50 Killed by Memphis Weather Service’s Cuddly Tornado Mascot
When Super Tuesday’s super storms ripped across the MidSouth — killing at least 50 and leaving a swath of destruction across four states — there was only one person to blame: Timmy the Twister.
Yes, Timmy the Twister. He’s the smiling, benign, cuddly tornado mascot crafted by the Memphis Weather Office in 2005 to raise storm safety awareness.
When you see Timmy, you know tornadoes are coming. They’re cute. They’re happy. They grin for no apparent reason. Ironically, one of Tuesday’s bigger twisters ripped right through Memphis. Timmy killed a lot of people. Nobody is grinning now.
WFO Memphis Meteorologist-In-Charge Jim Belles explains that Timmy mascot is really no different than the iconic Smokey the Bear:
The character could be used like Smokey as an ‘eye catcher’ for other statements on preparedness. I think a character in the shape of a tornado allows an immediate mental connection to our message.
Of course, there is one difference between Smokey the Bear and Timmy the Twister. Smokey is trying to save the forest. Timmy is trying to kill your family and flatten your neighborhood.
Here’s the real Timmy, ripping through Atkins, Arkansas:
Not cute. Not cuddly. Not funny at all.
Link: NWS Forecast Office, Memphis (Photo: Mike Avery, The Courier/AP)
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