The farm of Gregor and Gayle Streff, near Salem, received heavy damage from the storm. (Photo By Chris Huber/Republic)
When our photographer came back from the Bridgewater/Salem area yesterday with a story and photos about the damage from Monday night’s storms, I didn’t expect to get a laugh out of it.
But laugh I did when I read the story. Nothing about the storm or the damage was funny. It was the description of the storm by a National Weather Service meteorologist. He said there had not actually been a tornado in the area, as originally thought (and as numerous TV weather people so breathlessly informed us Monday night). Instead, there had been a “gustnado.”
That’s right, a gustnado. My photographer swears that’s an actual weather term that actually came from the mouth of an actual NWS meteorologist. And Wikipedia confirms it. Maybe I’ll be accused of living in a cave, but I’ve never heard the word uttered in my 32 years of life.
Good update. I don’t remember hearing about this anywhere else.
Now, let’s hope Gus and Mike don’t show up tonight.