Tornado Knocks Rockford Television Station Off-Air in 2011

With the threat of severe weather coming today, it reminded me of the time a tornado knocked WIFR off the air in May of 2011.

I was in a tornado once. I think? When I was in high school I was on the pom-pon squad. We would do a summer camp to learn new routines, skills and combinations from the help of professional dancers. It was a time full of sore muscles, carbohydrates and shennanigans by the dorms full of teenage girls.

One night, I remember wrapping doors in cellophane and duck tape so the girls couldn't run through the doors. Ah... we were such pranksters. One night, the tornado sirens went off and I slept through the entire thing. Eek!

On May 22, 2011 a tornado came through in Rockford. From the videos description it explains:

This is from the same storm system that produced the devastating Joplin tornado that same evening. As the storm approaches the station west of Rockford, north of Winnebago, a blackout knocks us off the air for a while while the generator fires and the equipment reboots... then the meteorologists shove us into the basement and do dramatic play-by-play as the storm passes over the station.

 

Wow! How scary must that have been!

Today's forecast looks a bit dramatic as well. Could it produce a tornado? Possibly.

Currently, predictions according to WIFR, nearly all of Illinois is at risk of large hail, damaging winds, heavy rain and possibly tornadoes. The highest threat will be late afternoon and early evening.

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