Growing up on a farm in Minnesota, the weather was a big part of my life. Living in California now, I’m not quite as affected by it, but I realize it’s still a factor.
Hurricane Hilary was headed our way and was forecast to arrive on Sunday. What? I live in the desert in Southern California, over 120 miles from the coast! They don’t have hurricanes here, do they? Well, it turns out they do. Fortunately, they don’t occur often. The last hurricane that hit California was 84 years ago, long before hurricanes were given names.
I knew what to expect because I had experienced my first hurricane years ago. That was Hurricane Betsy, which barreled through New Orleans and made its way up to Biloxi, Mississippi, where I lived. Unlike tornadoes, which can strike in a heartbeat, hurricanes take their sweet time harassing you. By the time Hurricane Hilary reached us, its strength should have weakened considerably, but that didn’t mean we would go unscathed. And we didn’t.
Friday evening, before Hilary’s scheduled arrival on Sunday, we had a brief electrical storm that knocked down some power lines. My California gal friend remarked how wrong the weatherman had been in his forecast. The hurricane had arrived two days before the predicted date! she said. WRONG KIDDO! That wasn’t the hurricane. That was just a routine electrical storm. I don’t think she believed me.
On Saturday, It became cloudy and humid. Locals were shaking their heads and proclaiming, “This is it? What about this so-called “hurricane” headed our way?” It was also quiet that Saturday night. It started out cloudy and humid Sunday morning with just a slight breeze. Weather forecasters were still emphatic that people stay home, stay safe, and stay off the roads. The locals kept thinking, what’s the big deal?
Then everything changed. The tropical storm reached our home Sunday afternoon. It started to rain – far heavier and longer than we had ever seen. Suddenly, the wind picked up and blew like crazy from the southwest. Then, the winds came in from the northeast, blowing 57 miles an hour. With the wind came more rain, sheets of rain! Our average annual rainfall is 6 inches, but we got 4 inches during that afternoon storm. The naysayers were shocked. The torrential rains went on for hours. Trees were bending, with many driven to the ground. Our electricity blinked off and on intermittently, and large palm tree husks were falling everywhere. WOW! My California gal believed me now when I said the Friday night occurrence was NOT the hurricane.
A weird thing happened during the middle of the storm. I got a phone call from our next-door neighbor. They’re snowbirds who aren’t here during the summer. At first, I didn’t even recognize who it was. They never speak to us or nod their heads – not even when we’re standing next to each other at the mailbox. They didn’t seem to want a relationship with any neighbors. After seven years of this treatment, we had given up on being friendly to them – it wasn’t worth it.
The reason for their phone call? They wanted to know if I would go next door and see if their swimming pool was overflowing! I hesitated for a minute. The winds were still howling at over fifty miles an hour, and the rain was at its worst. So, did I go? Of course, I did! I’m a Presbyterian Minnesota farm girl, after all. The pool had about 10 inches to go before water would start pouring over its edge. Hubby was highly annoyed with me for braving the storm at its height. He wasn’t even aware I was doing it! I can’t say I blame him, especially since I was only wearing my robe!
I phoned the neighbor back and assured her all was well. She was overjoyed and thanked me repeatedly. She said she would have us over for dinner once they returned to the desert!
Here’s a short quiz for you: 1) Will we hear from them once they return to the desert? 2) If we do, should we accept their invitation to dinner?
Fortunately, our area avoided major storm damage. Many trees were lost, and a few of our friends’ roofs leaked. The low areas had a bit of flooding, and it took a week before some freeway exits could be opened. Hubby had a doctor’s appointment two days after the storm and had to drive through several flooded areas. The aggravating thing about that was I just had the car washed! Not good! Well, I suppose his doctor’s appointment was more important. Once the storm subsided, everything was beautiful. Months of accumulated sand and dust were washed from trees and flora! Everything was bright and clean. The air was refreshing.
My home state of Minnesota has severe weather. Over the years, I’ve been stranded at gas stations and friendly farmhouses when caught in blizzards. Why would I ever get caught in a blizzard? Aren’t there storm warnings? Yes, but I wanted to get somewhere and thought I could beat it or drive through it! Anyway, that was when I was young and stupid. That wouldn’t happen today. Wait a minute! I just braved a hurricane to check on an unfriendly neighbor’s swimming pool! Good Grief!
My parents experienced many blizzards. During one storm, they noticed a car stopped on the side of the highway near the end of their long driveway. Worried someone could be in the car, Dad braved the storm to check. It was a good thing he did. There was a young woman inside the car, freezing to death. He brought her into the house, and they warmed her up with blankets and hot soup. She was forever grateful and would stop by and thank them repeatedly over the years.
Then there’s the occasional tornado! I’ve seen a few. One moved our barn a few inches off its foundation. One twisted the metal clothesline posts into a corkscrew. We would hightail it to the cellar for the most part. However, being curious and somewhat naive, we kept running up the stairs to look out the windows to see what was happening!
Some folks in tornado country have official storm shelters. They’re big holes in the ground covered with a metal dome. The problem is critters and snakes make them their home. I could never understand why so few homes have basements! But then, what good would that do me as I would keep running upstairs to see what’s happening!
I respect lightning. I’ve watched ignoramus golfers out on the course as lightning struck nearby. Senior golfer Lee Trevino has been hit by lightning several times. So what has he learned? “If God wants to play through, let him.” Trevino never worries about lightning when he’s using a one iron. “Not even God can hit a one iron!”
My scariest lightning event was as a kid when my sister and I were standing at the kitchen sink doing the dishes. As usual, we were bickering, and it was getting ugly. “I HATE YOU!” “I HATE YOU MORE!” Then lightning hit the house, causing this huge bright flash at the sink! We both started crying, hugged each other, and I said, “I love you!” She screamed, “I LOVE YOU MORE!” – and so it goes.
California doesn’t escape Mother Nature’s wrath. We have the “haboob,” a wind event unique to the desert. It’s a very dangerous swirling, high-speed windstorm full of sand. Then there are earthquakes. I probably should take them more seriously than I do. Hubby belongs to our HOA emergency preparedness committee. As a result, we have emergency survival kits available. I’m still waiting to see what he will put in the 55-gallon plastic barrel he claims he bought to store emergency water. Could it be me? Whenever we have a disagreement, I think of that empty blue barrel in the garage and start treating him a little nicer, and I will do so until he fills it!
Fires are of significant concern in California, not just in the forests but among the many communities surrounded by acres of dry grass. The worst fire I can recall was when Hubby and I lived in the Bay Area and went to a San Francisco 49ers game at Candlestick Park. During our parking lot tailgate party, everyone became covered with large black ashes falling from the sky. It took us a while to figure out what was happening. The ashes were being carried by the wind from a huge East Bay fire across the bay, raging in the hills above Oakland. When those hot ashes reached the cold air of the Pacific Ocean they fell to the ground.
Our hearts and prayers go out to the people of Maui, Hawaii, who have suffered so much during their recent massive fire. So sad and so shocking.
Are you a person greatly affected by or particularly interested in the weather and other natural events? I would love to read your comments on this subject of such great importance in our lives.
5 Comments
I was concerned about how you turned out when Hilary hit you so I watched the news on several channels and looked for news on my cell phone. I figured you were fine since I didn’t hear anything and I didn’t think you lived where it was flooding.
My college roommate was hiking in Yosemite with about five others and there were dark storm clouds.
The next thing he knew, he was groggy and waking up. So were his hiking partners.
My roommate and exclaimed, “we’ve been struck by lightning.”
The hike leader calmly replied: “Actually, it was side flash.”
I’ve often reflected that if it was fatal, the obituary would have simply said tragic lightning strike.
I live in Arizona and grew up here. I lived in the Phoenix area for several years and am quite familiar with haboobs. I was driving home from work one day when one came barreling through. I pulled off the highway and turned off my lights so no one would run into me. In a few minutes, it passed and I continued on, dustier but unscathed. When I was about 5 our family visited extended family in West Texas. A tornado hit and we all went down into the storm cellar. We huddled among quilts and canned produce. My great aunt, who seemed about 80 to me, left the cellar to go find the dog. I was so scared she would be carried off, just like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. Everyone made it out OK, but I noticed that all the house windows were open, I guess to prevent breaking out in the storm. My dolly was covered in dust as was everything else. My mother told me stories of living in the Dust Bowl when she was a girl. They set the table with the plates turned over to prevent the dust. It got in everywhere. I’m glad you survived Hilary. All we got was a lot of soaking rain. No problems with that! 🙂
I hope your neighbor has you over, but I’m betting the invite will never happen. If it does, I hope you go. I’m guessing at that point you’ll know they are likely shy people and you’ll end up having a great time. Keep us posted!
Glad you survived Hilary without too much damage. Assume you were not in Biloxi when Katrina hit. New Orleans got all the publicity when the levies failed, but Katrina made landfall in Gulfport. That meant Biloxi was in the dreaded Eastern quadrant. Remember the football stadium many blocks north of the gulf? The Salvation Army had purchased it from the city before Katrina. When Katrina hit, they converted it a volunteer center to house and feed volunteers from all over the country. There was a mark on the stadium more than 10 feet above the ground as I recall that marked how high the storm surge had reached that far inland! That was unforgettable. Thank you to the Salvation Army for a great job.