Out my back door

Yesterday, severe thunderstorms, hail & tornado warnings (nearby but not at my house), snow today...

Unsettled Weather

Yesterday was a warm and clear day. We didn't even have our typical afternoon storm threat. I uncovered all the garden beds so the plants could have some nice warm sunshine and didn't give it a second thought. I didn't give it a second thought until I went to bed last night that is.

As I was laying there nearly asleep I suddenly heard the sound of rain which was soon followed by the sounds of thunder and small hail. I jumped out of bed and headed out to cover the garden. I made it as far as the front porch. When I got outside, there was so much lightning overhead combined with the fact that it was late and all the neighborhood had gone to bed, that I didn't dare go- call me paranoid but people DO get hit by lightning- so back to bed I went. I cringed every time I heard the hail come back. After about 30 minutes, the storm subsided and I fell asleep.

This morning, I went to check the garden and was pleasantly surprised to find very little damage and .4" in the rain gauge. I knew I wouldn't be home this afternoon and they were predicting more storms, so the covers went on early today. As far as I know, it was quiet until this afternoon. Shortly after I returned home this evening, a storm arrived. Fortunately, we missed the golf ball sized hail (again) that the storm was throwing on it's way east. The brunt of this storm tracked just a little south of us, so we just got about .2" of rain and some small hail (and thunder of course). I clicked on my weather link (on the right side of the page) and they show 1.98" of rain and are just located about a mile of so from here.

When I looked out my kitchen window after dinner tonight, this is what I saw.

This (below) is the main part of the storm.

Doesn't it look like that could be a tornado? It's not, but it was putting on quite a light show a few minutes later.

It seems quiet outside now. We'll see what comes tomorrow!

RAIN!!!

We had a wet spring and summer is starting out that way as well. From yesterday's rain, I had 1.6" of rain in the rain gauge which for a dry place like Colorado, is a lot of rain (my neighbor's tops out at 1.5" and was above that, so who knows which is right). We also had .6" on July 2 and June 27 with .3 in between. When Mom comes to visit later this week, she will get to see an unusually green Colorado! I haven't lived here long enough to know what is actually "usual" but I'm told by my friend who grew up here and moved back here 4 years ago, that this is not "usual" .

Our house has a deep sump pit, but doesn't have a permanent pump set up. The pump is in the pit but plugged in with an extension cord (to our one outlet in the unfinished basement) and attached to a garden hose that we run out the window. A few weeks ago, I bought two barrels, figuring I'd try to fill them from the sump (rather than a rain barrel). I won't get as much water but I'll have a lot more control. Plus, I've been working on a drainage "system" to utilize the water from the downspouts for some of the trees and flower garden spots. I wasn't sure if I'd manage to fill the barrels over the summer based on last year's rainfall, or lack thereof. They're both full now and I'm kicking myself a bit for only buying two!! (though I may soon wish I had gotten the spigots installed on them before I filled them). I still have almost 2' of water in the sump pit and as I was running the hose to the front lawn (figured I'd make sure the grass got a DEEP watering) it started to rain again. I worked outside for a few minutes until I was chased into the house by one wicked thunder clap. Then the rain REALLY started again.

I took that photo 45 minutes ago. The rain has nearly stopped (for now at least) and the rain gauge has .7" of rain in it now. I won't be watering the garden any time soon! I planted a small test patch of grass in the backyard Friday. I hope the seed hasn't all washed away.

While I'm on the subject of weather, here are a few more weather-related photos I've taken in the past week.