Lightning and torrential downpour....thanks!

[lucky1]

It was wonderful last night, despite sheet lightning scaring my socks off.
Had never seen sheet lightning here in all these years.
Lasted for hours, and just before the torrential rain started, nearly 20 fires had started in the dry hillsides and forests surrounding town.

Then the rain came.
It rained so hard it would've hurt if you were outdoors.
Hours later at bedtime it was still raining, but more gently.

All the fires were extinguished by the rain, and fire crews aided by helicopters, attended hot spots to ensure they were out.
Officials today said had the rain not arrived, entire sections of this treed mountainous valley would have been evacuated from the lightning-caused fires.

Roads were washed out, people's basements flooded, businesses lost power.

But today everything's fresh and green and clean.
I'm grateful no-one was hurt; but we sure needed the rain.
Won't have to water for a week even though the hot weather is returning.

Thank you, rain gods...but you can keep the lightning and thunder.
The dog is still frantic...

Barb

[TerdalFarm]

Nice description.
Sounds like Oklahoma!

[Cameron_z6a_N.S.]

So you DID end up getting some of NS' weather after all!

[lucky1]

Not as hot here as Oklahoma but it's hot enough for me.

Yes, thanks for the rain Cameron...I owe you!

Yesterday's radio announcement: "The North Okanagan received one-quarter of its annual precipitation Wednesday...over 3 inches rain in 3 hours".

Barb

[canadianplant]

LOL sounds liek a good ole prairie storm!!!!

I have to ask barb... what you mean by sheet lightning. The bring blue flash that goes between the clouds, that isnt forkedÉ

[lucky1]

More like cloud-to-cloud lightning (horizontal), lighting up almost the entire horizon.
I've guessed that "sheet lightning" is the entire viewscape lights up like a white sheet has been hung in front of your vision.

And, turning around, 5 or 6 bolts (sky to ground) of lightning at a time on the other side of valley.

Bloody spectacular, excuse the expression.

Don't want to bore anybody, but a friend's place on a treed hillside almost went up in smoke with a direct hit to a big pine tree beside his house.
He and his 3 neighbours live behind a locked (communal) gate on the road.
Here's his email yesterday:

Mornin’

Yesterday, our day started normal enough. Nice clear, hot Okanagan day. By late afternoon the western hills started to get a halo of clouds sent over from the Coast. Not unusual for a pleasant summer evening. Usually they just stay in the western sky. But then they started to build – and move out – and get ugly - and dark - and then the wind started. They did not fly over at a high elevation like normal; rather they aimed their wrath right at us. Like it was personal. We got hit. Lightning all around us - streak lightning hitting the ground right in front of our house - huge walls of sheet lightning filling a whole segment of sky. Strikes everywhere. Don’t even bother counting to ten. It was a smash of light followed by a deafening roll of thunder right away rolling through the night and rattling our house. Scary. And wind – not from any one direction but from all around.

Then the neighbours call – Fire! Get down and open the gate – 911 has been called – it’s up behind Bannister’s house. So there I am opening our big steel gate with lightning striking just in front of me. Just a little nervous. But I got it open just in time for the fire department’s spotter and I escorted him up the hill. There it was – my fear – my long-time dread – the horror of living in a rural area. Flames taller than the trees scorching up to lighten the dark sky. Just above my car. A massive anger. Oh my God! Guy on the radio, fire truck is on the way, could I go back to the gate to lead him up. Down I go, back to the gate, nervous would not describe my actions. Was I in shock? Maybe. And then – all of sudden – a wall, and I mean a wall, of rain. Huge droplet the size of marbles smacking the windshield like they were trying to break in. So I wait – I can hardly see out the windows of the car – lightning and thunder slapping the sky. Was the storm moving off? Wishful thinking I guess. I am left with my own thoughts. And I wait. It seemed like a wait forever but in reality, maybe five minutes.

With the fire truck in tow I head up my own personal river of darkness; back up our long windy dark driveway through a wall of darkness and pelting rain; with the forest I love darkening our track and the black sky beyond. Forget the sun, it is long gone. I can hardly see. My headlights really don’t help and I drive mostly from memory. Around the corner at Banister’s and it was like a marvel – no flames – well, a few. The rain, the marvelous rain, had rescued us. I just wanted to go home.

For the rest of the evening we watched the emergency traffic heading up and down the hill. Easy from the safety of our house. Caught a bit of TV and every so often, check outside – still raining. Just keep it coming. Don’t stop.

This morning we are all clouded in. And our forest is soaking wet. But still there. The storm hit Lynda’s garden pretty bad. Our Russian Olive shrubs look pretty sad all hanging down and droopy but most upsetting is that our wonderful Acacia tree has been blown over. But we think we can pull it back up and set it right – after my morning coffee.

We just want to make today normal.

Barb

[Okanagan desert-palms]

Barb we got the same storm here. It was warm and sunny 32c 90f and in one hour the black clouds rolled over the lake. we just got the boat back to the slip when all hell broke loose. Many boats were not as fortunate as they were in some serious trouble with the wind and sheets of rain,and lightning similar to this.http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=lig ... D0&first=0 No drownings from the storm "GOOD"

John

[lucky1]

John, it occurred to me that you guys might be out on the lake in the boat ... glad you made it in safely.

Was that bing link taken in Kelowna?
There were lightning-set fires in Vernon. Any in Kelowna before the rain started?

It was quite a night...storms usually last a couple of hours in the Okanagan and presto they're gone.
Not this one though.

Barb

[Okanagan desert-palms]

Barb we had several friends on the westside of the lake with a birds eye view looking at lightning induced fires wondering if we were alright on this side. The rain put them out real quick. Lot`s of branches down here and that`s it. Now everything is nice and green again for a little bit.

John

[lucky1]

Can you just imagine if that rain hadn't arrived?
The Kelowna fires of 2003/4 (?) would've been equalled

Yes nice and green and cool for one day...then the heat ramps up again until the 27th on the long-range f'cast.

Barb

[sidpook]

Thank you, rain gods...but you can keep the lightning and thunder.
The dog is still frantic...

Barb

Excellent. We finally have been getting a lot too here in south jersey. 8 inches here in the past two weeks and 11 inches just yesterday in Vineland nj...Woohoo!!!

[lucky1]

Glad you've had some relief, Michael.
That's a HUGE amount of rain...man, oh man!
It would be more than half our annual precip

Barb

[DesertZone]

Excellent. We finally have been getting a lot too here in south jersey. 8 inches here in the past two weeks and 11 inches just yesterday in Vineland nj...Woohoo!!!

Thats crazy. We only get 9 inches for the whole year.

[sidpook]

Excellent. We finally have been getting a lot too here in south jersey. 8 inches here in the past two weeks and 11 inches just yesterday in Vineland nj...Woohoo!!!

Thats crazy. We only get 9 inches for the whole year.

Right...my gardens are amazing right now. It looks like Puerto Rico out here!