Continuing my vacation in the wondrous state of Pennsylvania, I began with a visit to a friend near Philadelphia. We had lunch, went wine tasting (yes, there are wineries in PA, and actually some of it isn't bad), and geeked out a lot. The only downside was the weather - it was beastly, ghastly, hot, humid, miserable outside, and like a moron I wore a dress shirt and my typical black pants. Yes, I know it's been warm in California, but it isn't the same thing. (It's called humidity, and it's a killer.) Anyway, I rolled out of there around 5 PM, to head for my parents' house, hoping to get there in time to catch a home cooked meal.
On the way there, I started to notice dark clouds moving quickly on the horizon, and figuring that a little summer downpour might cut the heat, I took this as a welcome sign.
As I drew closer, it quickly became clear this was not just a summer shower - the cloud was too big, and moving too fast; it was, in fact, a genuine supercell, pummeling my hometown under what looked like a near tornado (it never really defined itself or touched the ground, which apparently doesn't count for tornadoes.) I called my family to make sure they were alright, and tried to make my way back. By the time I got through the masses of blocked up traffic, the storm had already passed - but not before cutting power lines, choking the local creeks, pulling screen doors off their hinges, and felling trees all over the damn place.
The power came back a little while ago. Nobody was hurt as far as I know, but several homes suffered damage.
Of course, I was concerned for my family. And of course, I thought the whole thing was terribly cool.
On the way there, I started to notice dark clouds moving quickly on the horizon, and figuring that a little summer downpour might cut the heat, I took this as a welcome sign.
As I drew closer, it quickly became clear this was not just a summer shower - the cloud was too big, and moving too fast; it was, in fact, a genuine supercell, pummeling my hometown under what looked like a near tornado (it never really defined itself or touched the ground, which apparently doesn't count for tornadoes.) I called my family to make sure they were alright, and tried to make my way back. By the time I got through the masses of blocked up traffic, the storm had already passed - but not before cutting power lines, choking the local creeks, pulling screen doors off their hinges, and felling trees all over the damn place.
The power came back a little while ago. Nobody was hurt as far as I know, but several homes suffered damage.
Of course, I was concerned for my family. And of course, I thought the whole thing was terribly cool.
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truthwhore:
I had a dream about tornadoes about a few days ago. Like little ones combining into bigger ones--apocalyptic end-of-the-world style; I was more fascinated than frightened. The ground was also roiling like the ocean with high wind, and I was in a bus driven by my old high school bus driver. Weird.
joker_:
You're right, it is a great plan 