Category: Storm

Amazing…ly Scary

We all know that Mother Nature, even in her finest, can be a force to be reckoned with. Monday, we were hit with another round of sever weather. Its been a rough summer for us. Monday’s storm brought one small tornado to our town with an eight minute path of destruction. There were others in the area as well but this one was too close for comfort. Understand, there is really nothing small about any tornado, they go from bad to horrid. Fortunately, no severe damage was done that I know of and I have not heard of any casualties but I do know some people had to be rescued after the storm.

My house faces east, so the back yard was in full onslaught as the storm made its approached. Pictures don’t really show how black the sky was.

The tornado that was in Davenport was one block from my church and in a last ditch effort to destroy, the tornado took one of our beautiful trees that lined our sidewalk. The storm a few weeks ago took out a tree on the other side of the church by breaking it in half. They will usually do that or completely knock the tree to the ground. But when surveying the ground, I feel the funnel cloud was lifting when it hit this tree and twisted it with the 100 MPH force of the funnel, lifting it into the air. Look at the pictures and see what I mean. I could be totally wrong but this is what I feel happened.

You can see from where the tree was planted, the dirt is not really heaved to one side like they do when knocked over. The hole is rounded and somewhat smooth. The base of the tree also suggests it was twisted off like a bottle cap as no deep roots are present and the roots still attached show a twisted motion.

And this is no small tree.

You can’t tell from the picture, but there is an indention under the trunk. I think the tree was dropped here and feel backwards toward the sidewalk. It left drag marks from it’s home. The drag marks are small as if it was from the trunk, not the tree limbs.

It was moved a good 30-40 feet before falling back to the ground.

Here you can see where the tree was originally planted on your right and now where it lays, 180 degrees from a normal fall direction. As I said earlier, I am no expert, but in my opinion, taking in the size and weight of the tree, plus the direction it is now laying, suggest it fell from the sky. Mother nature can indeed be a scary beast. Remember when storms are coming, please be over-safe to make sure you can take crazy pictures like these once the storm is gone.

And as always, I remind you to be extra kind when you can. You may be that light of sunshine someone needs.

The Storms of Summer

I think everywhere in the world understand the storms of summer can be rough but here in the US summer storms bring severe thunderstorms, derecho winds, tornadoes and of course downpours.

While the rain is being enjoyed by our community garden, the wind has not been our friend. Early morning storms today played havoc for a decades old oak tree by our church.

You can see the top portion of this beautiful tree was broken off like a match stick.

The clouds, since daybreak, have been ominous as they pounded us with water.

But the flowers still prove that they can survive, maybe even thrive as long as the winds stay clear of their tender stems.

And as the clouds begin to dissipate, George, the neighborhood Red Tail Hawk, calls out to remind us that all is well and to always trust in the creator of all things to create beauty after a storm, regardless of where the storm that may be happening.

I close with a reminder to be kind especially in the midst of a storm. It will make the storm more bearable.

In the Midst of a Storm

Yesterday for the Midwest, it was a turbulent day of rain, hail, wind, and tornadoes. Fortunately, we survived the madness but others did not fare as well. I don’t think anyone was injured but trees, powerlines and some buildings did get damaged. I got some interesting pictures I thought I would share of the ominous clouds as they passed over my house.

There were two lines of the storm and I thought (foolishly) that I could zip between them to the McDonald’s down the street for a quick burger. As I drove into the parking lot, the sun looked like a glowing ball in dark gray sky, making the area look like a black and white photo.

Then while in the drive-through line, the deluge started. Fortunately, it was a short-lived line. As I was leaving the glowing ball made the sky look it was on fire surrounded by eerie luminous clouds.

Mother nature doing her thing. Even in the wrath of a storm, there is beauty that she creates if you look hard enough. May we also show beauty in all that we do. I think if we are always kind, then beauty will always be seen, therefore…we should always be kind.

Always Be Kind!

FOTD, July 13, Death Storm

If you have been reading my post this summer you will know that due to heat, dryness and squirrels, I have not been able to get my sunflowers at the church sunflower circle to grow. Finally three plant were able to emerge and Wednesday one was starting to bloom. It was a color I had never seen before – kind of sunset red-orange.

Then about 11:00am a storm came through and toppled her to the ground. It broke off at the base. It had 12 blooms on it which didn’t help its weigh ratio against the wind. So I took the blooms off and put them in a vase hoping that some of them will finish growing enough to open.

This has not been a year for sunflowers, however, the tomatoes are loving this dry hot weather. Last year they were pitiful because it was too wet. Well, maybe next year we will have a full sunflower circle.

I close with a reminder to always be kind. You never know when your one small act of kindness will be the encouragement someone else will need.

Weekend Sky #99, May 6&7

I have not posted on Weekend Sky in a while because the skies have been relatively calm…not this weekend. Two warm fronts back to back causing all kinds of issues mostly due to the unseasonably warm temperatures. We don’t usually see 90s until mid-June but this weekend was hot and humid and a show stopper of dark swirling clouds. Saturday was not really that volatile. But as the sun began to set, the colors were amazing.

Sunday was a different story. An evil-looking sky swirled around as the storm started building, resulting in hail, high winds, and a tornado south of us.

After the storm settled to a low roar, the sky seem to split with dark clouds below, dark clouds above, and the sun trying its best to appear. It was quite ominous looking and the clouds looked like hot air being belched from the sun.

On the other side of the river, Youth Group at the church was just letting out and Kenzie snapped this picture. A double rainbow – a double promise from God that He is still in control.

So even though storms can be scary, God is still guiding us and keeping us safe as long as we use a little common sense to stay out of the storms path.

The remainder of the week promises to be somewhat calm so we will work in the garden and yard to watch the beauty of nature grow.

In Like a Lamb…Out like a Lion

But for us, it is flipped. March came in super easy, almost unseasonably warm. The entire month was a weird roller coaster from warm to very cold. Now the entire midwest and south is in for a severe ride.

For the first time in more than 2 years, the Storm Prediction Center has issued a 5 out 5 threat for severe weather in parts of the middle of the country. The Weather Channel

Line 1 just slipped past us with small hail that sounded like pebbles slamming against the windows. Currently a large tornado with 3 inch hail is headed to Iowa City. Mother nature can be a beast in the spring and her format is changing, or rather moving, with global warming.

Line 2 is due through here around 6 with possible tornados and heavy hail. Hang on to your hats folks – it is moving east. The deep south and east coast could have severe weather tonight through tomorrow. The problem with these current sets of lines is they are loaded with supercells. These are some shots taken of supercells last year in our area. Wicked looking monsters.

According to the forecasters’, that is the worse scenario as each supercell can generate severe weather and/or tornadoes. Mississippi was hit last week with tornados and this storm front is split into two section – one in the middle of the country and one in the south.

Everyone needs to pay attention to what the weather is doing. You never know when she may unleash her fury on your area. So be careful, be mindful and most of all be kind. Especially if your area gets imploded. Disaster needs kindness from everyone so that we can survive the madness of our own storms.

Limitless Love

It has been a while since I posted an encouragement, but when I read this morning devotion with Billy Graham, I felt I needed to share his thoughts. There are a lot of storms we face in this life, some weather related and some within our hearts and sometimes they are both. In late September, Hurricane Ian demolished the west coast of Ft. Myers, Florida. Being raised in south Georgia, I fully understood that the late storms of hurricane season were usually the meanest. Now the east coast of Florida braces for a November storm, a rarity.

Storms of the heart are no less powerful. They can come from misunderstandings between people to down right meanness and we have all faced them, maybe even caused a few of them – whether we meant to or not. The problem is, we are all imperfect. We are all sinners. BUT all of us are still loved. God’s love for us reaches beyond anything we could ever imagine, even to those who do not love Him. But to those of us who do love Him, we feel that love. It holds us on course until the storms are over. He stands right beside us fighting the battle for us when we no longer can. He is our warrior.

Billy Graham’s message this morning reminds us of the limitless power of God for all of us.

God can be everywhere at once, heeding the prayers of all who call out in the name of Christ; performing mighty miracles. There is no limit to God. There is no limit to His wisdom. There is no limit to His power. There is no limit to His love. There is no limit to His mercy. Billy Graham

As you fight today’s battles or this weeks battles, always remember there is simply no limit to God’s love for you. As you stand tall in your battle, remember to be kind. Kindness during battle has an extra power of God with it that has the opportunity to open the eyes of the storm and help it resolve.

Weekend Sky #71, Aug 20

Hammad Rais has a fun challenge for Weekend Sky and today was a good day for sky watching. When we started out in the morning, we only had a 15% chance of rain. So you can imagine our surprise when our outing at church got us “drowned rat” wet. It was not a great look but it did give us an event to always remember.

And I saw another line of storms coming around 2:00pm. After getting back home, and dry, I though that would be a great time for a nap…wrong thought. Aside from the lightening and thunder being on top of us, the wind and rain was so intense that it knocked down my sunflowers – remember my post about Sun and Mood 2 days ago. Yep, gone. They were wonderful though and I have picture to prove it. LOL.

So back to the sky. After the storm blew through I got these pictures of the amazing clouds as they cleared the area.

I hope these clouds can encourage you and help you know, regardless of the storm you may be going through, there is always a peace and beauty after the storm leaves. Hang on to that hope, you have got this and if you feel like you can’t hold on by yourself, God always has a hand stretched out to you for you to hold onto. Grab it and hold tight. He will never let you go.

And remember to always be kind, regardless of your storm.

Encouraging Light After a Storm

When storms come through the areas where we live, their is usually a rich beauty in the sunset mixed with the clouds once the storm leaves.

The clouds seem to enhance the redness and brightness of the light. It was a beautiful sunset Friday night. I think that philosophy goes with people as well. When we go through stormy times of our lives, we have the chance to come out brighter on the other side.

Remember to share kindness as you come out of a hard time. It will help encourage you as much as it blesses those whom you are kind with.