Major storms in US right now...

[DuckiesDarling]

We're in for a rough week, we have had several inches of rain in the past few days across a large portion of the US. Several supercells have formed fueled by warm air pushing up from the Gulf of Mexico and meeting the blast of artic air from Canada.

Power outages, tornadoes and house shaking thunder have been par for the course this month but the flooding..... its bad and gonna get worse. We have storms moving in that have the potential to drop 2-3inches of rainfall an hour. Texas finally got some rain that was badly needed but the Ohio Valley is pretty much supersoaked at this point.

So keep us in your thoughts please as we ride this out, if it gets much worse I'll be contacting 12Voltman to see if he has room on his boat for a guest cause we'll need it to "drive" to town.

Video link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqmxHoGVLbI&feature=player_embedded

[Ms Baby]

WoW! You got that right!

The ground where I live in Indiana is SO WET...

(how wet is it?)

A dog peed in my yard yesterday, and the street in front of my apartment flooded!

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
I was driving thru town last Saturday and went by a house where this guy was building a REALLY BIG boat, and his wife was collecting animals!

Bah-Dum Tisshhhhh!


Gerri

[wrbi01]

Thoughts go out to you and yours....

Down here, in New Orleans, we are in a drought.... 21 days since rain... Not normal for us. This time last year we were at 4.25in for the month of April and this year we are only at .32in. On top of that they are talking about the Mississippi cresting at 17 feet and having to open the "Spillway" to let some water out of the river so it wont crest over the levee system. Only problem with that is it tends to kill many fish in the lake which we dont want...

I hope the earth gets back to normal soon.. Im tired of natural disasters...

[12voltman59]

I haven't said much about it--but we are once again dealing with flooding and other storms----even though with the flooding of the river----it is very much a slow moving sort of thing since while small creeks and streams surely have had times they have risen really fast and caught people living near them or driving their cars in those areas by surprise---the flooding of the big river just takes its time--even though it is really something to think about it that has basically been doing this now since mid-February and its amazing to see so much water in places it rarely is. The flooding of the big river is surely disruptive to those who live and work on its banks or nearby where the high water is now but its not as dangerous as being in the areas near small streams and feeder rivers that can rise really fast.

They have shut down the river to all traffic now that includes the big barges. Its dangerous for them in dealing with the currents and high water and now they cannot get under the bridges. They also don't want them on the river because at these levels-the wakes they make put more pressure on the levy systems and at the lock and dams----they are just opening all the gates to let the water flow on through since if they don't---the water would just top them and threaten to take them out.

The biggest thing with this situation---if that goes on too long---deliveries of things like coal to power plants and fuel to oil tank farms will be delayed and at some point---the supplies on hand will go down to critical levels.

Another way this weather is going to hurt things----farmers should already be heading out into their fields for spring planting and that is not happening now since their fields are at the very least very soggy--and at worst---are underwater.

All of these things are only going to hurt us in an already down economic time, then of course--with some of the more violent aspects of this weather--it is destroying homes and taking lives.

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/04/26/the-towns-gone-storms-kill-5-in-arkansas/?icid=maing-grid7|main5|dl1|sec1_lnk2|58275

I do hope that everyone in our community is doing ok and not suffering from the damage or destruction of their homes and worse--have loved ones who are hurt or killed in this.

To add to this: in our area--it is official now--we have had the wettest April on record with it being the third wettest month EVER--and we still have a few more days to go--we only need like an inch and a half to be the wettest month passing the record for January 1937--in that year--there was a record flood on the Mississippi, Ohio and other rivers that lasted most of that summer--that flood killed many people and had something like a quarter of the population of the US at that time having to basically be refugees to flee the high water that covered vast parts of the eastern US--I don't think we are going to see that situation this time around though--at least as widespread--but down in the Memphis, TN area--they are expecting waters to get to those levels soon: http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/apr/25/near-record-flooding-memphis-along-mississippi-riv/

[Realist]

I lived and worked in Kentucky for 30 years and I soon learned about being in "Tornado Alley" and the devastating floods!

When I built my house, it was dug back into a steep berm, on the tallest hill for miles. With a low, well enforced roof, and only the southern wall exposed, we weathered several weather conditions that would have ruined other homes. My ex is still enjoying it's safe, secure, construction!

I hope you all are safe and none of your loved ones, or friends, are in danger!

[Cherokee_Mountaincat]

lol If you see little animal walking by in a 2 by 2 formation, then Run! lol
Big hugs to you sweetie. Please be safe.
Yer Fave Pussy.

[Darkside2009]

The weather here is beautiful at the moment. I have a little bird singing his heart out, right outside my window. I presume it is a male bird trying to attract a mate, it sounds really beautiful. All just to get his leg over, isn't nature wonderful. :bigrin:

Poor little sod doesn't know what he is letting himself in for. Before long he will be flying back and forth to the nest with worms and caterpillars and bits of stale bread. Shoving it down gluttonous mouths before flying off again. No more late nights down the roost, no more gathering around puddles telling lies to his mates about kicking the ass of that ginger tom cat. No more whistling at strange birds. Come Winter he will be up to his ass in snow, yet still he sings.

He has stopped now, the light is dropping and he must have said screw this and went home to bed. Tomorrow he'll be back to start all over again.

[kidder]

I live in the mountains of Colorado and it is still winter here, it has been snowing for the last three weeks. This tops off a record winter for us, the mountain closed the other day with a total accumulation of 526 inches. It was a great year for powder skiing, and will make for a great rafting season.

[DuckiesDarling]

Well just had my first get your ass to the hallway call from my dad tonight. Tornado warning in my area, it appears safe for the moment but we have another round of storms moving in after midnight. Stay safe everyone.

[Hephaestion]

Good luck DD.

[Katja]

This morning I sat on the bench at the end of the garden drinking coffee and eating croissants overlooking Coniston Water listening to the dawn chorus. Such a beautiful sound to be greeted by. Cool but beautiful, it would be over an hour before the sun's warming rays brought out the beauty and colour of the spring flowers and the textures and shades of the surrounding hills. All is well with the world.

Now reading the posts of DD and others, the peace and tranquility of my garden and of the little world I inhabit are but an illusion which shelter me from the harsh realities that she and many of you face; quite different and altogether more harsh conditions. Keep safe everyone. My thoughts are with you.

[Dead Account]

This morning I sat on the bench at the end of the garden drinking coffee and eating croissants overlooking Coniston Water listening to the dawn chorus. Such a beautiful sound to be greeted by. Cool but beautiful, it would be over an hour before the sun's warming rays brought out the beauty and colour of the spring flowers and the textures and shades of the surrounding hills. All is well with the world.

Now reading the posts of DD and others, the peace and tranquility of my garden and of the little world I inhabit are but an illusion which shelter me from the harsh realities that she and many of you face; quite different and altogether more harsh conditions. Keep safe everyone. My thoughts are with you.

I agree. I've narrowly dodged a bullet here where I live through the last storm and looks like the wall of weather is headed our way once again. I have old friends who are enduring a lot of fear and feel very fortunate. My house is surrounded by 20 or more 100 plus feet oak trees (thankfully they deep root) so we've been lucky. Prayers to those going through a tough time.

[DuckiesDarling]

Safe for the moment but another long day and night of storms moving in. The tornado was spotted about a mile from where I live and tracked off towards Loretto, KY. When I heard that I said "Please don't hit Maker's Mark, cause we're gonna need that alcohol soon if this keeps up". Parents are fine just dealing with the aftermath of so much rain in such a short period of time.

[12voltman59]

Safe for the moment but another long day and night of storms moving in. The tornado was spotted about a mile from where I live and tracked off towards Loretto, KY. When I heard that I said "Please don't hit Maker's Mark, cause we're gonna need that alcohol soon if this keeps up". Parents are fine just dealing with the aftermath of so much rain in such a short period of time.

It would be a real tragedy if the Maker's Mark distillery was blow away---the same for the rest of the distilleries on The Bourbon Trail!!! :bigrin::bigrin:

Seriously---I have been watching the weather reports about the severe storms hitting down your way with strong thunderstorms and tornadoes--I hope this current weather pattern soon ends and these threats ease--take care DD!

[12voltman59]

This is getting to be like a broken record or something--but yet again---there was another night across the SE US of severe and deadly storms--with this outbreak seeing much widespread destruction as a result of strong thunderstorms and the tornadoes they spawned---with more deaths to boot.

We have many many places that are seeing ongoing flooding and all----the scope of all of this---if not always intense in all places but still bad like the flooding we are having were I am--it is something that is is such a long and sustained situation as it has been--it is sort of unrelenting.

In most bad weather outbreaks---they last maybe a day or so then its done, people as soon as they can get to work cleaning up, rebuilding and such----but with this current thing---you no more than crawl out of what is left of your house to see what your situation is---that you have to go back and take shelter again and again and again because the bad weather just keeps on coming.

When it comes to intense bad weather though---the scale of the bad storms is getting to be historic and unprecedented----meeting or surpassing past severe storm outbreaks----so far in 2011---we are in the range of having had at least 500 deadly tornadoes in the past four to six weeks and the number grows nearly every day that passes.

This report http://www.kplctv.com/story/14524700/spring-2011-is-setting-weather-records does not include the deaths that happened overnight and yesterday since that story was written.

Here is a link to a Weather Channel page that shows yesterdays tornadoes: http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/tornado-outbreak-april-27_2011-04-27

Another Weather Channel story on yesterday's outbreak: http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/Tornado-cuts-path-of-destruction_2011-04-27

[12voltman59]

It is official now---yesterday's outbreak of severe storms and tornadoes goes on the record as one of the top such outbreaks in American history---right along with the great tornado outbreak of April 4, 1974--with this one yesterday--there were several hundred tornadoes sighted and in Alabama alone----I just heard something like 129 people are known dead with that number bound to change either up or down as officials sort out the situation. There were something like 11 known dead in Georgia and all totaled thus far---the death toll stands at 159 in yesterday's storms.

Adding this a bit later--now the death toll stands at around 200!! The towns of Tuscalosa, Alabama and Ringgold, Georgia are basically GONE!!

[DuckiesDarling]

Yeah Volt, they were saying they would have to go back to 1974 to find a day that was as severe as yesterday on the weather channel. I remember watching a film at elementary school called "Day of the Killer Tornadoes" about the April 3rd and 4th, 1974 outbreak and they do have it on youtube, just do a search it's a 3 part film. Scary as hell, not just the 70's clothes either.

On the other hand, where I live it's more a flooding thing. Was able to snap a couple pics on the way to town this morning. Normally we have a few different options for getting to town from our road, well option 1 and 2 were closed due to high water, had to go in the opposite direction from town for about a mile to the nearest cross street and was able to get to the main road that way. I'm gonna attach the pics, they are of the water closing the outside lanes on each side of the main route through to downtown, you get to see my view from Dad's truck. In one you can see a car turning, that car was using the only way to get through to where they live off a street that has high water covering about 200 feet that just happens to be in the way of most traffic. Gotta feel for the ones that have to detour to get home but you gotta feel more for the ones that don't have a home to go to.

Gonna add a few more pics, now remember, this is not rivers for us, it's swollen creeks and drainage ditches and just the sheer abundance of rainfall in the last few weeks here. The new pics are from a newspaper reporter Jeff D'Allessio for TheNewsEnterprise.

[Realist]

Ah, old 31W! How many times have I traveled that way?

So, you're OK DD?

I was working at Ft Knox, in '74. My boss was from Brandenburg. He came to work that day, after spending the first night in his brand new house. Then that evening, he had nothing to go home to!

His wife ran to the basement, when she heard a "locomotive" coming. Then, looked up to see her house lift off it's foundation and disappear. She didn't get a scratch!

3 days later, her little Boston terrier found his way home...no telling where he was taken to. He was skinned up, but alive!

They changed his name from Sport to Lucky!

[12voltman59]

Now--the death toll from that round of storms has exceeded 300!! That is a pretty high death toll number in this day and time with all the better quality forecasting and such we have these days.

I feel so sad for the folks who live in these areas---over the years---I have been to or through most of them---I surely am right through Ringgold, GA a great deal--I often stop for gas and or food there on my many trips running up and down I-75.

This weather is getting to be "too much" but the thing is--watching both one of my local weather forecasters and on The Weather Channel they said the same thing---they said we can expect this weather pattern to continue for at least another month or so since it is being influenced by a "La Nina" weather pattern out in the Pacific Ocean that causes the jet streams to take the storms along a more southerly track--and April is usually the less stormy month than May!! I sure hope they are wrong and that May is a rather gentle and mild month weatherwise----if we are just getting started with all this weather and May will be as bad or worse--is there going to be anything left of the places affected by this wild weather??

One thing for sure---this crappy weather is really going to wind up hitting us in the pocketbook for many reasons!

[DuckiesDarling]

Agreed Volt, normally around here we plant on Derby Day, the first Saturday in May. This year we'll be lucky to even have the ground dry enough to break, let alone expect any seeds to flourish should we be lucky enough to plant. Around here growing most of your own vegetables cuts grocery bills considerably, we normally plant enough rows of corn that we spend an entire day harvesting and shucking and then freezing cobs for the winter and making cut off corn and freezing that as well. We enjoy the excess cooked right away or slow grilled on the BBQ.

Same with green beans and peas and tomatoes and zucchini and squash. Nothing like a good year of vegetables from your own land. Farmers out West won't be able to plant their wheat and corn and that will inpact prices on everything that requires flour. Feed for cows will be more expensive so the price on milk will go up. And we might be able to ignore the $4 a gallon gas in favor of alternate transportation but we can't very well stop buying things necessary for life, itself. Gonna be a hard year for the US markets no matter if May is kind and gentle.