June 28, 2017
Stormageddon 2017: This Time, It's Personal
It's shortly after 11pm here at Pond Central, and I got home from work about 15 minutes ago. Yeah, I did a 12 hour day, plus some, but not because I was feeling diligent or anything. No, it's because leaving would have been stoopid. But why, I hear you ask. Well, let's take a look at the weather radar picture for 910pm Pond Central time:
Boy, that's a lot of red and dark red. Do you see where it says "Cherry Valley"? That's approximately where my job is located... have you ever seen purple on a weather map before? I sure haven't, and to be blunt, I hope I never do again. Because holy crepe on a popsicle stick, that was a completely horrible storm. At one point, there were three angry red triangles on the radar, each one signifying "tornadic activity"... either an actual twister on the ground, visible strong rotation in the clouds, or spotted via doppler radar. My guess is that they were all doppler'd, since one of them was heading right down the street my place of employ is situated upon, yet we're still there.
No, what my side of Duckford got was rain and lots of it in a short time, followed by even more immediately after, accompanied by a side of rain, with a rain apertif. Torrential would be the word I'm looking for. Low-lying areas were completely flooded... and please note, the main exit from the job's parking lot is "a low-lying area." I know this because of the squad car parked blocking the way out. Fortunately, there's a back exit, which isn't low-lying, but then came the drive home. There are three major ways I can get to Pond Central:
1) secondary/tertiary road "A" to road "B", aka "Pond Central's road".
2) Arterial road "C" to secondary/tertiary road "D" to road "B".
3) Road "C" to Arterial road "E" to road "B".
...there is also 2a) "C" to "D" to side road "F" to "E" to "B".
1) is the way I usually take to get home, and I never even considered taking it tonight... no streetlights at all, and it's nothing but up hill/down hill the entire way. I never take 3)... it's too far out of the way. So 2) it was then!
Until I got to "B"... and saw the police had blocked it off due to flooding in both directions. Right, time to double back and try 2a). I take this way even less than I do 3), just because why bother? Well, halfway up "F" there was a frickin' river flowing across it. I saw a semi cross it okay, but it bloody well left a wake and mini-tsunami behind it. Hell, there was a bow wave any naval vessel would have been proud of. Did I mention that the Duckmobile is not a semi?
Turn around, double back again to take 3). This worked, all the way until "E" intersected "F"... where a river ran through it. Not a deep one, fortunately, but it gave me pause... and it made me wish he Duckmobile was a DUKWmobile. So thus ended my epic trek from work to home... a trip that usually takes eight minutes was a 40 minute adventure.
I just saw that we got three inches of rain between 7pm and 8pm. Good weather for rubber ducks!
Okay, I'm going to bed... gotta go to work in the morning!
Posted by: Wonderduck at
10:52 PM
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1
Glad you got home safely! That just looks like too much inclement weather for one patch of Earth, man.
Posted by: GreyDuck at June 29, 2017 07:28 AM (rKFiU)
2
Wow, 3" of rain in an hour, that's torrential indeed. I've experienced that kind of rainfall once before, and that was a tropical storm in Panama. There, all the roads and such have enormous drainage facilities, and it still wasn't enough and there was significant flooding, and you really didn't want to be out in it, the 100 foot walk to my car was amazing, saying it was like being in a shower is an understatement. I can't imagine what it would be like when the rain is cold, and in a place without drainage built on the proper scale. Glad you made it home safe with less than an hour delay!
Posted by: David at June 29, 2017 12:06 PM (Kdr95)
3
I've seen purple on a weather radar numerous times. In winter. To signify sleet, freezing rain, things of this nature.
In WINTER.
The opposite of now.
Ye cats. May ducks have mercy on your soul.
In WINTER.
The opposite of now.
Ye cats. May ducks have mercy on your soul.
Posted by: Thomas at June 29, 2017 03:01 PM (mSIXR)
4
"Good weather for rubber ducks"
Now you've done it. I'm of to YouTube.
Fal de ral de ral do Fal de ral de ral do!
Now you've done it. I'm of to YouTube.
Fal de ral de ral do Fal de ral de ral do!
Posted by: Ben at June 30, 2017 07:52 PM (2TIMK)
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