Wind Storm

This is how the sky appeared in the wake of the storm that plowed over us on the evening of June 29. The colors are appropriate for the aftermath of a battle and the intensity of the storm certainly made you feel you had survived an attack. We spent a couple of days without electricity and a third day repairing our internet satellite link, but the lines have been repaired and we’re beginning to get back to normal. 

I’d been keeping an eye on the weather radar and it was not clear until the final hour that the storm was going to come our way.  I was trying to see if we might actually pick up some rain when the NWS reported a line of 80+ mph winds running about ten miles ahead of the rain band.  That meant the winds were almost upon us, so I went out to make sure things were as secure as possible.  There were no winds at the ground, but a long cloud suddenly arrowed over the hill from the north and shot over the barn.  I stopped to take two quick shots of the cloud and then put my camera back in its holster.  That’s when the surface wind clawed its way over the hill.  The trees 1,000 feet away looked like they were being torn to pieces.  I just made it to the back door as the wind slammed the house.

The trees in the yard looked like they’d been put into one of those machines that shakes the dead needles out of Christmas trees.  Dead branches were slung in all directions until caught by the wind and driven south.  Leaves left the trees like huge flocks of birds swirling together and shooting off into the sky.  The most curious thing was a Turkey Vulture gliding north into the wind as though nothing unusual was occurring.

The worst of the wind was through in about a minute.  Electricity was gone about 15 seconds after the wind hit, so my link to the weather radar was severed.  The following rain came through so fast that we got less than a tenth of an inch.

Following the rain, a gentle breeze brought air that was 25 degrees cooler than before.  After a quick check to make sure there wasn’t any immediate damage needing attention, I sat on the porch and enjoyed the sunset.  We’re only half way through the year and Blue Jay Barrens has already experienced floods, drought, hail, abnormally high temperatures and now a super wind storm.  I see a massive snow storm building for December.