Hailstones May Exceed 100 mph

In the last ten minutes, I’ve received two university released e-mails updating students and staff on the severity of this afternoon’s impending storms. The first describes that, “an approaching storm later this afternoon may yield large hailstones that plummet to the ground at speeds exceeding 100 mph, or lightning strikes that heat the surrounding air to temperatures hotter than the surface of the sun.” OMG. The second warns that, “UW-Madison students, faculty and staff are urged to monitor rapidly changing weather conditions. The storm has been predicted to reach Dane County between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., and it is advisable for students, faculty and staff to return home before that time or be prepared to stay in a campus building while the storms pass through.” It's true. I just confirmed with Weather.com and they are forcasting “strong thunderstorms that could contain tornadoes.”

My roommate doesn’t seem all that concerned. She claims there's no reason to get all "sky is falling, Y2K about it." I, on the other hand, find it very alarming. The only thing Karen is concerned about is getting home early so we can get our cars under cover—which isn’t all that important to me since my poor Camry was technically totaled in last year’s hail storm. What’s a few more dents? Dad, I’m only kidding. But seriously, don't we need to be concerned about our own safety before that of our cars? Please pray for me, our little cars, and our beloved town of Madison. We must prevail through the storm! But first, I must get home on my bike. I can outrun this thing, right?