Stormy Weather

105 thoughts on “Stormy Weather”

1. Hi Janis, Interesting how your post arrived in my inbox just now. I am immersed in all of the headlines, stories, video footage of the fires, loss of homes, and evacuations in British Columbia. Areas I know well and affecting family/friends.

   I have been reading/watching news about Hilary. Major scary! Yes, ‘excitement’ and ‘worry.’ I have been procrastinating on checking my grab bag for essentials and important papers. Yuck! All of this! Stay safe Janis, Paul and everyone! xoxo Erica

   1. It does seem so ironic that we are expecting a major amount of rain when other areas need it now so much. Unfortunately, I think we all are headed for lots of topsy-turvy weather patterns in the years to come. I’m following the stories of the Canadian fires too, as well as the ones closer to home. I feel so helpless to assist, other than donate to recovery funds. Good reminder to keep an updated grab bag. You never know.

      1. Yes, topsy-turvy weather…I gravitate to “Red Cross”…never sure what to do….xo

2. Enjoy and stay safe. There is something exciting about watching a major weather event.

   1. We get so few of these events, that I think we are a bit unsure how to react. I am so lucky to have a roof over my head and walls that surround me and will keep me safe.

3. I’m watching from the northern part of the state. Wow. Having grown up in Orange County, I don’t recall anything like this. I hope you and your loved ones remain safe.

   1. It’s so odd to see my community in the path of a hurricane. Thank goodness that it is expected to turn into a tropical storm, but still nothing to take lightly. It should be an interesting few days…

4. Wishing you the best as you ride out whatever comes your way! We don’t typically get tornadoes but lately there have been some as close a 5 miles away. Topsy Turvey weather is right!

   1. Thank you! It is so weird to hear “hurricane” and “southern California” in the same sentence. We need rain, but not that much all at once. Tornados terrify me.

      1. Either reporting is better or there are more severe weather in places that don’t usually get it..

5. Good luck! Will be watching to see what happens from a safer distance (so far).

   1. Weird, huh? I don’t think it will get up your way but I hope you at least get a little rain.

6. We are certainly hearing that there is going to be a lot of rain. Since you don’t get more than about 9 inches per year, this storm may give you a whole year’s worth of rain in a week or less! On the up side, you won’t have any pollution! San Diego is in my prayers. I hope you all stay safe. Everyone loves San Diego! 🙂

   1. So far, we’ve just had rain but no wind. I think the major part of the storm is expected to hit later today. For now, I’m enjoying the warm summer shower… hopefully it will stay that way.

      1. We are getting a little wind, a little rain, but nothing significant. Are you still doing ok?

         1. Yes. It was a bit wild last night, but everything is fine now. I would prefer not to have any more tropical storms 🙂

            1. haha, I think they’ve moved back east where they belong. 🙂

7. Hi, Janis – Stay safe and please keep us all posted.
   Did you and hubby get the outdoor project finished?

   1. Yes, we had some help yesterday to get everything finished. Whew!

      I wish we could send some of the rain north to the Canadian fires.

8. Stay safe. Send rain north… don’t we all wish.

   1. I wish I could, Bernie. We do need the rain, but not as much as is predicted all at once.

      1. I just caught up on the news. Wow – it looks like a bad one. Stay safe.

9. Thanks for giving us your weather report on the ground. I’ve seen the warnings about Hillary and am hoping the storm won’t be bad for you.

   1. So far, it’s just a lovely warm summer rain. I think Hilary’s force isn’t expected until later today.

      1. I’ll be thinking of you.

10. All the best with Hilary. I’d be the same – a mix of emotion. Looking forward to hearing how it goes.

    1. We get so few actual weather events here so it’s hard not to get a little excited. Hopefully those words won’t end up sounding terribly naive in retrospect.

11. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy had been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone (comparable to a category 1 hurricane) by the time it hit the northeast. Still, the flooding was devastating. Our son was a volunteer with the local fire department at the time, and the crew had all the trucks out pumping basements throughout the storm. At one point, the firehouse itself started to flood, and the volunteers had to go back to move their personal vehicles to higher ground. Now, more than 10 years later, that image of a dozen cars and trucks jammed into a small triangle of high ground off the main highway through town still sticks in my mind. I’m sure there will be people in the communities of southern California reaching out to help friends and family members in the aftermath of this storm, too. We can’t control nature, but we can prepare the best we can, strengthen our resolve to face any challenges it brings and move forward once the storm has passed. Stay safe, Janis, and please let us know how you made out, whenever that’s possible.

    1. Thanks, Mary. You are so right. I think many of us, after hearing so much about Hurricane Hilary, learn that it has been downgraded to a tropical storm and think, “no big deal.” But, of course, it is. I do worry about people who live right on the coast and in lower-lying areas. Those without housing at all are especially vulnerable. I worry about the birds too… where do they shelter? Climate change will make these strange weather events more and more common, and we all need to learn how best to cope.

12. Here’s hoping it’s not as bad as forecasted. I cannot tell you how many times, I’ve pulled things in that could become airborne in a storm like you are expecting. It is always better to be safe than sorry. I also remember one time when we were without electricity for eight days because our power lines were pulled right off the house. As for rain, well, we’ve seen more rain this summer than we have sun. Stay safe.

    1. Wow, no electricity for eight days! I think we’d be fine but that’s a long time to eat cold food and be without connection to the outside world. We really need this rain (as long as it isn’t too much, all at once) but we definitely could do without the wind.

13. I hope you and Paul are just fine, Janis! I don’t remember ever hearing of California (or anywhere on the west coast) having to brace for a hurricane or its “side effects”. What next in this weird weather year, I wonder?

    Deb

    1. Deb, I’m thinking a snowstorm in Florida might be next!

       1. You might be right! But I hope not!!!

    2. It is so weird, Deb. Sadly, I think we will continue to have these crazy events for the foreseeable future, so we better get used to it.

       1. Sad but I think you speak the truth…😢

14. Hi Janis, I did a double-take when I read about Hilary a couple of days ago. I immediately thought of you, and the daughter of one of our good friends who also lives in San Diego. Wow! How weird is this? As you know, we have had a lot of experience with hurricanes and tropical storms and are here to say that Mother Nature is the boss, so pay close attention and don’t be stubborn. These things tend to have a mind of their own. I’m sure you are as ready as you can be, and hopefully, this thing will be a non-event for everyone in its path. Take care. Blessings.

    1. Thank you, Suzanne. This light rain we are experiencing now really does feel like the calm before the storm. I do worry a bit if this truly becomes a “non-event” because people might pay less attention if it happens again (and, with our crazy weather events, I imagine it will). Most of us are taking the warnings seriously and I hope damage and disruption will be minimal.

15. I understand how waiting for a major storm is fascinating. Preparation, planning, then distracting yourself until it arrives. Been there, done that many times. Writing this on Sunday morning, hoping you are safe– and dry.

    1. So far, so good, Ally. They say the brunt of the storm is still a few hours away, so we’ll see.

16. Janis, be safe. Keith

    1. Hi Keith… good to “see” you. Everything is fine so far. Just waiting for Hilary to show herself.

17. My son and Daughter-in-law are getting in some extra food and Big Baby Boy called to talk to He-Man about his generator in case they lose power for days. We’re expecting the tail end of the storm up here, but I’m doing what you did and bringing in the outdoor umbrella and getting things put away that will fly or tumble in the wind. We’re used to wind here as we get some pretty wicked Zephyr winds.

    Stay safe and dry!

    1. I am more concerned about the wind than the rain and I hope everything that needs to be protected is (although, I’m concerned that I have no clue what a strong wind is capable of). Our powerlines are undergrounded so fingers crossed that electricity continues to flow. Hope all is well for your family too.

18. Speaking from experience as a native Floridian, I know how devastating hurricanes can be…even if they’re downgraded to a tropical storm. I know well those mixed feelings of “excitement and worry.” I’m glad you prepared for the storm, and I’m glad you’re not in a flood zone. Take good care! We’ll be anxiously awaiting an update.

    1. I really feel for those who live in areas that could flood. Sandbags help, but water has a way of finding a path in. We are prepared as much as we can be and now it’s just a matter of waiting to see what Hilary has in store for us.

19. When I first heard about Hilary I didn’t pay attention just assuming it was heading to FL. Then I tuned into the people repeating Baja over and over, then SD- the Palm Springs. Just watching the news as I write this. SD looks very gray and the sky does not seem welcoming. It’s clear lots of rain is coming for CA especially. Stay safe and write when you can.

    1. It’s so strange, Deb. I was completely unaware just a few days ago (I first read about it in the New York Times) because weather is not something we pay too much attention too. Silly me.

20. Hope your outcome thru this is just being water logged and soggy. I’m trying not to worry about our Riverside property in Southern CA. We’ve had long heavy winter storms just last year that overwhelmed the street drains and had a flash flood run down our property line and drive mud into the shop under the roll up door. We’ve also had two large tree branches break off this summer that our tenant or the city took care of. Being 3 states away means there’s not much I can do to prepare for water and wind damage or even work thru the post storm clean up remotely. Have to admit the winds impact on the trees worry me more than the water! Take care and I’ll also be waiting for updates. The storms reach is also giving us very heavy rain here in Southern Idaho starting today.

    1. I hope your property is safe. I’d hard to hear about these events from far away. Do you have anyone who can give you updates?

       I feel the same way about the wind. A large, downed tree can cause major damage. We don’t have trees on our property, but I’m looking at our large euphorbia (it looks like a tall cactus) and wonder how it will get through this. It doesn’t have much of a root system and lots of top weight. Yikes!

       1. Yes we have both a tenant in the main house (we live on the back of the property in a small apt attached to a shop). So we’ll get word of any fall out. When we’re there we can take care of anything that happens…when we’re not there it’s quite the headache getting someone to show up with a chainsaw and take care of things like tree branches on the ground.

21. Janis, Hopefully you’re getting a good dose of rain and able to get back to normal in a day or so. I spent my entire career watching storm paths in the Southern States because of my job. They can take unexpected turns, so best to be cautious. I was shocked to see the Hilary path on the West coast. Very unusual. Stay safe.

    1. That’s my hope too, Tracey. So far, it seems that Hilary is following the expected path, which will bring her here in the early afternoon. So far, just rain and little wind, which is fine with me.

22. “I wonder if Hilary was sending a reconnaissance cloud to check things out before she blows into town.” That’s so great! Yeah, so… not sure about where you are, but it’s basically been drizzling here for hours, nothing more. And 40 mph winds are downgraded to 20 tops in a few hours. I wonder if they’ll drop to 11 or 7 by the time those hours arrive. Not complaining, and, of course it’s better to be safe than sorry. I don’t want to speak too soon, but so far this is kind of a let down. 😛

    1. Just steady rain here too. It looks like the brunt of the storm (if there will be a brunt) won’t hit us until early afternoon. I’m glad that the wind threat has been downgraded because that’s my biggest concern.

       1. Still just steady rain here. Agreed on the wind threat. I hope it stays like this until it’s over!

23. A shame Mother Nature couldn’t conjure something like this where all the fires are. I’m keeping a close eye on this (from Denver) because my grandson is based at Pendleton. Didn’t realize you were in that area. Stay safe and dry.

    1. There was a fire a little to the south of us so, hopefully, it is now fully doused. I’d love to send some excess rain to the north too. I think Mother Nature is signaling her unhappiness with the way we’ve treated her.

       1. Oh she’s more than unhappy. She’s having a hissy fit of major proportions. And has been for quite a while now.

24. Good luck. As I write, she’s got to be getting dang close if not already upon you. I’m far enough inland that I’m just hoping we get some moisture out of her shadow. It was supposed to rain all night, but not much happened. My neighborhood’s annual ice cream social is this afternoon, when torrential rains are predicted. I’ll believe it when I see it. Meanwhile I’m looking forward to roasting a chicken while the temperature is a little cooler.

    1. I think we are experiencing the first band of the storm. Just a steady, warm rain so far. There were a lot of events that had to be canceled here too. Rain in general isn’t a normal summertime occurrence here, let alone a hurricane or tropical storm. I’m sorry about your friend’s ice cream social. I hope she can reschedule.

       1. It was my neighborhood ice cream social and believe it or not, we held proceeded and had a much larger turnout than expected. So far it has hardly done more than light drizzle here…we could us a lot more rain. I’m hoping tonight we’ll get some. It’s weird because flood warnings have been issued for this area, which is very hard to take seriously. Hopefully it wall all be more anticipation than damage control.

25. Stay safe, Janis.

    1. Thanks, Donna. I’m sure we’ll be fine.

26. Hope you are weathering the storm safely!

    1. So far, so good. Just a constant rain… no wind.

27. You are not a weather wimp! You should be prepared for anything with a hurricane as predictions are not always accurate. We pretty much keep extra stuff on hand all year to avoid the rush to the stores, but it is still a bit scary as we hunker down to wait. It is good you don’t have to worry about flooding. Stay safe! We could almost use a good tropical storm here to break the drought!

    1. I think it’s smart to keep things on hand (sort of like not letting your gas tank get below half or a quarter full). One never knows what the universe – or Mother Nature – will throw at us. We are happy to get the rain… as long as it doesn’t over saturate the ground.

28. Welcome to the hurricane club, Janis! I hope you only get wind and rain with no flooding. Fingers crossed for you! – Marty

    1. Wow, I didn’t know that there was a club! I will look for my official badge and decoder ring in the mail. So far, everything is okay here, Marty. Just rain, no wind.

29. It has been a strange feeling preparing for something I’ve never previously experienced. We definitely took down all the wind chimes! We are living in interesting times, Janis! I certainly wish you well. ♥️

    1. You are right about being unsure about what exactly to do. We’ve done what we can and now we wait. I think we’ll be fine, and I hope you will be too. Interesting times, for sure.

30. I haven’t heard anything from my daughter who lives in Emerald Hills above the 94. You were smart to move things indoors and secure what you could. I sure wish that storm would come up north as the wildfire smoke here is at /unhealthy/hazardous numbers since yesterday. Wishing you all to stay safe!

    1. We certainly need the rain, but I’d love to be able to share it with the fire areas. I don’t know where Hilary is expected to peter out, but I hope she gets enough north to do some good.

       1. Our weather forecasts rain on Monday, but you know the old saying about the Pacific and Inland Northwest–wait 5 minutes… In a weird reversal, the fires in north central Washington are sending back the smoke to Canada, yikes.

31. Weather geek that I am, I’d be excited, too. With climate change, I am 100% sure it won’t be another 84 years before your next tropical storm. Hoping this one doesn’t cause too much trouble for you!

    1. I think you are right, Mark. We all need to come to terms with the life-changing weather events ahead. Our fingers are crossed that Hilary will pass through without too much drama.

32. I don’t think anyone is safe from strange and troublesome weather this summer, Janis. I’m glad you’re prepared and hope the storm mostly fizzles out before it does much damage. Stay safe.

    1. It has been very odd, here and elsewhere. We’ve had a very mild summer (while I read about severe temps elsewhere) and now excess rain (while other places burn). I fear that this craziness will be the new normal.

       1. We’ve had a beautiful summer here in western Oregon, Janis, but I know that could change at a moment’s notice. I don’t think any kind of weather is guaranteed these days.

33. We could use some rain here in southern Alberta if Hilary wants to immigrate to Canada for a brief visit…

    1. I really wish I could share. I’m sure we’ll get more than we can use in a short period of time.

34. I am a weather worrier Janis, so I feel for you. I’ve been hearing the updates on the CBS radio news and following on Twitter. I see the flooding has begun and on Twitter there was a topic of “Hurriquake” from the 5.0 magnitude earthquake near L.A. and also the worries of a tornado in the San Diego region. A triple whammy for California, which someone like me would indeed love to live in your pleasant climate. Please stay safe.

    1. Thank you, Linda. It’s 5pm here and the wind has just started to whip up. I think we’ll be fine but it will be an “interesting” several hours. That earthquake in L.A. was nuts. They must have thought the world was teetering on the brink. Fortunately, it was a small one.

       1. Well hopefully all the unsettled weather will happen before dark … yes, not a huge earthquake but with everyone’s nerves on edge, an earthquake or a tornado sure didn’t help the situation. Stay safe.

35. It sounds as if you’ve prepared as well as you can, and now all you can do is wait it out. A tropical storm can certainly cause damage, but it’s not nearly as scary as a hurricane. I hope everyone in your area..and beyond…stays safe!

    1. We had a crazy night with a lot of wind and rain but now everything is calm… and the sun is starting to appear. My husband and I took our usual neighborhood walk and didn’t see much damage beyond a small tree that was uprooted. Whew!

       1. So glad to hear you’re alright!!

36. Hoping you are safe and have no damage from Hillary. I don’t think any of us no matter where we live never know any more what kind of weather we will have.

    1. It was pretty crazy but not too bad. I am grateful to have a roof over our heads… and a husband who knows how to repair things if they break 🙂

37. I see this was posted about a day and a half ago, so you might be in the thick of it right now. Hoping you and yours are safe and your property is untouched. P.S. I had to laugh at “a very agitated whirlwind named Hilary.” I’m guessing some Republicans would describe Hilary Clinton that way. 😂

    1. I imagine Hillary Clinton was grateful that Hurricane Hilary spelled her name a bit differently 🙂 We had an “interesting” evening and night with a lot of crazy wind and rain. But now, it is a calm as can be.

       1. Glad it all turned out ok for you. We’re no stranger to all kinds of storms here in the Midwest and sometimes they can be quite scary.

38. I hoped you survived your first hurricane unscathed. We experience tropical storms and hurricanes frequently. Last year we had a mandatory evacuation (the hurricane shifted at the last minute and decimated Fort Meyers Beach instead of us). Yes, I have an evacuation plan written. We often gather things in for high winds and we’ve buttoned up for possible flooding twice since living here. I expect we will have to do stuff again this year – yes we store and reuse sand bags! Water is scarier than (most) wind, and power outages can last days. It’s a very different feeling and mindset. I do hope you had the excitement of the storm and not the damage!

    1. Fortunately, by the time it reached us, it was downgraded to a tropical storm. It still packed a punch, though (although I’ve never been through a true hurricane, so it probably paled in comparison). Not too much damage in the neighborhood that I can see. Flooding elsewhere, especially in the desert areas. This may become the new normal and I’ll have to create an evacuation plan like yours.

39. Wishing you the best throughout the storm. Love your area and hope there is not any significant damage. We have been battling smoke from all of the wildfires here in the PNW. Finally getting some blessed rain this morning. This coming from someone who loves the sunshine!

    1. It’s hard to worry about a lot of rain when others are dealing with the effects of too little rain. Too bad we can’t just even things out. As much as I’d like to think our area’s drought is over, I don’t imagine that’s true. I hope your rain continues and the PNW and Canada find relief from the fires soon.

40. From your comments, I see that you weathered Hilary (and I’m so glad you did), but you make a good point that preparing for tropical storms/hurricanes might become your new normal. I live in Tallahassee, just 20 miles from the coast (the part shaped like an armpit between the Panhandle and the peninsula). We’ve been here since 1990 and didn’t experience a hurricane directly until Hermine in 2016. Before that, Hurricane Kate hit our area in 1985. Hermine was a real wake-up call. We’d had tropical storms before, but not a hurricane.

    Now we’re looking at Idalia, and she seems to be aiming for my area. We don’t worry about evacuating since we’re far enough from the coast to avoid storm surges, but it’s a habit now to ensure that we have plenty of supplies to get us through days of power outages. We personally were so lucky with Hermine. I think our house was out of power for just a couple of days, but there were areas in my city that were without power for weeks. O

    ur new normal is that we no longer travel from September through November if we can help it. For us, those are the peak months for hurricanes 😦

    1. I’ve been following reports of the hurricane headed your way and it is worrisome. I’m glad to know that you are out of the storm surge zone. I hope that she doesn’t hit hard or, even better, it decides to take her fury somewhere else, away from land and people. Good to hear that you are taking precautions. Even being without power for a few days can be quite disruptive, as you know.

       Take care and let us know how everything comes out for you.

       1. Sadly, I think Idalia is shaping up to be worse than we’ve ever experienced in this part of Florida. No sleep for us or our cats tonight 🙂

          1. Fingers crossed for you!

41. Hi Janis! I’m assuming you didn’t get too much rain down in San Diego. Did you see the news coverage about Cathedral City and the I-10 being closed down? Those were about the worst of what happened locally. From what I gathered, CC got nearly twice as much rain as we did in La Quinta..(I think ours was about 2 and their’s about 3.5. Anyway, our house was fine. The wind broke some branches off our front tree and knocked our pots over but that was it. Thank goodness. Quite the storm for sure. Anyway, I hope otherwise all is well with you. ~Kathy

    1. We actually did get a fair amount of rain and the usual places had some flooding, but nowhere near what parts of the desert experienced. Good to know that your house is okay. Hopefully these tropical storms won’t be our new normal.

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