topic Re: Texas hit with storms in Community Chat

Texas hit with storms

BlueFinch — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 15:35:52 GMT

Just checking on my fellow Texans. I hope there's not another thread about this. I didn't see one, but I had very little sleep last night, storm watching, so I may have missed it.

It was a rough ride last night through early morning hours, with constant warnings blasting. I had torrential rain (my rain gauge overflowed at 5"), hail (thankfully, only nickel size, mostly), lots of lightening and strong, straight line winds.

But, I fared better than many who had significant property damage, with some tornado activity, along with egg size, to baseball sized hail. Of course the flooding led to water rescues, one near my house. Ducks could still paddle in my driveway right now. The ground is too saturated to absorb.

Aside from the damages, rain was welcomed. We were in the midst of Stage II water restrictions here, dealing with drought. The last heavy rain in my area was in 2019. It seems in many parts of TX, it's feast, or famine.

Hope everyone is okay and only has mud to deal with, nothing more.

Re: Texas hit with storms

MamaWick — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 15:47:20 GMT

We came through fine in our part of Hill Country. Happy to hear you did, too. It was pretty wicked. Some reports of "ball lightning" in the area. I had never heard of this. Our son in San Antonio fared well, too.

Re: Texas hit with storms

LonestarBabs — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 15:52:23 GMT

I'm in Dallas/Ft. Worth. Parts of the region were hammered by large hail as you described but thankfully none fell in my area. Rained during the night with more to come today, so our biggest risk now is flooding. I have a french drain around my property and it is doing its job!

Re: Texas hit with storms

beckyb1012 — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 16:03:15 GMT

Our East Texas weather this morning is just fog and light rain. Nothing more really is expected. I am about 80 miles from DFW.

Re: Texas hit with storms

BlueFinch — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 16:15:12 GMT

@MamaWick I was thinking of you (and the deer) up north from me, hoping you wouldn't have large hail. Glad you were okay.

Several years ago we had a bad storm. I was just looking out the front window, right at the moment, when ball lightening struck in middle of my driveway. I think both my feet left the floor at once. I didn't even know what it was at the time. It was amazing to see.

It was an electrical impact that made my hair stand on end, even in the house. My smoke detectors began screeching and then there was the smell of smoke.

We called the fire dept to check things out, but before they arrived I noted that the battery charger on my departed DH's motorcycle was the source of smoke. It completely ruined the charger. Crazy, huh?

The firemen checked all my walls with a devise to see any hot spots, but gave us an all clear. Needless to say, being alone now, I'm more than a little nervous when facing storms.

Re: Texas hit with storms

yellowrose — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 16:16:20 GMT

@beckyb1012 You must be near me. I'm 85 miles SE of DFW.

Hope everyone else that was in the storms path is OK.

Re: Texas hit with storms

BlueFinch — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 16:21:16 GMT

@LonestarBabs wrote:
I'm in Dallas/Ft. Worth. Parts of the region were hammered by large hail as you described but thankfully none fell in my area. Rained during the night with more to come today, so our biggest risk now is flooding. I have a french drain around my property and it is doing its job!

@LonestarBabs Every time it floods here, I tell myself to investigate french drains. Then it dries out and we're in drought again and I get complacent, like it will never flood again. You know, denial. Now is the time. I have to do something.

Re: Texas hit with storms

Icegoddess — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 16:27:29 GMT

@BlueFinch wrote:
@LonestarBabs wrote:
I'm in Dallas/Ft. Worth. Parts of the region were hammered by large hail as you described but thankfully none fell in my area. Rained during the night with more to come today, so our biggest risk now is flooding. I have a french drain around my property and it is doing its job!
@LonestarBabs Every time it floods here, I tell myself to investigate french drains. Then it dries out and we're in drought again and I get complacent, like it will never flood again. You know, denial. Now is the time. I have to do something.

I wouldn't expect a French drain to work if the streets are also flooded. We have one, but it's not to eliminate the possibility of flooding. We live on a hill so we don't want water flowing down and stopping against the house. Ours empties into the front yard. They had to cut the holding tank because they couldn't get through the rock even with a jackhammer, but I'm still surprised when I find the little cover popped up.

Re: Texas hit with storms

4kitties — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 16:28:33 GMT

Storms can be so frightening. I have never heard of ball lightning so I googled it.

Yikes!

Glad all are safe.

Re: Texas hit with storms

beckyb1012 — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 16:30:22 GMT

@yellowrose wrote:
@beckyb1012 You must be near me. I'm 85 miles SE of DFW.

Hope everyone else that was in the storms path is OK.

NE this way, sun is out now. Good thing because Red Dirt is this weekend.

Re: Texas hit with storms

Spurt — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 16:54:50 GMT

We got through the storm okay here in San Antonio ----lots of lightning and rain (and we needed rain badly).....But sadly reports of a tornado, high winds, hail and roofs being torn off buildings in the Castroville area....my thoughts and prayers go out to those people impacted....

@MamaWick

Glad you and your hubby and Cricket and your son are safe!

Re: Texas hit with storms

Spurt — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 16:54:04 GMT

@BlueFinch wrote:
@MamaWick I was thinking of you (and the deer) up north from me, hoping you wouldn't have large hail. Glad you were okay.

Several years ago we had a bad storm. I was just looking out the front window, right at the moment, when ball lightening struck in middle of my driveway. I think both my feet left the floor at once. I didn't even know what it was at the time. It was amazing to see.

It was an electrical impact that made my hair stand on end, even in the house. My smoke detectors began screeching and then there was the smell of smoke.

We called the fire dept to check things out, but before they arrived I noted that the battery charger on my departed DH's motorcycle was the source of smoke. It completely ruined the charger. Crazy, huh?

The firemen checked all my walls with a devise to see any hot spots, but gave us an all clear. Needless to say, being alone now, I'm more than a little nervous when facing storms.

@BlueFinch

😮

Re: Texas hit with storms

corita — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 17:01:44 GMT

Very Southwest Texas here and would love some of your rain!! Last rain here was in February and it was only .02 inches!! We are so dry!! Clouds and dark sky today...but no rain drops!! Still hoping....

Re: Texas hit with storms

BlueFinch — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 17:05:51 GMT

@Icegoddess wrote:
@BlueFinch wrote:
@LonestarBabs wrote:
I'm in Dallas/Ft. Worth. Parts of the region were hammered by large hail as you described but thankfully none fell in my area. Rained during the night with more to come today, so our biggest risk now is flooding. I have a french drain around my property and it is doing its job!
@LonestarBabs Every time it floods here, I tell myself to investigate french drains. Then it dries out and we're in drought again and I get complacent, like it will never flood again. You know, denial. Now is the time. I have to do something.
I wouldn't expect a French drain to work if the streets are also flooded. We have one, but it's not to eliminate the possibility of flooding. We live on a hill so we don't want water flowing down and stopping against the house. Ours empties into the front yard. They had to cut the holding tank because they couldn't get through the rock even with a jackhammer, but I'm still surprised when I find the little cover popped up.

@Icegoddess My street doesn't flood, it's just that my house is lower than the street and the water accumulates in my driveway and against the front of my home. Not good for a foundation.

I have quality gutters and other means to try to redirect it, but it's the shape of my roof that can't handle downpours. Two areas are a track to a V. It's a funnel for the rain. It'll shoot right over my gutters. I'm not sure french drains will work either, but I'll check it out.

Re: Texas hit with storms

mspatmac — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 18:03:01 GMT

@BlueFinch Nice of you to check in. I'm near DFW airport and had lots of heavy rain, only had some dime size hail, it had lessened in size before it got to my area. We were very lucky. Denton County was hit much harder with baseball size hail and damage.

Re: Texas hit with storms

SharkE — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 18:27:21 GMT

Don't want that **** hail, but, in amarillo we sure could use a good soaker.

It 'misted' around here. Big whoop !