21 July, What a Storm

I watch the line of green, yellow, and orange/red march across North Dakota. By the time it reaches the border with Minnesota, it stretches almost the entire north/south distance of ND.

"Potential heavy rain, tornadoes, and 80 mph straight-line wind."

Watches and warnings come across the emergency broadcast channel. One by one the counties to the west of me are named, each report naming a new county. Closer and closer it comes: Cass County to Grand Forks; then western Clay, Norman, and south-west Polk; Fertile, Crookston, and Red Lake Falls are placed in a tornado warning.

"If you are in Crookston, seek shelter on the lowest floor of the nearest building, NOW!"

Finally, my county as well as those to the south, east, and north with me in the middle: "Sever thunder showers with torrential rain and quarter-sized hail. "There will be hail damage to vehicles and wind damage to trees, mobile homes (*gulp*), and roofs."

Flashlight in one pocket; cell phone and wireless land-line phone in their pockets; rain jacket in hand; camera by the door...Lightening! Steady, almost no need for a flashlight. Rain, the torrential rain that was promised, or threatened, or warned (you decide) is here.

A quick look at the radar shows the first green blended into yellow, then orange, then yellow again (no red this time). And that is where we are now, winding down on the thunderstorm and getting set up for a lot of rain for another hour or two.

All is well...

...out here, anyway. However, Crookston and the area around it can't say the same. Initial reports say about half the city is without power and there are a number of trees down. It is still rather early, the sun has been up only a couple hours so far. More reports will be coming in as the day goes by.