When we stopped working on the floors at Mom's and Dad's last night we saw an amazing cloud formation moving in. A lot like the clouds in the link below but they were flatter and with three distinct dark layers. We received about 2" of rain in a very short time, as well as a bit of hail, funnel clouds (no touchdowns) and one heck of a fireworks show with house shaking boomers (the type of storm that sends herds of horses galloping). There is a nice steady rain falling now and the baked dry prairie and my heat stressed plants are greedily soaking it up.
http://www.stormchaser.ca/2005/06_04/06_04_Storm.JPG
How'd the rest of you fare? I saw, before we lost our cable, that Brandon, Manitoba people had high winds and were told what wind born objects can do (impalement), that one area of the Maritimes got very damaging wind sheer (storm down drafts) and Southern Ontario is going to be on a storm watch today.
BTW one way to tell if you received wind sheer (plough winds/down drafts) is if all the toppled trees, etc, fell in one direction. However if the trees look like a child dropped their pick up sticks (remember that game?) it was a tornado that went through.
This message was edited Jul 13, 2006 8:56 AM
The Prairie Skies were very, very active/noisy last night
No storm watch here anywhere in Ontario. We had a whole pile of rain and thunderstorms in Southwestern and Midwestern Ontario Sunday night and Monday, Tuesday night and into Wednesday but today is just partly cloudy, hot, and humid. The worst thing that happened was the fog that rolled in overnight.
--Ginny
Raining here since earlier this morning, but no storm. Probably not enough rain yet to do anything but settle the dust for an hour or two, but if it keeps up all day, you never know. We'll take anything at this point. I would complain about the time I have to spend watering, but instead I will count my blessings that I am able to water and keep my yard green. Not raining at Ginny's house yet.
Yeah, we had our share of rain but I wouldn't complain if more came along, though not expected. I forgot to put the cap on the end of my hose that connects to my rain barrels to capture all that rain we had.......all that water wasted, what a dumb moment.
Interesting bit of info in your last paragraph, Lilypon. I had no idea.
Erynne
Ginny and Erynne I finally saw the weather report of what you *lucky*??? Easterners have been on the receiving end of. Sharing is good ya know ;) we'd happily take the excess of that *where's my ark* deluge some of you've been getting.......esp echoes/Ginny/Donna (MB), Northern SK, the areas it didn't fall here and, I'm guessing, a lot of Southern AB esp. eastmetwest's location.
I don't even want to imagine what a whole summer of humidity is like......we hit 39 C/102 F (with humidity) just prior to the rain and I dislike it about as much as Ginny abhors snow.
Wish I had the camera with me today.....we saw a really loooooooooong building that's being constructed (just had the frame and roof rafters installed) laying flat on the ground (so either really poor construction or plow winds touched down here too).
Hey there Pam. I don't know about Erynne, but in Blyth the rain we had this week was the first significant rain we have had since early spring. Up until now, we have had to settle for brief 3 minute showers about once every three weeks or so. Even with what little irrigation I'm allowed here under our watering restrictions (even days for 2 hours between 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. - with all of my gardens!) the soil in my gardens was like dust down to about a good 6 or 8 inches :-(
Rain, snow, etc. in Ontario, especially Southern Ontario it seems, is very much localized. This week was the exception rather than the rule, when everyone received lots.
Short version: I'm not willing to share just yet :-)
--Ginny
Can't blame you Ginny it sounds pretty similar to what many are facing here then. Amazing how the weather network colours it to make it sound like the whole dip down in S. Ontario has water sitting. I now know the downpour was pretty localized here too......we must have been right under the heaviest part of the cloud (some areas of town only received 5 mm). Our rain gauge and the ponds however are well over 2" higher then they were before (and the veggie plot has the gate closed so I know the land there was saturated as well).
Pam
This message was edited Jul 14, 2006 8:02 AM
We've had rain pretty regular it seems since spring. It gets super hot & humid, then the rain comes and chases it away. I haven't had to drag out the hose too much thank goodness. I just checked my soil and it's pretty moist. We got some extremely hot weather today but it didn't stop me from blowing the budget at Gratrix Garden Lilies! I'll blame it on the heat,lol.
LOL yep the heat does effect the thought process (good excuse Erynne ;). The storm we had a couple of days ago (or more likely another change of the jet stream) allowed cooler temps to move in (for a few days). We are extremely grateful for it.
We just came back from Southern Alberta and they are so very, very, very dry . The cattle were having to walk down quite far into the dugouts to get a drink. :( It looks like mid August there........I really hope they get a decent rain soon (esp. since they also didn't get any snow last winter). My location looks like Ireland compared to them.
This message was edited Jul 17, 2006 2:05 PM
Well turn on your fans and blow that cooler air over here! We're baking to death! Supposed to rain some tonight but I don't think it's going to cool things down much.
I wish a week of rain on those poor Albertans!
Erynne
LOLOL Erynne it'll prolly head your way (or get pushed back up north) but boy would I *love* to hold on to it. ;)
So do I (re: S. Alberta).......I should check on a map to see where EastmetWest's town of Settler is. I know the farmers here were getting pretty antsy and we had a good rain that lasted for about a week (but that was almost a month ago). I really felt sorry for the ranchers cattle.
This message was edited Jul 17, 2006 9:11 PM
Oooooh Pam, a fast & furious storm just pushed it's way through here. Looks like it started to the southwest of us and headed on east by the reports on the tube. It started out with lightening and evil strong winds. I say evil because our front yard maple made the most horrendous cracking sound. It's too dark too see what part cracked but I'm going to head back out in a bit with the flashlight. Last thing I need is a big branch to come crashing down with me unawares. Then the rains came and the whole episode only lasted about 20 mins. I looked out in my backyard and there are thinner branches all over the place and I have a sinking feeling that some of them landed on my hostas...grrrr. I'll survey the damage in the morning & hopefully it's minimal.
I don't know much about farming, being a suburbanite all my life, but do these ranchers not bring their cattle in to keep them hydrated? Terrible hardships these farmers face being so dependent on Mother Nature ;(
Erynne
Erynne I hope your damage is minimal! My heart breaks when I find a fav plant...and It's always one of the nicest, broken. I love a good storm (all that extra nitrogen in the air :) and the plants really leap but I'm sure not fond of the high winds.
Cattle aren't herded under cover in the summer months (they tend to hide from the sun under the one or two trees in their pasture).....some ranchers just have the dugouts and sloughs and if the cattle are lucky there has been an artesian well dug. Of course not all have them and some will have to get a deep well dug, some will sell their cattle (if the feed is poor and they are running low on water). Neglect can also happen (Humane Society will investigate).
artesian well
Encyclopędia Britannica Article
a man-made spring from which water flows under natural pressure without pumping. It is dug or drilled wherever a gently dipping, permeable rock layer (such as sandstone) receives water along its outcrop at a level higher than the level of the surface of the ground at the well site. At the outcrop the water moves down into the aquifer (water-bearing layer) but is prevented from leaving it by impermeable rock layers (such as shale) above and below it. Pressure from the water's weight (hydrostatic pressure) forces water to the surface of a well drilled down into the aquifer; the pressure for the steady upflow is maintained by the continuing penetration of water into the aquifer at the intake area.
The grass/hay/alfalfa looked pretty poor for this time of year too (so the quality/quantity of the winter feed is also compromised).
Farmers without irrigation may not have a crop worth harvesting.
In small towns where the economy is tied in with the farmers' harvest/animals a bad year is felt by everyone (Alberta's oil/natural gas however will make a difference.......I'm sure many are making extra money working on the rigs, etc).
This message was edited Jul 18, 2006 1:18 AM
Those that have rigs on their land (and esp mineral rights) are laughing however (but we didn't see many of those along the stretch we drove).