Game Interrupted By 'Hailnado' at SEC Tournament

By Spencer Hall

The Mississippi State/Alabama overtime was already exciting, but it got even more exciting when what was either a hailstorm or a tornado -- referred to here as a "hailnado" for convenience -- ripped past the Georgia Dome sometime around 9:45 p.m., halting play on the court and scaring the living daylights out of the SEC crowd.

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From the floor, it sounded like Kentucky fans warming up stomping their feet in unison. The noise then grew louder into a rolling boom, like a dryer filled with bowling balls, and the fabric of the roof began to ripple with the wind.

The scaffolding supporting the skin of the dome began to shake, and the big screens hung from the ceiling swung like tin signs from the vibration. A couple of sportswriters sitting in front of me ducked beneath their table. A few more stood around looking at the lights sway.

It was awesome, but in that old testament wrath of God way, not that fun, Andrew WK party way. After about ten to fifteen seconds, it passed, and I began dusting the flecks of dust off my laptop. (They haven't cleaned the ceiling in years.)

So now, we're all sitting here getting calls from Mom (Fine, mom!) and waiting for the tornado warning to expire so the SEC can resume play legal-like and prudently. There's more weather on the way in 20-30 minutes, so we'll see. For the moment, though, thousands of basketball fans are behaving well and losing their beer buzz the quick way.

See Also: Photo Essay: Weather Cancels SEC Nightcap

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.