Stormy Weather

About 5:45 yesterday (Saturday) evening, a storm blew in and almost immediately we lost power. Strong winds were blowing from the north. We looked across the street and watched our neighbor's flag pole bending dangerously low. I was afraid it would snap; it has before, about a year or two ago. Rain began pelting us, and then small hail began falling. The hail was no larger than a dime in our area, though reports around town indicated quarter-sized hail. Winds gusted at 60 mph.

As quickly as it started, it stopped. We had about a quarter inch in the rain gauge. The power remained off until about 7:15, and it drizzled periodically during this time. Then the power returned, and so did the storm. I was afraid the power would go out again, but thankfully it stayed on. This time the wind blew just as savagely from the south. We had more rain and hail as well.

Finally, the worst of the storms subsided, but throughout the night we would continue to get pelted periodically by strong winds, sheets of rain, and small hail. Lightning and thunder kept us company through the night. Altogether, we received almost 2 inches of rain, which is quite a bit for us.

Spring is here!

Even though the current pandemic has been dominating the news lately, Mother Nature let us know that some things are still normal.

Below are some pictures I snapped during the storms.

One of our downspouts pouring out water and hail. Notice the little pellets of hail scattered in the grass.

This is the downspout at the other end of our patio. Pretty good pile of hail washed out of the gutter.

This is from the second part of the storm, when the wind had shifted out of the south. Notice how the trees across the street are leaning north. It's hard to tell in the picture, but sheets of rain were blowing.

The rain is so thick that the clubhouse is not visible at all.

A few moments later, I snapped this photo looking southeast. Although the house just to the left of the hummingbird feeder is visible, it is nearly impossible to discern any detail.