This past week we enjoyed a short few days of company from Yuma, Arizona. Both our daughter, Ranell, and our sister-in-law, Jane, came to join us in a wedding celebration of our niece, Hannah, in Logan, Iowa. While they stayed with us in southwestern Minnesota for a few nights before the wedding, it seems we had thunderstorms every night. While we were hoping for some clearer skies, they were enjoying the sounds and sights of thunder and lightening. Both of them grew up in the Midwest, and thunder and lightening are rare occurrences in the southwestern area of Yuma.
In the middle of the night last Thursday, out of nowhere, came a deafening crash of thunder. It sounded like it was right outside of our home, and it was startling to say the least. Although none of us actually got out of bed to check it out, we all discussed it the following morning.
I had been awake, but Dan had not, and after it happened he said to me, “ That was not good for the heart”! I asked him if we had our recent homeowners insurance paid because there might be a fire somewhere.
Jane said she sat straight up in bed, waited a little bit, then thought, “ Danny will come and get me to get out of the house if something dangerous happens”…and then she laid back down.
Ranell, being a former insurance agent, also wondered if we had good insurance! However she did not further investigate any problems either.
As the three of us women got up early to go into Fulda for some swimming exercise, we found large parts of an old Maple tree lying all around our van, which was sitting in front of the garage, attached to our house. It was then that we saw what had happened. Up in the grove of trees, one of the large trunks had been split in two, sending remnants flying to the ground surrounding the southwest corner of our garage. The pieces of wood that we picked up were charred and blackened by the power of lightening.
Jane had been sleeping closest to that area, and she said it sounded like a big explosion. It truly had been a close call, and certainly did cause that sturdy old Maple to explode! After seeing the effects of the storm, we were thankful it wasn’t any closer to the house than it was! And it had not caused a fire. Very grateful for that!
Lightening occurs with all thunderstorms, and causes 55-60 fatalities every year. If you are outdoors and can HEAR the thunder, you are in danger of lightening.
For lightening to occur three things are needed: moisture, unstable air, and “lift”. Rising air causes frozen precipitation to form in the clouds. Both small ice crystals and much larger pellets of snow and ice are present. When collisions of these occur, it serves as the charging power and we witness it as a bright flash of lightening.
I love to watch the “show” from the safety of our dining room windows, but when it comes that close, it has frightening power. So far this year, we have had some different weather patterns affect our days and nights. Fascinating as it may be, I think we are all looking forward to some sunshine this week!
Enjoy the Wood Duck Festival, and all the entertainment and events planned for our community. We will hope that the rain forecast for Saturday will stay away, and everyone can instead laugh and smile with families and neighbors under the sun.
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