The following morning it seemed to be clearing. The forecast was for possible storms and a wind advisory was in effect. The big thing was how warm it was. It was in the 70'sF and humid by 0800CST and that just isn't normal for this time of year.
By lunchtime the wind had picked up dramatically and it was clouding over. The leaves were dancing in the streets and when I took the above photo it still felt more sunny than cloudy.
Ten minutes later just as I parked it looked much different.
And it felt different, too. The Yaris was shaking. Four minutes later it looked like this:
Even for someone used to the capriciousness of Midwestern weather this was dramatic. Just as it cleared my phone beeped with a Severe Thunderstorm Warning. They got that right, but a little late for me.
I finished my errands which was more of an adventure than usual. Many stoplights weren't working including one near where I live. It seemed easier to make a right hand turn rather and come home the "back way" rather than do the unplanned four way stop thing one more time. I'd had my fill of this game of post storm roulette.
As I turned on my street this is what I saw ahead of me:
If I'd tried to come home my normal way the street would have been blocked. After I unloaded my groceries I went out to examine the damage.
Surprisingly of the two cars damaged this one came out on the better end. It's windshield was smashed and the driver's side mirror was broken off.
This car had its rear window taken out totally and the roof was bent in. Sad.
These wonderful old trees are beautiful, but . . .
Still, as the news came in of the damage done in other places we were very lucky here. Even the folks who were unlucky enough to be parked where they were will drive their cars again.
Wow - great series of photos of the weather. Quite dramatic. I'm glad you were in a car and didn't have any trees fall on you!
ReplyDeleteThe weather here can be rather "moody", but this swing was rather dramatic even by Midwest standards. And, yes I'm glad I was caught out in it on a bike. I passed a couple of bikes shortly before I took the photo of the leaves. I hope they were in safe harbor when the storm hit.
DeleteWhen we first heard about tornado warnings, we assumed that there was some mistake. Once I had the radar and potential path maps up, it was incredible to think that November was bringing the crazy weather. Glad that you fared relatively unscathed.
ReplyDeleteLately it seems we can have this kind of weather anytime--Thanksgiving brought a major tornado not long ago as did December. It seems we live in a time when we need be ready weather-wise for anything anytime.
DeleteGood photos. Really give a sense of the day. I can't say this is anything new for that area of the country. Frightening nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, a little more dramatic, but nothing new for us. And yes, frightening always.
DeleteLooks like you folk got the merest edge of the storm cluster that hit the midwest this past Sunday....glad you got through that storm ok.
ReplyDeleteYep, we dodged a weather bullet. It could have been much worse. I've seen it much worse.
DeleteYikes, your weather can change fast. Was there quiet a temperature drop with the rain?
ReplyDeleteSure glad you two made it through okay and no damage to any vehicles or persons.
Nope, the temperature did drop later in the day, but it stayed warm all afternoon. And, shortly after these storms past through we had blue cloudless skies. I think this added to the strangeness of the day.
DeleteKeith:
ReplyDeleteYou sure are getting unusual weather. Thankfully you are okay. Perhaps unusual is the new normal
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
I do think the weather is becoming more "moody" everywhere. This weather was both unusual, and not so unusual. This is one of the things of being smack in the middle where all the front roll over each other, clash, and clang.
DeleteSaw the news about those storms - looks like you were very lucky. Fast-moving and very powerful indeed.
ReplyDeleteLike it was pointed out above we were right on the edge. It could have been worse. Often in our neck of the world it is all about luck. It is good to be lucky and we're grateful.
DeleteI think that unusual may be the new normal. We had 70 mph wind gusts last week and we never get wind. Lots of downed trees including some hefty 5 ft diameter spruce….
ReplyDeletebob, also, mentioned the unusual being the new normal. I won't argue. The big story here has been the drought conditions rather than the storms. We need rain, but not the sudden downpour of Sunday. It would be nice to get some nice snowfalls this year. It has been a while.
Delete70 mph wind gusts are plenty dangerous.