[Moogs]

Originally Posted by Dorian Gray It echoed off the buildings in distinct reverberations, and after some time I actually smelt the lightning. A clear stench of sulphur in the air.

Uh... lightning smells like sulphur? I thought it was odorless, except of course for the things it incinerates / ignites.

[psmith2.0]

Originally Posted by Dorian Gray Where I live the weather is mostly benign, of course. But a couple of weeks ago we had a violent (though brief) thunderstorm. I was sitting in the kitchen with the window open, listening to the impressive thunder. A particularly bright flash of lightning occurred, and was followed almost immediately by the loudest crack of thunder I have ever heard... not a hint of a rumble, but rather a sharp and incredibly loud crack, like a gunshot at close range. It echoed off the buildings in distinct reverberations, and after some time I actually smelt the lightning. A clear stench of sulphur in the air.

I believe that was the Devil coming to get you. Watch your ass.

Anyone remember that cool "X Files" episode with the kid who attracted/controlled lightning? It was Giovanni Ribisi in an early role (and Jack Black played his buddy). Every time I hear about lightning strikes (or people getting hit or almost hit), I always think back to that freaky episode.

[BuonRotto]

Originally Posted by Brad Yeah, I'm glad I live where the hurricanes outnumber the tornadoes. At least you can see a hurricane coming from hundreds of miles away and haul ass. Good luck, fcgriz.

Tell that to New Orleans.

[psmith2.0]

I recall there being plenty of coverage/warning as Katrina neared that region. I watched it all night long (and that afternoon), for hours leading up to landfall (I remember many of us here doing it, in fact). Nobody could've predicted the levee-breaking horror (certainly not the Weather Channel and people in that field), but still. It wasn't like the hurricane itself just popped up out of nowhere, 20 minutes before impact and surprised everyone.

There was indeed time to "haul ass" if you were so inclined. Hurricanes, vs. tornadoes, are more that way. That was, I think, Brad's only point. You generally know, days out, where the hurricane is, its track, speed, where it might hit, if you need to pack your shit, load the car and bug out, etc. A tornado is like some bratty kid having a tantrum. Certainly warning signs and things to look for, but usually not days in advance (would be cool).

It could be a pleasant, normal day in the middle of Kansas or Oklahoma, and within 2-3 hours all hell be breaking loose. That's scary! Hearing those warning sirens going off in Kansas City on a few occasions when I visited there a month ago was quite freaky. Especially at night because you can't look out the window and tell what the sky is like to get an idea of "how bad" it might be. There might be a funnel a quarter of a mile from you, directly in your eye-line, but you couldn't see it in the darkness at 2:00am. They'd go off in the daytime, but it would be fairly sunny and nice where I was, and I could go into the street or front yard and look around 360 degrees and see that there were no low, dark clouds anywhere near me. But at night? You just hope it's a general alarm and that the damn thing isn't on your street and rolling your way. Very eerie...



In this era of smaller, cheaper camcorders and cell phone video (and all the places online to view and share this footage), we're seeing more and more the power of these storms, up close and in some frightening detail. Quite eye-opening. I saw some footage on the Weather Channel two nights ago, taken by a stationary surveillance camera focused on a house across the street. You literally saw the roof peel off and just break apart and fly away during a tornado. I'd never seen such "up close" footage like that (and what in the hell was that camera attached to that kept it so still and able to get such an amazing shot?)

[PKIDelirium]

Our storms here fizzled out last night, we had severe storm warnings but it wasn't bad at all, just rain and storm. Everything with the high wind and possible hail tracked south of here.

Minnesota, however, looks like they're going to get fucked today.

[Moogs]

This is like the third day in 4 we've had massive lines of super-cells rolling just barely outside our area. You can actually see them going by. Turns the sky a dark blue-gray in mid-day sometimes. Pretty scary. Currently under tornado watch right now. Sirens were going off about a half hour ago and funnel on the ground about 7 or 8 miles away from here. We were in the basement for a while but the problem is you don't know what the hell's going on.

I checked outside and the sirens had stopped but the weather was nasty. Then all of a sudden it got calm and that was my cue to get the hell inside. So far nothing worse than bad thunderstorms. Hopefully stays that way. My family (who live about 40 minutes from me) had to go to their basements last night. We were actually in the theaters, completely oblivious. I bet the manager was too. Great way to go... dying in a theater during a tornado...

[drewprops]

Anybody found links to some über-solid basement shelter sites? I believe that every house should have a storm-proof room. Seriously, as part of the building code. That's my platform. Well, it's on my platform, right after the repeal of the ban on women's rights to go topless.

Magnanimous, I am.

[Wyatt]

Major flooding here, but I'm okay. Some friends and family missed my wedding Saturday, but all is well otherwise. I picked a hell of a good time to leave town for a week. I'm off to daytona this morning. There will be just slightly more water at the beach than in the town where I live and the surrounding area.

[Moogs]

Luckily no real damage in our neighborhood last night. I was watching all the crazy weather coverage on GMA this morning with my wife and some dufus from Stanford was trying to imply it has something to do with global warming. I really wish the media wouldn't do shit like that and that professors would be smart enough not to feed them information in bad contexts. Only makes the understanding of the problem worse.

HOWEVER, I do find this sort of thing to be a fun rebuttal to old folks who, when it's 10 degrees below normal at Christmas time or in early March go "YAH, where's your GLOBAL WARMING now, sonny?!" all smug in their advanced meteorological assessments. But NOW when it's hotter than shit in some places, you can turn it around on them. "Record temps going back 100 years. Must be global warming after all, granny!!"

I can't help but laugh / have fun with people who give their assessment of global warming by the temperatures they've experienced this week, instead of average temps the last 20 years at a given location, ice shelfs, et al. "Damn it's COLD this winter. That global warming is HOOEY!"




And now back to your regularly scheduled flash floods, t-storms, tornados and sweltering.

[Kickaha]

Yeah, 'global warming' is a complete misnomer. 'Climate change' is much better. Some places will be hotter, some will be colder, some will be more temperate, some more extreme. Bottom line: shit gonna change, and if you've been relying on it not, you're in for a world of hurt.

[Moogs]

Can I get an Amen, brotha kick?

[Kickaha]

AMEN, brotha Moogs.