Growing up in Colorado I could count on afternoon thunderstorms that not only provided a much needed cool down but also a great show. Today was a perfect example. It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny. About 1:45 pm the NWS put out an emergency alert tornado warning. Of course I wanted to see what I could see, so I headed outside. I was immediately struck by how cold it had become. It was a heavy cold that was made eerie by the silence and swirling clouds. My fellow natives were also outside and we watched the dark clouds amassing above the neighborhood to the Northeast of us. The silence was broken by a roll of thunder unlike anything I have experienced in my almost 29 years (yes I will be 29 in just 2 weeks). It wasn't loud it just didn't cease. I have never heard that before. Just constant thunder, no time between to count "mississippis." My friend Jen commented that the clouds looked pregnant with rain (what a great expression). So Cole threw a rock at the clouds to puncture their lining and let loose the rain (We just read "The Rain on Kapiti Plain). It worked... because it did start to rain. Giant teardrop rain that usually means the storm won't last long. I was disappointed. Severe weather is a passion. I dream of building a home perched on a hill with floor to ceiling windows that allow us to see all the storms building up across the plains.
Ok, I got off track.
So we came in and I turned on the tv to see which way the storm was moving. It was moving right toward us! SWEET! We officially had a tornado warning which is so much better than a watch. The sky was darkening and the hail started to come down. Hail pelted the side of the house and there were a few that hit the back windows which made me worry about flying glass.
I took this picture about 30 minutes after it stopped hailing so they shrunk a little. The one that hit the back door was a little bigger than a golf ball.
The news was encouraging us to take precautions so I reluctantly gathered my boys and a few diapers and headed to the food storage room. I decided that perhaps my haphazard behavior towards storms was doing a disservice to my boys. I want them to heed warnings...so we had a discussion about weather and sirens and how to "duck and cover." I texted Josh to make sure he didn't try and drive home in this weather... mind you I wasn't panicked about him being sucked up by a tornado, I was worried about hail damage to my sweet sweet ride! He was in a presidency meeting and had no idea about the storm brewing...ha ha ha... storm brewing. He realized something was up when the entire Fox Hollow ward filtered out of the classrooms and into the gym. Of course Josh is also a native so he didn't take cover either...
Funnel cloud above Southland's Mall.
The funnel touched down at Southland's Mall and did some severe damage there. I should not make light of this weather. Even now as I sit here safe and sound on my computer the cool wet air carries the sound of emergency sirens as the storm moves east. I hope all I love are ok and I hope those in the path of the storm are comforted and protected.
3 comments:
Definitely natives here! We were also out on the front porch before we reluctantly took the kids down stairs.
Holy Hail! That would have done some serious damage to the sweet ride!
So did it dent the car? I'm on pins and needles...
Did anyone hear the sirens at 8:30 this morning? Clear blue skies.
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