Hailstoned

Just came my closest ever to a lightning bolt, and I've experienced some close ones. Was at a softball practice in Ludlow, and the tumultuous sky, darkening off to the northwest and north had my attention-- and checking the NWS saw there was a tornado warned cell to the northwest. So practice over I decided to try a little intercept for whatever might be, and was driving my appropriately named F150 Ford Lightning north along Lyons street towards Granby with the front windows open. That route affords some pretty good views off to the west, and I could see the ragged lined edge of the rain off there, but though under forbidding skies-- not a drop yet where I was. Then, I swear, not 20 or 30 feet off, directly to the right out my front side window a sizzling bolt-- bamm-- and I could feel the shock of it- or was it just the adrenaline buzz of such a close hit? Just reminder again that especially in dynamic developing situations, bolts out of the blue can and do happen. I continued on, a half mile or so further, then another close bolt, and then blotto, visibility down to near zero. As I write back home in Monson, we just had another strike not far to the south that got our dog's attention. All in all I would say aside being ground zero in the May microburst, this has been the most consequential thunderstorm event in a summer that has been woefully lacking in such.

That's a queer choir you're preaching to.

Where's there's rot there's flies you've got.

I’m in Des Moines- An extended elevated thunderstorm came through at 3:30 this morning with sporadic gale force wind gusts; looking at a pretty sizable branch down out the window. Tonight’s possible derecho may pass a little north? In the meantime another day of real heat; not unlike what’s on tap back home

Fun to be under it-- Heavy showers seemingly back building from the east (redeveloping?) this evening in Monson.

But the wait time to be in need of the facilities post consumption, is about 30 seconds.

I'm one-- happily and comfortably so. If Ms. Mother N. hadn't wanted us to breathe in pine pollen and all the other detritus of the season floating around out there, she'd have fitted us with filtering gills or some such thing. I'm sitting in the living room, no fans, just a nice soft breeze stirring through, breathing in whatever she sends this way. (Oh, strange coincidence-- no one I know who's regularly out there "earthing" runs away shrieking at the sight of a random peanut or two...)

"Stick to your long-johns untill your long-johns stick to you"

Have had ours going-- fueled by pieces of a big dead oak, casualty of the caterpillar catastrophe of a few years ago-- that finally gave up the ghost with a huge splintering crash into our backyard a day or so after the violent downburst took out big chunks of several of our prized maples. As for the big oak, at least it came down well seasoned and ready to burn.

Shut em down, airtight, AC, and spawn children you have to take to the emergency room with one whiff of peanut butter.

Sounds like a plan. Appreciate the advice from a pro!

Luckily, the shed structurally came through pretty well. Just need to add a some roofing once I figure out how to remove our fallen friend.

O.K. Damage-Devas-- The scene from Monson after Saturday's violent down-burst. The smoke in one of the pics is from a live wire--

We’re about a mile south of that lightning bolt under the reversed U of the Pike. The bow or whatever was certainly flexed to the max here.