
Last edited by a moderator:
