It's an ill wind...
About 1:30 this afternoon, I finished a meeting at a home very near my own home, and dropped by for a little lunch. As it turned out, I am quite fortunate to have done so...
Not 10 minutes after I walked in my door, thunder and lightning started up intensely, and almost immediately, things got quite dark and the wind whipped the trees about fiercely. I unplugged my computer and TV quickly, and not a moment too soon! The lights were flashing on and off, and, as my daughter watched from the front door, lightning struck right across the street and two large fireballs flashed on the transformer on the pole directly across from my house! Needless to say, that was it for the power. We could see next to nothing outside, as there was a wall of rain, wind and debris that prevented us from seeing clearly even the porch rail 4 feet from the front door.
We moved away from the door and windows, because we were thinking tornado at this point, though the only weather alert was for severe thunderstorm watch... it wasn't even raining when I walked into the house, and wasn't even very dark. But it moved in that quickly. And it moved out nearly as quickly, with things dying down in a matter of minutes. We cautiously poked our heads out the door and looked around, to see a few branches down and minor debris all over the place. I called in the transformer issue to Duke Energy, and one of my grands texted his mom asking her to come pick him up from school instead of having him ride the bus. She couldn't determine if my oldest grand was already on the bus (same school), so I stayed at the house while she drove to pick up the other one, in case the bus came.
As soon as she left the house, she called me and gave me a running report on the damage she was seeing as she drove to the school. Thank God, my area has nothing on a par with Joplin, but it is dramatic enough to see even this much damage first-hand. Here are some pictures she took with her iPhone of damage she saw on her drive...
1
The view directly across the street from my house, with minor debris and some branches down.
2
It's hard to see, but there is a branch on the power line. We don't know if the branch caused the transformer to blow, or if it was lightning, but my daughter saw two fireballs one after the other. Needless to say, that was all she wrote for the electricity in the neighborhood.
3
Less than .1 mile from my house, at the end of my road. Directly across the intersecting road is a very large tree completely uprooted.
4
One of my less fortunate neighbors. Looks like the car may have escaped unscathed, but the building wasn't so lucky.
5
A lot of trees lost their lives today. Fortunately, I haven't heard that there were any human casualties.
6
This downed very large branch is literally resting on the top of this home.
7
I don't think the saying "Rest in Peace" is supposed to apply to the huge tree blown down in this nearby cemetery.
8
Another tree literally blown apart, blocking part of the road.
9
And another tree partially blocking a road.
10
Neither tree nor house fared well in this circumstance. Look at how the tree trunk is in shreds.
11
My daughter happened upon this roadblock while trying to return from picking up one of my grands from school. This is the route the school bus of my oldest grand takes home. His bus was turned around due to a fallen tree blocking the road, and had to take a circuitous route to bring kids home. We didn't know where he was for a while, but he finally arrived home safely.
12
Duke Energy crews were on the scene pretty quickly. They surveyed the area for a bit by truck, then cleared the branches from the power line across from me, and set about restoring power. They had it back on before I got home from work about 6pm.
13
I believe this is the worst of the damage in my neighborhood. Lightning struck this house and it burned... Not much, and not for long, because of the torrential downpour. But enough that it seems a pretty lost cause. Actually, there had been a previous fire last year, and it had never been fully repaired. I think I'd call it quits for this building site, as the last fire was caused by lightning as well.
14
Much more fortunate homeowner, with tree but no home damage.
15
Yet more ravaged trees.
16
And yet again.
17
This homeowner was fortunate. The branches that fell just missed the house.
18
The wind just sheared off large pieces of trees all over the neighborhood. Bradford pears fared especially badly, with their branching growth pattern.
19
This is hard to see, but that straight-looking pole in the middle of the picture - that's what's left of a tall pine tree. To the left you can see what's left of another pine... Up close, you could see these two trees were literally spun to pieces. The top parts of the trees are lying on the ground between what's left of their trunks and the white house in the background.
20
This used to be such a pretty tree with a circular planting area around the trunk. Now it's just shoved over on its side, broken right off.
21
People were out quickly trying to clear some of the fallen trees and branches.
22
Another tree that nearly took a house with it. I'm not sure that it didn't do some structural damage.
Thank God, once again, that my house suffered no structural damage at all. It appears the worst of the wind just missed us. And all of us are safe and sound. But it was a frightening few minutes, I must confess.
Not 10 minutes after I walked in my door, thunder and lightning started up intensely, and almost immediately, things got quite dark and the wind whipped the trees about fiercely. I unplugged my computer and TV quickly, and not a moment too soon! The lights were flashing on and off, and, as my daughter watched from the front door, lightning struck right across the street and two large fireballs flashed on the transformer on the pole directly across from my house! Needless to say, that was it for the power. We could see next to nothing outside, as there was a wall of rain, wind and debris that prevented us from seeing clearly even the porch rail 4 feet from the front door.
We moved away from the door and windows, because we were thinking tornado at this point, though the only weather alert was for severe thunderstorm watch... it wasn't even raining when I walked into the house, and wasn't even very dark. But it moved in that quickly. And it moved out nearly as quickly, with things dying down in a matter of minutes. We cautiously poked our heads out the door and looked around, to see a few branches down and minor debris all over the place. I called in the transformer issue to Duke Energy, and one of my grands texted his mom asking her to come pick him up from school instead of having him ride the bus. She couldn't determine if my oldest grand was already on the bus (same school), so I stayed at the house while she drove to pick up the other one, in case the bus came.
As soon as she left the house, she called me and gave me a running report on the damage she was seeing as she drove to the school. Thank God, my area has nothing on a par with Joplin, but it is dramatic enough to see even this much damage first-hand. Here are some pictures she took with her iPhone of damage she saw on her drive...
1
The view directly across the street from my house, with minor debris and some branches down.
2
It's hard to see, but there is a branch on the power line. We don't know if the branch caused the transformer to blow, or if it was lightning, but my daughter saw two fireballs one after the other. Needless to say, that was all she wrote for the electricity in the neighborhood.
3
Less than .1 mile from my house, at the end of my road. Directly across the intersecting road is a very large tree completely uprooted.
4
One of my less fortunate neighbors. Looks like the car may have escaped unscathed, but the building wasn't so lucky.
5
A lot of trees lost their lives today. Fortunately, I haven't heard that there were any human casualties.
6
This downed very large branch is literally resting on the top of this home.
7
I don't think the saying "Rest in Peace" is supposed to apply to the huge tree blown down in this nearby cemetery.
8
Another tree literally blown apart, blocking part of the road.
9
And another tree partially blocking a road.
10
Neither tree nor house fared well in this circumstance. Look at how the tree trunk is in shreds.
11
My daughter happened upon this roadblock while trying to return from picking up one of my grands from school. This is the route the school bus of my oldest grand takes home. His bus was turned around due to a fallen tree blocking the road, and had to take a circuitous route to bring kids home. We didn't know where he was for a while, but he finally arrived home safely.
12
Duke Energy crews were on the scene pretty quickly. They surveyed the area for a bit by truck, then cleared the branches from the power line across from me, and set about restoring power. They had it back on before I got home from work about 6pm.
13
I believe this is the worst of the damage in my neighborhood. Lightning struck this house and it burned... Not much, and not for long, because of the torrential downpour. But enough that it seems a pretty lost cause. Actually, there had been a previous fire last year, and it had never been fully repaired. I think I'd call it quits for this building site, as the last fire was caused by lightning as well.
14
Much more fortunate homeowner, with tree but no home damage.
15
Yet more ravaged trees.
16
And yet again.
17
This homeowner was fortunate. The branches that fell just missed the house.
18
The wind just sheared off large pieces of trees all over the neighborhood. Bradford pears fared especially badly, with their branching growth pattern.
19
This is hard to see, but that straight-looking pole in the middle of the picture - that's what's left of a tall pine tree. To the left you can see what's left of another pine... Up close, you could see these two trees were literally spun to pieces. The top parts of the trees are lying on the ground between what's left of their trunks and the white house in the background.
20
This used to be such a pretty tree with a circular planting area around the trunk. Now it's just shoved over on its side, broken right off.
21
People were out quickly trying to clear some of the fallen trees and branches.
22
Another tree that nearly took a house with it. I'm not sure that it didn't do some structural damage.
Thank God, once again, that my house suffered no structural damage at all. It appears the worst of the wind just missed us. And all of us are safe and sound. But it was a frightening few minutes, I must confess.