Severe Weather (sale, move to, property)

[beowulf7]

When I woke up this morning, there was not a single cloud in the sky. The deep blue sky was a welcome sight. Less than 6 hrs. later, there's lightning, thunder, and rain!

[Synopsis]

And did it EVER rain! Wind, Wind, Rain, and more rain. I'll bet we received 4 inches here in north Hurst in a 30 minute period. Man, this needs to stop or we will float away. I was actually pretty scared during this outbreak; the wind was horrendous.

[KewGee]

I was supposed to travel north today to Watauga and see my son's new home. I chickened out because what WFAA said about the weather. It's about an 80 mile trip one-way from where I'm located. I was going to meet my daughter in Grand Prairie for the ride "the rest of the way." I don't do interstates and who knows what I may have met up with on the backroads through Alvarado, Mansfield, etc.

My children say, "But mom, it's just rain, not a tornado." That I know, but I hate driving in torrential downpours and as Synopsis mentioned, the wind was not too fun today.

Chances are I wouldn't have been in a rainy area, but the day isn't nearly over yet and I wouldn't arrive home until around dark, so therefore, I wasn't taking any chances.

There, now I feel better for venting and am not feeling quite as guilty for not going. They know I'm a chicken in Texas weather though.

[beowulf7]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

And did it EVER rain! Wind, Wind, Rain, and more rain. I'll bet we received 4 inches here in north Hurst in a 30 minute period. Man, this needs to stop or we will float away. I was actually pretty scared during this outbreak; the wind was horrendous.

Sorry to hear it was so bad where you're at. It rained here (NW FW) for about a half hour, but I didn't hear that much thunder and the rain wasn't so heavy. It's remarkable how it went from blue skies to dark clouds in just a few hours.

[Synopsis]

KewGee, you did the right thing. Rain causes floods, and as bad as the rain is and as saturated as the ground is, flooding is everywhere. Hurst must be built on one of the best flood drainage areas around because we can get 6 inches of rain and it runs right off - no real damage to the immediate area. And it's still bad out there right now - high water has killed more people in this area lately than tornadoes.

beowulf7, I watched the radar and the storms actually started assembling themselves together just to my immediate Northwest, right around Keller/Watauga (to your east) and then they just grew stronger (purple on the WFAA radar, which is strongest) as they turned southeast over NRH/Hurst/Bedford. KewGee, you probably did the right thing by not driving then, it was right over this area, which includes Watauga.

I thought about you (KewGee) and how the weather intimidates you around here and thought how this is totally unlike any Spring/Summer since I have been in Texas (20 years). New people here are probably packing up and moving away thinking this is common, but believe me it is not (in the least). This is unusual as it gets; it's downright WEIRD.

[beowulf7]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

KewGee, you did the right thing. Rain causes floods, and as bad as the rain is and as saturated as the ground is, flooding is everywhere. Hurst must be built on one of the best flood drainage areas around because we can get 6 inches of rain and it runs right off - no real damage to the immediate area. And it's still bad out there right now - high water has killed more people in this area lately than tornadoes.

beowulf7, I watched the radar and the storms actually started assembling themselves together just to my immediate Northwest, right around Keller/Watauga (to your east) and then they just grew stronger (purple on the WFAA radar, which is strongest) as they turned southeast over NRH/Hurst/Bedford. KewGee, you probably did the right thing by not driving then, it was right over this area, which includes Watauga.

I thought about you (KewGee) and how the weather intimidates you around here and thought how this is totally unlike any Spring/Summer since I have been in Texas (20 years). New people here are probably packing up and moving away thinking this is common, but believe me it is not (in the least). This is unusual as it gets; it's downright WEIRD.

I've heard this is very extremely unusual weather (redundancy intended). At first, I was thinking the rain is good to keep my grass green, water bill in check, and A/C usage minimized. But now it just gets a little depressing when you look outside and it's gray and you can't even plan outdoor activities b/c everyday, there's a 40-50% chance of scattered t-storms and localized flash flooding.

[KewGee]

Originally Posted by Synopsis

KewGee, you did the right thing. Rain causes floods, and as bad as the rain is and as saturated as the ground is, flooding is everywhere. Hurst must be built on one of the best flood drainage areas around because we can get 6 inches of rain and it runs right off - no real damage to the immediate area. And it's still bad out there right now - high water has killed more people in this area lately than tornadoes.

beowulf7, I watched the radar and the storms actually started assembling themselves together just to my immediate Northwest, right around Keller/Watauga (to your east) and then they just grew stronger (purple on the WFAA radar, which is strongest) as they turned southeast over NRH/Hurst/Bedford. KewGee, you probably did the right thing by not driving then, it was right over this area, which includes Watauga.

I thought about you (KewGee) and how the weather intimidates you around here and thought how this is totally unlike any Spring/Summer since I have been in Texas (20 years). New people here are probably packing up and moving away thinking this is common, but believe me it is not (in the least). This is unusual as it gets; it's downright WEIRD.

Thanks for your nice post and giving me the information I needed to hear to know that I really did make the right, albeit chicken, decision. I do agree; don't go out traveling on a day when flooding is possible. It's just senseless. I imagine when I speak to my children this evening, they will agree their mother is quite wise when it comes to nasty weather.

Yes, the weather does intimidate me and has now for 28 years of living in Texas. This surely is a weird month and here it is July 1 and a tornado warning was issued for Ellis County and some place else a few days ago. This is truly unusual. That threat is usually gone by mid-June or before.

Thunder is now beginning where I live near Lake Whitney. Storms containing hail as indicated by storm-tracking radar are moving in this direction from both northern Bosque and Hill counties.

Well, my lawn may have to wait a bit longer to get mowed. I mowed last weekend, but it desparately needs it again. Oh well, I really didn't want to sweat to death. I walked my dogs last evening and was so soaking wet from sweat, I could hardly stand it. Normally, I sweat very little.

My neighbor is outside mowing her lawn, but no thank you. I don't want to chance getting lightning struck either. That's as crazy as driving in flood-prone areas.

[beowulf7]

^ The chances of getting struck by lightning just by being outside is very rare. Unless you're hugging a flagpole during a storm.

[KewGee]

Originally Posted by beowulf7

^ The chances of getting struck by lightning just by being outside is very rare. Unless you're hugging a flagpole during a storm.

Au contraire, my fellow poster.

Lightning can strike from a storm at least 10 miles away when the skies above a person are cloudless and rainless. It has happened many times. Actually, the average number of deaths from lightning is over 100 a year and that doesn't include the deaths from lightning related fires. Not a lot, maybe, but enough to take precautions. It kills more people than tornadoes, floods, and hurricanes.

Don't let any one kid you that only during a storm and touching metal can you be hit. What about the lady who docked at Lake Waco several weeks ago? Here husband was still in the boat and she was walking up to their car. Bam! She is no longer with us.

People minimized the dangers of lightning to me when I first moved to Texas, but I had enough common sense to know better and found out very differently. Do some research, and hopefully, you will think differently as well.

The link below covers only the past 13 years.

Lightning Fatalities, Injuries, and Damage Reports in the United States - National Lightning Safety Institute

[beowulf7]

Originally Posted by KewGee

Au contraire, my fellow poster.

Lightning can strike from a storm at least 10 miles away when the skies above a person are cloudless and rainless. It has happened many times. Actually, the average number of deaths from lightning is over 100 a year and that doesn't include the deaths from lightning related fires. Not a lot, maybe, but enough to take precautions. It kills more people than tornadoes, floods, and hurricanes.

Don't let any one kid you that only during a storm and touching metal can you be hit. What about the lady who docked at Lake Waco several weeks ago? Here husband was still in the boat and she was walking up to their car. Bam! She is no longer with us.

People minimized the dangers of lightning to me when I first moved to Texas, but I had enough common sense to know better and found out very differently. Do some research, and hopefully, you will think differently as well.

The link below covers only the past 13 years.

Lightning Fatalities, Injuries, and Damage Reports in the United States - National Lightning Safety Institute

Interesting list. But still, 52 deaths in this state spread out over 14 years is not bad at all (4/yr.). TX is 2nd to the lightning capital of the world - FL - which doesn't surprise me.

I think more people have died already this year in the DFW area b/c of flooding than by lightning across the state!