Favorite Local Storm of 2010

[Adam Lucio]

Sometimes we don't have to chase, the action comes right to our doorstep.

So what is your favorite [for better or worse] local storm of 2010 that directly impacted your home/neighborhood.

For me that would be July 23rd. These storms brought damaging winds, very close lightning, the only hail Ive seen at home this year, and were the beginning of a record setting deluge that brought major flooding to the area which FEMA is now sending out relief for.



My event summary: http://www.aerostorms.com/072310-chicago-severe-weather.php

 

[Michael Towers]

Friday The 13th Storm

Friday, August 13, mine would be for worse and I didn’t even get to enjoy it. While away at work I watched on radar as a nice cell went right through my area. Got home later that night to find nearly half my circuit breakers tripped and ultimately massive damage to my 60â€￾ HDTV along with complete destruction of other electronic items. None of my neighbors suffered any damage so I either took a direct hit by lightning or a very close miss. Considering how much worse it could have been eases the sting of the loss, stuff can and will be replaced and it’s insignificant in the greater scheme of things. It sure would have been nice to have been there when it happened though.

 

[Jeff Duda]

This year's is easy for me: the surprise bow echo/derecho of overnight July 17th-18th in central Iowa. Although the KAMW only reported 61 kts as the max wind gust, I wouldn't be surprised if higher gusts occurred. Quite a bit of tree and line damage around town. The damage took out power at my apartment for 36 straight hours. I've never gone without power for that long. Most of the food in my fridge spoiled. Some pictures below:

The picture below is the main reason the power was out so long. That evergreen tree was tangled with lines. I didn't even realize until after the tree had finally been removed that there was a red pickup truck INSIDE the tree (well, buried by it).

The dirt clump associated with the roots of the tree most distant in the photograph was HUGE...probably close to 15 ft in diameter.

Here's a loop of regional reflectivity for the event:
Reflectivity loop

 

[John Lavin]

Such a timely topic. As many of you already know Wichita got pounded by a supercell last night (9/15/2010).

Although my specific location missed the MASSIVE hailstones, I did receive upwards of ping-pong size hail. I also observed 50 mph + inflow winds, which has caused some minor tree damage.

The largest hail stone, which will now be the 2nd largest hailstone on record, occurred literally 2 miles south of my apartment complex. Great storm

 

[Joel Wright]

This will be easy. None. We dodged the bullet this season. Nothing even close to severe weather here.

 

[Jeremy Den Hartog]

Mine is easy too...June 17th . Had a tornado come through about 2 miles from my house...luckily very weak though and only minimal damage from it.

 

[Chip Redmond]

Not to hard for me as it happened tonight. See the post in the here: report thread
or see my blog post located here.

Chip

 

[Laura Duchesne]

I saw a funnel cloud from my driveway on June 19th that formed from a small low topped cell that interacted with a lake breeze. The first few pictures in this album are of the funnel cloud.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=442559&id=792115219

 

[Dave Gallaher]

On January 21st a tornado was delivered to my door, took trees down in front, beside and behind the house with no other damage for me. Saw it all up to the last 30 seconds before arrival, but without a camera or video cam. After being inside for a minute, I came out and saw a transformer blow on the next street over, with a big cone of orange sparks going up. I doubt I'll ever get this close again.

This video (not mine) was taken from three blocks west and one block south of my house. I estimate that it's over me at about 3:30, transformer flash right after that:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuxKlJDZDEg

 

[Jordan Hartley]

For me its the massive hail event on 9/15/10. For the second time I was caught completly off guard as I was camping since monday in Winfield for the Walnut Vally Festival and national picking contest. I had no idea of anything that was going on until 530pm when I had to check on what was going on as I saw the explosive development to my north.

I call my boss who was in Oklahoma City and he was estatic as to what was already happening in Goddard and west Wichita. We both are roofing salesman so you can understand the excitement. I ran 1/4 mile back to my car and made it to Derby by 550pm. Sat on a hill S of Derby and watched the storm come in from the nw. Really awesome getting to see this storm mature and transform from a massive hail producer to fast spinning top with a mean rfd as i drove towards the storm from the se.

Now I can say this storm had surface based rotation for about 15 min before it was tornado warned. The first reported tornado had no visible funnel from my point of view but I did see dust that was kicked up moving in the inflow region of the circulation to the north and fast. In between K-15 and 77 HWY 6 miles northeast of Udal, KS I saw the wierd looking tornado that appeared to came out the back of the rotating meso and out south into the rfd. Also saw what I think was a developing tornado that got rain wrapped before I could visually confirm on my way to Winfield City Lake from US-77 in NW cowley county.

I was able to stay se of the circulation from there all the way to Dexter where i rode out the storm underneath a concrete shelter used to store gravel ( No hail damage, No radar, No gps, lucky day). Thought I saw a tornado shortly after I went south along a paved county road that goes from Winfield City Lake to Burden and confirmed it on the nws report.

Since the storm im swamped with buisness. I have been all over western and southern sedgewick county running roof repairs and signing people up for new roofs. I work for a company my uncle started 40 years ago so everyone knows us and I tell you im up to my eye balls in buisness. Good thing is ill make 6 figures in the next 3 months then take off the rest of the winter... AND I bagged 3 nws confirmed tornadoes on a day that started out with eggs and bacon in the Pecan Grove at the Walnut Bluegrass Festival listening to blue grass all day.

The one and only downer which im still kicking myself for is not grabbing the camera before I left and not putting up everything else as Winfield took some nasty blasts from micro bursts as the rfd went right over the fairgrounds. My camp was a mess but luckily perfect strangers who were my camping neighbors had cleaned it up before I got back. Did get a few photos on my phone and will upload as soon as I can.

 

[Stephen Levine]

On Friday, July 9th, I gleefully watched as lightning fell like rain, with a bolt and sometimes two bolts every few seconds for a good 10 minutes. Followed by great claps of thunder. It for a change occurred mostly after my work day ended, and I watched from my employers parking lot which had a good view of most of the sky.. One bolt landed in the parking lot a few cars away from mine and I watched a ground to sky discharge of lighting zit from a microwave tower about 1/4 mile away on four occasions within 10 minutes.

 

[Terry Tyler]

I know this ones been done to death, but it's my best to date. It came about 10 miles from my house. This one didn't have no warning or nothing when I found it. I was just watching it and using my radar skills. It was a very small mini-sup, much smaller than most of the mini-sups I've seen. It was small but it had obvious signs of strong rotation and classic structure. I just followed the signs and rode out.

Check it out in detail here - I wish I had a better camera or video. It was everything I thought seeing a tornado up close would be, infact it was even better. I waited over 5 years to see it and seeing it has motivated to keep on grinding.

Check out that inflow blowing in on that lake. This tornado sounded just like a rushing river.

 

[Jason Young]

Mine would be May 19th in Joy , Ok.

 

[Tony Laubach]

If this was a 2009 thread, it would be a no-brainer with the July 20 Wheat Ridge storm... this year, Denver has been very quiet. But I think the May 26 hailstorm that rolled through north Denver and eventually out into the eastern plains would get my vote this year. I didn't get on that storm til after it left the metro, but it dumped baseballs in Commerce City a few miles east of my place.