What's the most frightening moment weather has ever given you?--Al

-- Al Schroeder (al.schroeder@nashville.com), July 05, 2001

Answers

Bodie, California. A ghost town. There are 12 in our group. The clouds begin to look ominous over the Sierra Nevadas. It starts to rain. Then the lightning starts. There is NOWHERE to run. When a bolt of lightning strikes the ground about 3 feet from where I'm standing, the 12 of us find a deserted 2-hole outhouse and all 12 of us huddle in there till the storm passes.

One idiot got out to take a picture of the other 11. Guess who.

-- Bev Sykes (basykes@dcn.davis.ca.us), July 06, 2001.

One year while living in the Tampa, Florida area a hurricane came near us, if I remember accurately it circled in the gulf outside that area and then went to ground further north. Having heard the accounts of hurricanes from people who had lived in Florida all their lives, I was frightened that my wife and children would suffer the torments of injuries, homelessness and hunger. We left Florida just ahead of a hurricane that did come through the neighborhood we left, Donna I think it was, in fear that it would get us before we got far out of the danger area.

-- Denver doug (ionoi@webtv.net), July 08, 2001.

We had gone out to buy paint and we were at a Hardware store when the rain that had been coming down began to come down harder. It got very violent outside and all the lights [including all the display lights] began to flicker. This went on for awhile and they shut out. A worker came and told us to get on the ground... Instead we walked out into the storm and into the car. It wasn't raining, water was coming down in sheets and the wind was incredible.

I love storms, I'd just rather be home when they happen.

-- Jen (Jen@echoside.net), July 08, 2001.

Being that today is the 30th anniversary of hurricane Celia it is strange that you asked this question… I was stuck on the island of Port Aransas during this hurricane, Port A was demolished, the houses on either side of us popped (they had failed to ventilate) we were the only house that didn’t… but wait there is more… I also use to live in tornado alley in a trailer no less… on a lot that had been hit three times. Yet there is more… When I was young and my family was in the military, we were in an old transport plane heading for the Philippines… we flew through a monsoon and lost one of the engines. I suppose this means either I will die at the hands of the weather gods, or I am just damn lucky.

-- alice (alice@3harpiesltd.com), July 10, 2001.

Hurricane Fran, September 1996, North Carolina. Four dogs, two cats, one husband and no power (and hence no water). If I never spend another night listing to that freight train roaring sound, it will be too soon. At 1:45 a.m. I told husband that since I was going to die in the bed (that's why I bought it, but that's another story), I was going to go get in it. About 20 minutes later, there was a big roar, a tremendous crack, and, much to my surprise, the bathroom was still intact. That huge tree had fallen parallel to the house, rather than on it. In many ways, though, the next morning was more frightening, walking outside and seeing so many trees twisted off--not broken, twisted. I rarely waste time worrying about what didn't happen, and we were so lucky, but that one was scary.

-- Wendy (wendykimbel@mindspring.com), July 30, 2001.

Arkansas, summer 1973, dark... tornado warnings. Do I wake the kids and take them to the windowless center of the house, or do we head for the storm cellar at the end of the block, or just how serious is this?

In the event, we had no tornado, but I was really really scared.

-- Jan (fossilfreak.geo@yahoo.com), August 10, 2001.

i was indirectly hit by lightning.we were in the basement,where puddles sometimes collected.the basement also functioned as a garage,and the garage door was open.i was barefoot.i suppose i probably had wet feet,either in one of the puddles or from the puddles.i conducting my own little electricity.it was shocking.i ran like hell upstairs.i dont think it changed me.i was weird before it happened,and weird afterwards.

-- diane haldane (seablue@geminian.com), August 12, 2001.