1 million without power now from severe thunderstorms today!!!! NOT GOOD

I take absolute exception with the article and the way the storm was presented. It is absolute bull crap. There was nothing typical about the storms that hit Fairfax, in northern VA or Toano, between Williamsburg and Richmond.

Last night as I went out on the porch for a smoke, the lights flickered. When I lit my cig, not a leaf was moving. Between the third and fourth puff, cloud to cloud lighting was going off like a disco and the winds whipped up to 50+ mph. In another 10 seconds, I saw my first ball lighting which reminded me of a flash bulb going off. The winds exceeded 70 mph and mature trees began snapping like twigs.

It was the first time I've ever dropped a half smoked cigarette and ran for cover in my life. It had barely begun to sprinkle yet there were hurricane force winds within SECONDS. I've never seen anything like it, ever. It was as if somebody hit a switch.

Tonight while driving back from norfolk, the same thing happened. I was driving along Rt 64 at 65 mph and saw ball lightning again. It began to rain harder than last night but not torrentially like other big thunderstorms. Then out of nowhere I was almost blown off the road and trees started snapping across the road.

I truly began to feel how weather could be used as a surgical weapon. There were small pockets of complete devastation surrounded by areas that weren't touched. Something very bizarre happened the last couple nights. Nothing ordinary about it by any means. I had to make a round trip from NoVa to Norfolk
Which is usually 6 hours. The first leg took 7 and the second leg took 6.

Authorities in eastern Montana ordered the evacuation of several communities Saturday as the Ash Creek Complex fires consumed another 72 square miles and pushed the number of structures destroyed past 30. The Powder River County Sheriff's office ordered Wilbur, Whitetail, Beaver Creek and East Fork of Otter Creek residents out after the fire swelled to 244 square miles overnight. Fire spokesman Pat McKelvey said one home and five outbuildings were destroyed overnight but no injuries were reported due to the lightning-caused fire that started Monday. The fire had destroyed at least 26 structures previously. "We did have significant movement to the east," he said, noting embers were causing spot fires a mile ahead of the main fire that's burning in timber, juniper, pine, sage and grass. He said officials were looking at Saturday as a chance to possibly strengthen fire lines before Sunday when high winds and lower humidity are predicted. The fire is about 25 percent contained. "We are figuring today will be a lull day, if you can call 90 degree temperatures a lull," he said. Nearly 450 firefighters are at the blaze with more being called in, McKelvey said, adding that two helicopters are working the fire and fixed-wing retardant bombers are also available.


,,starting,,,

Had the presence of mind to grab the video camera along with my beer to watch the mayhem unfold. Wasn't too long after this video that the rain really kicked up and couldn't stay on the porch without getting soaked to the bone.

reply to post by zarp3333


I agree with you. We had a repairman outside fixing something unrelated so my husband was tracking the weather on his phone app to make sure the repairman got done and out on time. He watched this storm move in and said he never saw anything like it. My husband makes fun of me being on this site and isn't one to use hyperbole so when he says he never saw anything like this, he means it.

I was upstairs in my daughter's bedroom changing bed linens and putting away laundry. Out of nowhere this wind roared in and the windows bowed a bit. I heard a crack which was a huge tree out back breaking. I dropped everything and we all ran to the basement with our pets. We lost part of our roof where the vents were mangled.

The next day it took all danged day to get to our elderly parents. My parents in the high crime section got their power back first, and I think that was deliberate so as to not get any rioting because their part of town was hardest to get through. Their county police force was the worst at setting up traffic diversions and their population was the most me-first kind that didn't observe the four way stop rules at downed intersections. But once you actually made it into the neighborhoods the neighbors there were helping each other out. My dad and his neighbor were sharing a generator so my mom and the neighbor's wife could survive. The two ladies both have health problems and we were going to just bring everybody with us. Their power came back on just as we were helping them get ready to come back with us. They decided to stay since my house was already going to be crowded with my husband's family...who are indeed here with me now.

We had no land line service or cell service, which is why we had to hit the road all day to check on everyone. We are among the few neighborhoods in my whole county that got power back yesterday. We still don't have cell service.

911 was down yesterday. Most gas stations were out. Barely any stores were open and those that were, were dark and had stripped down inventory. We were on water restrictions. I had my "ATS paranoid nut" supplies so we were good but my husband still wanted to see if he could get meat and fruit for dinner so that's how he found out the condition of the stores.

For people making fun of us, my mom and her neighbors came from third world living conditions in harsh weather. They ain't spoiled in the least. That still doesn't make it any less dangerous for them to live their fragile elder years through this kind of heat in an environment and infrastructure that revolves around electricity to function. Leave the derision and have some compassion. A lot of the older houses in the poor neighborhoods like theirs are brick and turn into ovens without a/c. In their old life, houses had windows positioned to catch breezes. Their current neighborhood, which I lived in until my 30's, is too dangerous to leave windows open all the time anyway.

When folks are going through hard times no matter what their location, I wish them well and pray for them. I don't sit back in the comfort of whatever I consider ordinary and make fun of people shaken out of their routine. if you can live through worse as part of your daily routine, be grateful and have compassion because in the new reality, you will be the advantaged and we will likely be the ones in trouble and not survive.

I've been trying to grow veggies to be more self sufficient but deer and rabbits and bugs and some kind of fungal blight is killing my amateur efforts.

I second Zarp's observation that what we saw was unprecedented. Except I saw my first ball lightning last year. It looks like sci fi special effects. When I saw that I knew things were going to be different from then on.

My husband is on I-81 this morning and realizing that getting fuel today maybe a challenge with power outages all over. He was having trouble finding a truck stop that has fuel and will accept T-Check. The TA he was at could only take cash. For anyone looking for fuel...Here's a useful link Source

This is something to read about, the anatomy of Friday's night storm that struck the Washington DC/MD region
wtop.com...

reply to post by usaman1983

I was there, live in Southern Ohio.

A storm front carrying hurricane-force winds of more than 80 mph barreled
through the Columbus area early this evening.

At least 200,000 central Ohioans are without electricity amid neighborhoods
littered with downed trees and power lines. AEP reported 145,000 outages in
Franklin County, 15,300 in Delaware County, 8,600 in Licking County and 5.600 in
Fairfield County.

South Central Power reported outages numbering 10,000 in Pickaway County, 8,100
in Fairfield County and 900 in Franklin County.

Columbus Dispatch
We stood out in the years watching this thing, and here is what we saw. The sky was filled with dark clouds, but one that was weird. There was on dark cloud, perhaps 200 feet up and half a mile away, that stood perfectly still, while the other clouds rushed by as the wind began to really blow. We could hear it coming, it sounded like a freight train. Then it came, I watched a large tree come right out of the ground, and the little trees in our yard bent over to the ground. I looked up one more time before we went in, and the cloud was still there, in the Northern sky. I wasn't real big, maybe the size of a football field. I have never seen this effect before.

Then the TV Cable went out, and we knew it was hitting Columbus. Then the power went out. We all sat there, in the heat, wondering what was next. Everything was eerily quiet, no bird song, no dogs barking. At about 10:30 we travelled to a nearby town where we heard the power was on. We went to the Walmart, and it was packed.
People were walking around in a daze. Some even crashed into each other, and several times I had to back up to let a bunch through. The candles, flashlights, camping stoves, propane, and coolers and ice chests of any kind were all gone, as was the ice.

The next day we again went to town to procure some ice, thankfully we had not yet bought a month's worth of meats and frozen foods. We stood in line as a semi off loaded bags of ice, where employees carried them into the open area right near the front door, where they had set op a bagging section. Two bags per customer.

Today, here anyway, all power is restored. This kind of thing really makes one think of how dependant we all are on services.
I am told what we got was a backlash from the Hurricane. I think our Mother Earth is angry.

Thunderstorms in Illinois and we in Ft. Wayne are under a watch..
I read on Weatherunderground that some storms are producing
70mph winds.

Just wanted those that experienced the last storm to know that more
may on the way - check your local weather.

Went out to get gasoline and the nearest station was closed.
Had to pay cash for food as their internet was out and they
are operating on low power. If I had chosen to go any other
direction I would run into power outages including traffic
lights - so back home I am. We are fortunate that we have
power - so many people don't.

I Have been watching the radar for the last hour and can't believe another storm is headed for Ohio. It is just starting to form the same boomerang thingy it was doing on Friday.

Hope this one doesn't reek the same havoc, our thoughts are with you.

S&F on this post.
Namaste,
YogaGinns

We got it good in ft wayne. There were trees down everywhere, and power lines all twisted in the mess. The airport measured a 91 mph wind gust shortly after 3 PM friday. Most of the city is still without power, i think 62,000 last time i looked. Friday night after the storm rolled through there were 78,000 without power. They're estimating it wont be fully back until wednesday night.