Welcome to my blog.
This is my creative outlet that could include my thoughts on anything from current affairs, my weight loss quest and things that just make me need to voice an opinion.
Yesterday we had some nasty weather roll across the Province of Ontario which produced some devastating storms in some communities. The rest of us were lucky enough to only deal with the numerous warnings and some intense active weather.
While four confirmed tornadoes hit some areas and caused one death and millions in damage, we dodged a bullet. There were tornado warnings and watches for our area which had us on edge a little as the evening progressed.
In the end, we were dealt some nasty thunderstorms with non-stop lightning, strong winds and heavy rain but the trailer I was in with my parents remained firmly planted on the ground.
Prior to the worst of the storm arriving I managed to take some photos of the impressive cumulus clouds on the leading edge reaching high into the sky. Quite often clouds like these are a good warning sign that trouble is on the way...and as it turns out, they were right again.
Cold fronts clashing with warm fronts, global warming or whatever is causing it, I wish the stormy weather we’ve been having this spring would give it a rest.
After one of our worst winters on record, the spring hasn’t proven to be much better as Mother Nature appears to be angry with us still.
I can only speak in regards to North America but it would seem we’re on pace to set a record (if we haven’t already) for the most tornados ever. Here in Ontario tornados do occur but not as frequently as they do in the infamous Tornado Alley in the U.S. We’ve had several already in this Province and the summer hasn’t even started yet.
Of course tornados are only one issue. The severe thunderstorms we’ve been seeing have produced extremely dangerous lightning and plenty of flooding all over the continent resulting in many lives being lost.
Just recently I was at work one night and I witnessed one of the worst lightning storms I can ever recall seeing in this part of the world. Normally I don’t mind lightning but this storm was so intense, it even had me on edge.
The lightning strikes were happening all around me and they were continual. As if the fear of being struck by a bolt wasn’t bad enough, the high winds and pelting rain had me not only running for cover but scanning the night sky for signs of a funnel cloud. It just had that feel about it. Luckily no tornadoes arrived.
I did have a brush with a tornado as a child. The year was 1973 and on July 13th my dad, mom, brother and I were heading to my grandparents house in Colborne, Ont. We were just passing through Brighton and were almost at the outskirts of town when the car was literally pushed all over the road by the force of the wind. Dad struggled but managed to keep the car under control and we carried on.
Luck was on our side that day. Had we looked out the back window of the car, we would have seen the tornado going through the town leaving a path of destruction. If we’d been just a minute later, we would have taken a direct hit. As it was, several buildings were destroyed and there was plenty of damage. If you'd like to read more about the tornado in Brighton, just click here.
As I’m typing this another thunderstorm has just passed through but luckily it wasn’t too severe but I’m sure we’ll have plenty of opportunities this summer to witness more of nature’s forces at work. Lets just hope we all make it through unscathed so we can enjoy another winter of freezing temperatures and a whole heap of snow.
Ever since I was a kid I have been fascinated by extreme weather events such as thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes and so forth.
When I was just a young lad, I recall my parents driving my brother and I to our grandparents house in Colborne. It was a weekly occurrence which sometimes involved spending the night there.
On this particular trip in 1973, I can distinctly remember us driving through the town of Brighton as we always did on this trip. As we were just heading out of town, I remember dad having a tough time keeping the car on the road as the winds picked up considerably and we moved from one side of road to the other. Dad regained control of the car and we continued on our way not thinking much of it at the time.
Later that evening we were on our way back home and as we came into Brighton the destruction was immediately apparent. We were detoured around the downtown as a tornado had destroyed the city hall and done major damage to other structures. Trees had been toppled. We drove by my Uncle's house and the huge tree in his front yard had been uprooted and fell into the roof of the house next door.
When we found out the time the tornado had struck, we realized it had gone through the town just moments after we had passed through and the strong winds that were moving the car were caused by the funnel cloud. Had we turned around and looked out the back window of the car, we would have seen the tornado going through the town. It was a close call indeed. To the best of my memory, nobody was killed, however I can't say for sure since I was just about 5 years old at the time.
The power of nature is nothing to take lightly and must be respected. My brother and sister-in-law and her family all live in Florida so hurricanes and the possibility of the next one making landfall near them is always a concern during this time of year. They've been fortunate so far with a few near misses but I can't help but think it's only a matter of time.
When most people think of tornadoes, they think of "Tornado Alley" in the United States as the likely place where these "fingers of God" will strike. However, we Canadians know all too well that the threat exists here as well. Just last week, two days of severe weather spawned several violent tornadoes near Winnipeg, Manitoba. Here is some footage of one of those giant twisters caught on tape by storm chasers.
