I had to run from a super cell thunderstorm earlier today!

[rustoffa]

As some of you may know, the metro Atlanta area was bombarded with tornadic activity the past 24 hours or so. Unbelievable....baseball-size hail in Cherokee county, downtown Atlanta skyscrapers looking like post-blitzkrieg Warsaw, etc.

Being riveted to local coverage of devastating weather most of the afternoon, my confidence in doppler radar grew by the hour. After being assured that a squall line was headed to Fairburn, I decided to walk the dog. I got like half a mile when lightning started crashing on the horizon....heavy winds increased exponentially as dark clouds appeared out of nowhere. Fucking hail the size of pennies started falling. Following the dog's lead, I decided to try my luck in the woods adjacent to the road. Limbs were falling as green pine cones flew around like bubbles!! No quicker than the maelstrom had started, it stopped. Birds started chirping.....sunshine beamed through the surviving canopy!

The neighbors were out in their yards as I made my way home. Oddly enough, the debris seemed more important than my physical well-being.

Go figure.

[jhale667]

Glad to hear you're OK, at least. Getting struck by lightning would probably mess up one's afternoon.
Not to mention flying debris and whatnot.

[Nitro Express]

They still can't predict local and immediate weather. They can see the storm coming in. They can see where the moisture is condensing but nobody knows exactly what and where in real time the shit hits the fan.

I've had three close calls with lighting in my lifetime and one of my grade school friends was killed by it.

[rustoffa]

It's crazy, apparently. Low pressure systems that move really fast seem to be capable of baffling behavior.

Glad I didn't have to yell at this.

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[Nitro Express]

I was sitting in a office tower in downtown Salt Lake City when an F4 tornado ripped through there. I used to live in Denver where tornados and big thunderstorms are more common and knew what to look for.

I told the people by the windows to get away from them because we were having a tornado. They thought I was nuts and didn't know what I was talking about because that part of the country does not have tornados. Sure enough, the windows start rattling. A big crane goes crashing down, roofs are flying off of houses and the electrical transformers are all popping like flashbulbs.

It was humid, warm, and rainy with a deffinate dark and light portion in the sky. You can just look at the clouds churn and know something is going to come out of them.

[Nitro Express]

I was sitting in a office tower in downtown Salt Lake City when an F4 tornado ripped through there. I used to live in Denver where tornados and big thunderstorms are more common and knew what to look for.

I told the people by the windows to get away from them because we were having a tornado. They thought I was nuts and didn't know what I was talking about because that part of the country does not have tornados. Sure enough, the windows start rattling. A big crane goes crashing down, roofs are flying off of houses and the electrical transformers are all popping like flashbulbs.

It was humid, warm, and rainy with a deffinate dark and light portion in the sky. You can just look at the clouds churn and know something is going to come out of them.

[BITEYOASS]

The National Weather Service use to have actual people volunteer and observe the weather, as well as performing readings on the latest temperatures, wind speed, barometer and so on with certified equipment non-electrical equipment. This storms proves the weakness of relying totally on technology, it's better to use a hybrid of old and new ways to detect weather conditions.

[Douglas T.]

Your dogs get you into some trouble on occasion! don't ya just love 'em! Glad you have survived this encounter!

[Eyes of the Night]

Hella trippy Rustoffa ... sounded intense ... I woulda been baked as hell! Lmfao ...