STORM2K

What weather related incident scared the living daylights outta ya?

Me....I was either 5-6 yrs old, visiting my grandfather on his farm in West Texas one summer, a storm came up rather quick, we were all sitting outside, heard this noise above us, looked up and RIGHT there on TOP OF US was a tornado in the beggining stages, my grandparents hearded all us kids like cattle down into the storm cellar, it touched down about 1/2 mile away, we could hear trees being flung around, farm equip. from the near by farm being thrown around like Matchbox Cars......I'll NEVER forget that as long as I live!

Dennis

Two words ... Hurricane Hugo

Seeing a tree hit by lightning about 50 feet away from me. The entire tree lit up, and the bark literally exploded off of the tree. Not even a minute later, the SAME TREE got hit again! So much for not hitting twice.

May 4, 2003

February 23rd 1998

Hurricane Donna, 1960, I trace my irrational fear of thunderstorms back to this storm. Any time a really intense thunderstorm erupts, I run for cover inside and shut the curtains to block out the lightning strikes. Irrational I know but at least I am safer rather than sorry.

Back in the late 1980s, my dad played in a softball league. We would go to games every Friday and Sunday night. Dust all around (the in-field was basically fine sand). One evening a strong thunderstorm with strong winds came up quite rapidly. Let's just say that all of us were still trying to get the sand and dirt out of our ears, mouths, etc, because we could not see a thing!

For a time in the late 80s and early 90s, not a week would go by during the spring and summer months without the western horizon becoming pitch black at 2pm!

In 1988, we had an isolated supercell come through Omaha with hail and possible funnel clouds. It went into the eastern part of the metro area (Council Bluffs, IA) and squezzed out a moderate tornado. That was kind of scary. I wish I knew about NOAA Weather Radio back then!

Hurricane Frederic in 79. I was staying at a neighbors for the cane. They had a side door that was not boarded up. In the worst part Mr. Duren had to go out to board it up while Kathy and I had our backs to the door trying to keep it from flying open. It was very hard to do!

April 21, 1967 tornado in Belvidere, Illinois. Changed my life and the lives of thousands that day.

I watched it rip through neighborhoods..not knowing that it was killing and maiming hundreds along the way.

24 killed...mostly under 16. 450 injured in a matter of just 3 minutes.

I will never forget all the pain and anguish of that day.

The Friday before Hurricane Brett made landfall.

Even though I'd driven through the rainbands of Georges on my move down here, I was still so far inland in Alabama that I really didn't gain much of an understanding about hurricanes. But even after I'd moved down here and read a bit about the 1900 Storm and hurricane preparedness and so forth, I was still new to understanding what paths they can take.

As far as I could tell, Brett was going to continue northward, straight for Galveston. And I was scared out of my wits!

Now I know better.

My brother Tom, his friend Billy and I were up at Lake George in Michigan tubing and waterskiing one sunny afternoon. Lake George is a somewhat larger inland lake than the lake in front my Mom and Dad's place. I remember at one point telling my brother that we needed to get more gas and he said don't worry we have enough for now. Well, we ran out of gas and a severe thunderstorm hit right while we were stuck in the middle of the lake.

I couldn't believe how big the waves built up when the storm struck. We tried to put up the canopy but the wind was too strong and we couldn't. Then it started to hail but luckily it was only about the size of dimes. We covered our heads with life preservers and ducked down on the floor under the canvas cover until the storm passed. We were lucky we didn't get struck by lightning. We ended up getting towed back in by a nice guy in a pontoon boat about 4 hours later rowing with one oar and our water skis.

Probably the time a thunderstorm hit at my workplace. The storm itself was decent, but a few minutes after the rain stopped, and the sun came out, I was just walking outside to my car when a "bolt from the blue" hit a car about 30 feet away. I was fine except for my shorts.

One of the scariest weather incidents was when I was in 5th grade reviewing for the spelling test (I think) then suddenly some golf-ball size hail came crashing down outside. I was afraid that they'll hit the window. Thank goodness it didn't, but it still scared the heck outta me.

In 1997 a tornado hit Pittsburgh. I was heading west on the parkway and the cloud mass in front of me was black, midnight black. Hail started when I turned southwest onto Rt 22 to head for home. I kept my eyes half on the road and half on the sky. The sky in my rearview mirror was very scary. I knew I was either going to be in or just miss a tornado. When I got home and turned the news on, it was reported that a tornado had run right alongside the parkway (where I had been driving) and hit Mt Washington, an overlook of Pittsburgh.

weatherluvr wrote:Probably the time a thunderstorm hit at my workplace. The storm itself was decent, but a few minutes after the rain stopped, and the sun came out, I was just walking outside to my car when a "bolt from the blue" hit a car about 30 feet away. I was fine except for my shorts.

I can imagine.

GalvestonDuck wrote:The Friday before Hurricane Brett made landfall.

Even though I'd driven through the rainbands of Georges on my move down here, I was still so far inland in Alabama that I really didn't gain much of an understanding about hurricanes. But even after I'd moved down here and read a bit about the 1900 Storm and hurricane preparedness and so forth, I was still new to understanding what paths they can take.

As far as I could tell, Brett was going to continue northward, straight for Galveston. And I was scared out of my wits!

Now I know better.

LOL...I remember that moment very well. Although I wouldn't say I was scared...more like thrilled, or excited.

Last Spring, I was driving the 24 miles to the grocery store and there was a tornado warning. I drove through the first town, listening to the weather. All the lights were out. The tornado was heading straight for where I was going. I waited for about 10 minutes with the wind picking up and dying down. It was very dark. I decided to drive on, praying for the best. The storm turned a little to the south and missed my path, but it was as close as I had ever been. (This was the storm system that produced about 5 tornadoes in the Albany, NY area last spring)

OtherHD wrote:LOL...I remember that moment very well. Although I wouldn't say I was scared...more like thrilled, or excited.

Yup, I had already made all sorts of evacuation plans that night and then called my grandparents to tell them where I'd be going for the weekend. I remember my grandfather asking me why I had to leave...why couldn't I just stay in the basement? LOL!

Three phrases...Tornado Warning, November 1993, Collins Elementary School. Enough said.

Hurricane Floyd, in Conway SC...the aftermath was most devestating to me...after a safe evacuation to the mountains of NC, we returned to a house flooded up to the secons story, where my cat Jeanie had been left, thinking she'd be safe up that high...it was months that my house had to be gotten to by boat...we lost everything, but had our family intact...Jeanie was rescued, we made the front page of many many papers across the country as the AP rode in the boat with us as we rescued our cat, and checked our mailbox by boat....I'll never forget the feeling of complete loss, and untrust in Mother Nature...