[Umanbean]

My brother and SIL live in Centreville, near Dulles. I had called them a little while ago and didn't get an answer. Strange, I thought. Hope they are okay.

[Dr.Deth]

My brother and SIL live in Centreville, near Dulles. I had called them a little while ago and didn't get an answer.

Probably just phone systems overloaded... OTOH, one of the tornadoes went pretty much straight up 28 through Centreville, Chantilly, Dulles, and from hear tell, right through the AOL Campus >:-D

[WL-law]

I saw, less than a mile away from me, my first tornado in my life.

It was as big as the one in the wizard of Oz, and I saw it form right in front of me.

I was standing outside a hotel in Warrenton VA and there was an enormous circulating black purple cloud directly overhead, spinning off little funnels, and then all of a sudden the middle of the cloud opened and the tornado descended.

It moved laterally and then started moving straight for me and the hotel.

I was outside the hotel, and the hotel manager ran outside and demanded that I come inside and hide in the bathroom.

I said, excuse me, but I've never seen a tornado and I'm watching this one, so I got in my car and watched as it moved toward the hotel

The hotel was between me, alone in my car, and the tornado, and -- I decided that if the roof shingles started flying I would floor the car and get away.(the tornado was traveling 25 MPH -- I thought, I can certainly drive faster than that.)

Then -- as it approached it just -- evaporated --- gone.
It had touched down for about 2 minutes


Oh, and I heard the "train" sound so often reported.