Some storms get too close and personal
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (325755)
Rockingham, Australia
March 3, 2017 5:51pm CST
I don't think I've been guilty of too many weather posts but we had a doozy (very bad) of a thunderstorm last night. We hadn't been in bed long when the rumbling and lightning started. I quite like thunderstorms and accept that my least favourite part, the lightning, has to be accepted if I'm to enjoy the rumbling thunder.
The storm got closer until it was directly overhead. I've heard children told that thunder is just God moving his furniture around but it seemed He was trashing his whole house this time. The lightning was blinding, filling the room with white light and the thunder cracked and boomed like nothing I've heard before. Vince went out on the verandah to try to get photos but wasn't successful. By the time the mayhem moved slowly away I'd quite got over my penchant for thunderstorms.
The photo is of a tree which came down on our car years ago. Despite appearances, when we cleared the tree away the only damage was to the emblem thingy which sits on the bonnet (hood) and which was bent a tiny bit.
28 people like this
24 responses
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
3 Mar 17
Two years ago we had a tree come down in a windstorm. We were in the house enjoying our lunch. When we came outside a sixty foot tall ash tree was laying on the ground. We could not have laid it down better if we had tried. It missed the deck...it missed the other trees. All we had to do was cut it up and haul it away.
4 people like this
@JudyEv (325755)
• Rockingham, Australia
4 Mar 17
Wow, that was incredibly lucky. Funny how this can happen. I can imagine your amazement at seeing the tree on the ground and your relief that there wasn't more damage.
@JudyEv (325755)
• Rockingham, Australia
4 Mar 17
@Morleyhunt I've heard about the emerald ash borer. We have something called 'dieback' in our jarrah. The trees 'die back' from the extremities. it is very difficult to combat the disease.
@Morleyhunt (21737)
• Canada
4 Mar 17
@JudyEv people talk about hundreds of trees, but the actual. Umber in our ara might be closer to millions of trees. Entire wooded areas have been decimate. On the three acre property we live on at least a two dozen trees have been removed. Last spring the entire wooded area (2 acres) was knocked down, bulldozed and burned. That's a drop in the bucket compared to the devastation I see every time I head down the road.
1 person likes this
@1hopefulman (45123)
• Canada
4 Mar 17
Wow! The picture looks quite worrisome. You were indeed fortunate. I remember camping one year and there was a kind of a mother of thunderstorms and a huge branch fell on our tent and flattened it but thankfully we weren't in the tent at that time. However thieving in the tent was soaked including our bedding.
2 people like this
@allknowing (130066)
• India
4 Mar 17
You brought me to the mini tornado I experienced in July 2015. It left behind quite a damage. It was localised in that just a small area around here was affected.
That was just noise I guess as you have been spared from any damage.
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@JudyEv (325755)
• Rockingham, Australia
4 Mar 17
Yes, definitely just a sound and light show so we were lucky in that respect.
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
4 Mar 17
Then your car escaped a close shave!
2 people like this
@silvermist (19702)
• India
4 Mar 17
@JudyEv Well,I do not mind Thunderstorms.But I do not like trees falling on cars.(Even if this was some time back).Here every one says we should not go out when there are thunderstorms.
1 person likes this
@silvermist (19702)
• India
11 Mar 17
@JudyEv Though it would have been nice to get a good photo,taking such a risk during a thunderstorm is not worth it.
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@JudyEv (325755)
• Rockingham, Australia
11 Mar 17
@silvermist It certainly isn't it. I was hiding in my bed! 
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@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
4 Mar 17
I am glad you are okay, We have had a few of those here in Florida, it isn't exciting anymore when it shakes the whole house.
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@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
4 Mar 17
@JudyEv The thunder gets so close here that the house shakes. I hope you have a big bed lol
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@JudyEv (325755)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Mar 17
@BelleStarr I was laying very still, feeling very small and trying to be inconspicuous!
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@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
4 Mar 17
Storms can be quite vicious! We had a huge tree limb that fell on the roof of our car many years ago. We couldn't move it, had to get professional help to do so. The crazy thing though was, it didn't do any damage!
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@JudyEv (325755)
• Rockingham, Australia
6 Mar 17
@Jeanniemaries This is what happened here although I think maybe the roots gave way and let the tree down slowly.
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@JudyEv (325755)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Mar 17
It's amazing isn't it? I didn't see how this could possibly have NOT caused major damage but it didn't.
@Jeanniemaries (8237)
• United States
6 Mar 17
@JudyEv I didn't see it happen but I suspected it broke slowly and came down gently.
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@GardenGerty (157552)
• United States
4 Mar 17
That is an impressive picture with a great explanation. I am glad it did not happen last night. We have had a lot of wind, but we always do. Not very many thunderstorms yet this year.
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@JudyEv (325755)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Mar 17
Our hearts sank when we first saw it. We thought it would be a write-off for sure.
@Tampa_girl7 (48929)
• United States
5 Mar 17
Thunderstorms happen pretty frequently here. I don't think I'll ever get use to the really loud ones.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (325755)
• Rockingham, Australia
5 Mar 17
This was as severe as I ever want to experience. Very scary.
@Jessicalynnt (50525)
• Centralia, Missouri
6 Mar 17
yeah, it may storm tonight here. and that car is lucky! I assumed broken windows!
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@jillybean1222 (6408)
•
4 Mar 17
sounds like a brutal storm. glad there wasn't any damage. (both the last time & this time)
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@JudyEv (325755)
• Rockingham, Australia
4 Mar 17
Yes, we were lucky both times around. There was very little rain associated with last night's. Not enough to measure.
@DeborahDiane (40054)
• Laguna Woods, California
4 Mar 17
@JudyEv - Big storms can be frightening, because we are all aware of how much damage they can do. You were lucky your car did not receive more damage the time that tree fell on it!
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@DeborahDiane (40054)
• Laguna Woods, California
5 Mar 17
@JudyEv - Yes, you were very lucky your car survived that. I have seen cars which were completely crushed by trees.
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@teamfreak16 (43421)
• Denver, Colorado
4 Mar 17
Wow. That looks like a pretty big tree. Amazing just how little damage it caused.
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