A very 'Interesting" Storm cell...Right Over My House!

reply to post by jennybee35


The image in your first post shows standard met radar, wherein the colours represent intensity of rainfall. Looks like the pixels have been smoothed and the process of doing this can make cells look more regular in shape.

The image above is from doppler radar which indicates movement towards or away from the radar (as opposed to rainfall intensity) - the 2 images are therefore showing different things.

It does sound to me like your damage could well have been caused by a microburst, though I'd not swear to it.

reply to post by Alchemst7


Yes, the sweetgum had a rotten spot right in the middle, which had weakened it. It had a fence that was attached to it years ago and rubbed the bark . So I don't think it is anything that can spread. I am sure that eventually the tree would have split and fallen regardless of weather, but the line of damage from this event can be clearly seen moving NE away form our house. There is a fencerow about 20 yards NE from the base of this tree and there are several smaller trees and bushes uprooted and thrown out into my raised bed gardens. So, something moved from SW to NE thru the yard, microburst or tornado.

And thanks for the safe wishes!!

reply to post by Essan


Yes, I understand the difference now, thanks! I don't know what it was that moved thru here, but it caused swirling leaves and rain and debris! It was horrifically loud and powerful. We have been thro numerous tornadoes, living where we do. It was loud and violent like that, but straitline winds and microbursts may be equivalent in their violence!

reply to post by jennybee35


If that odd burst of air that flattened the trees near my dad's house was a microburst then, yes, they are violent. I think they could be more scary than a tornado in some ways because you can't really see them. One moment all is well and then bam, the paw of God's cat comes down to swat you flat. There will apparently still be other winds normally associated with a regular storm still around. That may be where you got some swirly movement on the leaves.

reply to post by jennybee35


Sorry about that. I was aiming it at my ex-boyfriends house.

My bad.

reply to post by SheeplFlavoredAgain


Could have been! I just don't know. I was just curious about the weird radar image. Never seen such a perfect rectangle, especially sitting directly over my acreage!


reply to post by skepticconwatcher

Dang it, I knew it felt 'targeted'!! Next time watch your aim!!

reply to post by jennybee35


I know what you mean about feeling targeted. I was home working at my desk one day when I heard this horrid boom sound. I looked up in puzzlement and looked out the window at the beautiful sunshine. I went outside and surveyed my property and found a scorch mark in my back yard leading into the woods. It was about five feet long. Lightning had struck there. And there was not a cloud in the sky and it was gorgeous out. I figured it out later, that there was a storm several miles away and that fork had traveled all that distance to strike my yard! . The storm did eventually make its way over much, much later. The woods behind my house has been struck several times since I moved here and we lost part of one tree. I lost track of how many times lightning has come down here. And where that particular scorch mark was, is exactly where I usually take my dog to enter the woods for a walk. If I'd not already taken her just a little earlier, and had instead decided to go right then, well, there would have been a scorch mark and two piles of ashes, I guess. Who would ever think they'd get hit by lightning on a sunny day?

I wish there would have been the same Internet resources back when my dad experienced his microburst. I'd like to know what the radar looked like over his house at that time.

I do feel bad for you. Storm damage is a horrible thing to behold. It leaves you feeling so many things as you look at how vulnerable we really are and how little we can protect our things from certain disasters. After we just had that quake here in my area, I looked at all the delicate figurines I inherited from my grandma that she and I treasured so much. Fortunately they all made it through okay though some got knocked over a bit. Now I know I can't let myself get too attached to any of it because when it came to the real test of what mattered, all I grabbed was my kid and my dog. (I wanted to get my cats too but they hid.)

I'm not a super religious person but now I totally get that part of the Bible where we are told not to lay up our treasures here on earth where moth and rust corrupt. All that stuff we work so hard to earn doesn't mean jack when Mother Nature goes gunning for you.

Originally posted by jennybee35
reply to post by Essan

 

Yes, I understand the difference now, thanks!

I don't know what it was that moved thru here, but it caused swirling leaves and rain and debris! It was horrifically loud and powerful. We have been thro numerous tornadoes, living where we do. It was loud and violent like that, but straitline winds and microbursts may be equivalent in their violence!

Aye, they can be! The main thing to look for is how the debris fell - if it's all in the same direction, and roughly fallen in the same direction the storm was moving, then it's probably a straightline wind, whereas tornado damage displays a distinct pattern. Though not always obvious to the untrained eye.

reply to post by jennybee35


Geez, that is creepy. Did you ever feel like you were targeted???

reply to post by njl51


I live in Northern Indiana. There was a brief lightning and thunderstorm that moved through early evening. I live very near a river and the lightning here is fierce. Anyway, there was a crack of lightning, the likes of which I have never seen before. It not only lit up the sky, but lit it up orange! Very strange. I wanted to go outside to check it out, but I thought better of it.

I'm happy you and your family are safe! I've seen small cell but nothing in such a precise rectangle like that. Could it have just been the level of pixilation on the radar screen?