what's the worst storm you have experienced?

[DaveJ]

Probably the 1995 hailstorm... we had softball sized hail that beat the crap out of the roof and put divots in the lawn, and took out both the front and rear glass on my Datsun. After that a microburst touched down and uprooted the tree in the front yard, causing it to miss the neighbor's truck by about a foot. The neighbors across the street were out in their garage watching the storm and they swear it looked like a mini tornado.

 

[Linflas]

April 7, 1977 1,000 miles west of Rota, Spain All nine ships in US Navy Task Group 21.2 including USS INDEPENDENCE suffer varying amounts of damage when they encounter a storm with 20-foot seas. Some INDEPENDENCE planes land at Lajes Air Base in the Azores.

This. The damage on the Independence included the catwalk surrounding the flight deck forward of the angle deck being completely ripped off. We were actually conducting flight ops when we began entering the storm and which is why some of the planes diverted to Lajes. As were were tying down the planes remaining on the flight deck a wave broke over the bow flipping an A7 over to one side and it was tyed down that way until we were able to go back outside 3 days later.

 

[HardcoreRobot]

Hurricane Hugo in 1989 destroyed the family house/trailer on St. Croix, I think we recovered like one box of possessions? I left the island prior to the storm and didnt go back for years. Dad was forced to ride it out, seemed traumatic. The island is still in ruins in many places...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Hugo

 

[effowe]

Originally posted by: Mr Pickles
Hurricane Andrew of 92 really did us in....

Text

I was in Florida at Disney World when Andrew hit, what a time to visit!

 

[SphinxnihpS]

Originally posted by: Drako

Originally posted by: SphinxnihpS

Originally posted by: Iron Woode
for me it was the Blizzard of 1977.

That was the only Snow Day we ever had in elementary school. We weren't hit as hard as the Niagara/New York region, but it sure was nasty. We ended up with nearly 3 feet of snow and drifts over 6 feet. I remember looking out into the backyard and realizing that our cedar hedge (6' tall) was buried under the snow. I had a great time playing in the snow and tobogganing.

The second place storm was a very intense thunderstorm (not sure exactly what it was) that hit us in the summer back in 1988. It was like a tornado with howling winds and rain that created a white-out condition. It lasted maybe 10 mins and ripped huge trees right out the ground. The power was out for 24 hours. It looked like a hurricane hit my neighbourhood. The affected areas were scattered and most of the city was unaffected.

Great Blizzard of 1978

This - lived in Lockport NY at the time. I remember my brother and I walking up a giant snow drift to the roof of the house. There was also a similar storm in the late sixties if I recall correctly, maybe 1966-67.

Good times! I remember snow drifts over my house. We broke the annual snowfall record last year, but in 78 it all came in 3 days.

 

[SMOGZINN]

Originally posted by: queenrobot
June 7, 2001 Tropical Storm Allison. Lost my house, car and pretty much everything I owned.

I second for Allison.
There was no real warning. We get storms like that often enough that we don't worry about them. But this one was bad. It stalled right over Houston and just sat there acting like a huge pump pushing water over us and dropping it down. The torrential rain just would not stop for days. You just sat there and watched the water rise and rise. Then when it was over it took days more for the water to recede.
At least with Ike it came and went and you could get busy fixing the damage.

 

[Jeeebus]

Originally posted by: effowe

Originally posted by: Mr Pickles
Hurricane Andrew of 92 really did us in....

Text

I was in Florida at Disney World when Andrew hit, what a time to visit!

we were right on the Broward/Dade border, probably about 20 minutes north of Homestead. No damage to the house other than a torn screen patio which only happened when a gust of wind blew an aluminum shutter out of our hands as we were putting it up pre-hurricane.

 

[drum]

I can't imagine being in that blizzard. My parents and grandparents stories are always fun to hear

 

[mxyzptlk]

I was in Nova Scotia, Canada at some point in the mid 90s when a hurricane skirted all the way up the east coast starting around florida and dumped a bunch of rain on us. I don't think it was still a hurricane by the time it got to us, there weren't strong winds or anything, just a lot of really heavy downfall. I just think it's funny that I happened to be there for such a rare event. I'd never seen rain like that before or ever since. It felt like someone was pouring water from a bucket directly onto me.

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: SphinxnihpS

Originally posted by: Drako

Originally posted by: SphinxnihpS

Originally posted by: Iron Woode
for me it was the Blizzard of 1977.

That was the only Snow Day we ever had in elementary school. We weren't hit as hard as the Niagara/New York region, but it sure was nasty. We ended up with nearly 3 feet of snow and drifts over 6 feet. I remember looking out into the backyard and realizing that our cedar hedge (6' tall) was buried under the snow. I had a great time playing in the snow and tobogganing.

The second place storm was a very intense thunderstorm (not sure exactly what it was) that hit us in the summer back in 1988. It was like a tornado with howling winds and rain that created a white-out condition. It lasted maybe 10 mins and ripped huge trees right out the ground. The power was out for 24 hours. It looked like a hurricane hit my neighbourhood. The affected areas were scattered and most of the city was unaffected.

Great Blizzard of 1978

This - lived in Lockport NY at the time. I remember my brother and I walking up a giant snow drift to the roof of the house. There was also a similar storm in the late sixties if I recall correctly, maybe 1966-67.

Good times! I remember snow drifts over my house. We broke the annual snowfall record last year, but in 78 it all came in 3 days.

The drifts are what stuck out in my mind too. Being a dumb 21 year old a buddy and I drove down to Ohio to see what all the camotion was about. I-75 was one lane that twisted in and out between all abandoned cars on the freeway, although all you could see of them was an occasional bumper sticking out. Just about every other on and off ramp was closed with a line of stuck vehicles, sometimes all you would see was the semi stacks sticking out. We finally found a place to turn around and stopped at a service station. They had just towed a car in and popped the hood. You couldn't see the engine, the entire engine compartment was filled with snow.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

Originally posted by: Squisher

The drifts are what stuck out in my mind too. Being a dumb 21 year old a buddy and I drove down to Ohio to see what all the camotion was about. I-75 was one lane that twisted in and out between all abandoned cars on the freeway, although all you could see of them was an occasional bumper sticking out. Just about every other on and off ramp was closed with a line of stuck vehicles, sometimes all you would see was the semi stacks sticking out. We finally found a place to turn around and stopped at a service station. They had just towed a car in and popped the hood. You couldn't see the engine, the entire engine compartment was filled with snow.

I was only 8 at the time. I thought we moved to Antarctica. You were brave to drive down the street in that much less into the heart of the storm.

 

[Away]

One from recent memory:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D...2006_Colorado_Blizzard

 

[Kirby]

Hurrican Ivan sucked. I live between Atmore and the I-65 symbol. We lost two huge 150+ year old pecan trees and one smaller one about 50 years old, and the biggest one hit our house. It was so loud outside we didn't even hear it when it hit. You could look out the windows and just see leaves. By far the scariest moment in my life.

It also ripped the metal roof off of our shed. My poor dogs Boo and Freckles were in there. Freckles was in pretty bad health already, and she died the day after.

We got about 75k from the insurance company, so my dad and I rebuilt it and put a upstairs room where the tree hit. I also had some damage to my car, so I got a new paint job.

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: drum
I can't imagine being in that blizzard. My parents and grandparents stories are always fun to hear

here are some videos for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCAjA-go9Q0

this one is more for NY: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-gRb_MuUgg

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: shocksyde
Tornado hit my college (U of MD, College Park) while I was living in the dorms.

I was playing PS2, and was right next to the window. I could see some massive winds outside and tons of lightning, so I was gonna go outside to check it out, but my friend made me play another round of SSX.

Halfway through the round of SSX, all hell broke loose. The sound of the tornado was incredibly loud, and we all knew immediately we had to get the bsaement as quickly as possible. Our window was open, and due to the vacuum created by the high winds, we could barely open our door to get into the hall. Once in the hallway, there was shit flying everywhere and people panicking like crazy. Everyone got to the stairwell and ran down. On the way down I saw a large dumpster levitating outside the 2nd story window.

We got to the basement and it passed rather quickly. No significant damage to the dorms, but the parking lot was an absolute disaster. There was a particular spot I would always stand to watch thunderstorms (I'm fascinated by them). As I walked past the spot I noticed an air conditioning unit had smashed right through the door I usually stand at. PS2 saved my life!

A few things I remember vividly:

- Basketball hoops turned 90 degrees (cemented into ground)
- Steel-body Jeep with the entire front peeled back like a banana
- Corvette sitting perfectly on top of another car with absolutely no damage to either vehicle
- Every single vehicle had no windows left

Sadly, the tornado picked up a car with 2 female students in it, threw it over an 8 story (yes, 8 story) dorm, and into the woods. They were the only casualties.

This. I was there in the Courtyard apartments at the time.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I've been through a few blizzards, I've seen tornados (never too close thankfully, and I've been through hail the size of my fist.

The worst IMO was the fist sized hail, It only lasted a couple of minutes, but It damaged pretty much every car and house in town.

The biggest blizzard I have experienced was in the late 80s and I was at my grandparents house in Sturgeon Bay Wisconsin, Missed almost a week of school because the roads were all blocked .... I loved it though, because my aunt and uncle were there too, and they had their snowmobiles, and while the roads were closed, the trails were open ....

 

[ViviTheMage]

was with my parents at the cabin and we lived through this :


http://www.crh.noaa.gov/dlh/sc...rchive/Siren/siren.php

hundreds of homes/cabins destroyed, the only one standing, that went through the tornado alley was ours...

 

[ViviTheMage]

Originally posted by: TheTony

Originally posted by: Genx87
We had a big storm roll through mn in sept of 05. I was playing golf in the SW metro area and saw the front move in. I had never seen so much convection currents so high up. The clouds were rolling over themselves at 30K+. It was about 90+ with high humidity and this front was rolling in from the plains of SD and was cold. The cloud tops were reported to be in the 60,000 foot range.

While I didnt get to be directly in the line of the storm I did witness it from the south and waited it out in a parking ramp. My house looked like somebody shot it with a shotgun from the hail. All of my siding and the roof had to be replaced. While there was no tornado we had straight line winds upto 90 MPH. My poor wife was freaking out as the sirens were going off and the cats were freaking out. She thought it was the end. I managed to race up the interstate in between storm lines and inspect the damage. It was actually kind of peaceful as the last lines ran through the metro are to the north of us in Elk River. The lightning and thunder was calming to me for some reason while I inspected the damage.

The next Spring a tornado went right over the top of us and landed a mile directly to the east in Rogers. We got lucky on that one. All was calm while the storm showed up then all of a sudden wind was blowing through our home at mach 3. Then it died down in 1 min. The news then flashed a tornado landed directly east of us on a east path. I mean if it was light out, the thing probably went right over the top of our house and I could have looked right up its arse.

I recall that Rogers storm. Sadly, there was one casualty - a child.

The worst (non-snow) storm I can recall being directly in the path of was fall of 2005. Straight line winds/microburst made me think the windows were going to be blown out. Plus the sky had that green tinge to it just before the worst of it hit and I retreated to the basement. A lot of branches in my yard but whole trees downed for blocks around. There was also the '87 summer storm, but where I lived at the time the worst of it was all the rain which resulted in some minor flooding.

Worst snowstorm would have to be the '91 Halloween blizzard - 27" over 2 days. I've heard stories about the Armistice Day blizzard of 1940, which was quite a bit more violent.

I remember that Rogers storm...wasn't there a really bad hail storm here last summer? Killed a few people??

 

[Descartes]

I was right behind the F5 tornado that hit Oklahoma City several years ago. I saw the entire storm behind me as I was hightailing it out of there. I returned the next day and saw the trail it left, including the devastation to some of the surrounding towns.

I was in another tornado in a rural town in Kansas. There were three tornadoes at once, though small F1s that only managed to tear up trees, rip off a roof or two, etc.

 

[KevinCU]

Originally posted by: HardcoreRobot
Hurricane Hugo in 1989 destroyed the family house/trailer on St. Croix, I think we recovered like one box of possessions? I left the island prior to the storm and didnt go back for years. Dad was forced to ride it out, seemed traumatic. The island is still in ruins in many places...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Hugo

This. Although I was only 1 at the time.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

Originally posted by: Genx87
We had a big storm roll through mn in sept of 05. I was playing golf in the SW metro area and saw the front move in. I had never seen so much convection currents so high up. The clouds were rolling over themselves at 30K+. It was about 90+ with high humidity and this front was rolling in from the plains of SD and was cold. The cloud tops were reported to be in the 60,000 foot range.

While I didnt get to be directly in the line of the storm I did witness it from the south and waited it out in a parking ramp. My house looked like somebody shot it with a shotgun from the hail. All of my siding and the roof had to be replaced. While there was no tornado we had straight line winds upto 90 MPH. My poor wife was freaking out as the sirens were going off and the cats were freaking out. She thought it was the end. I managed to race up the interstate in between storm lines and inspect the damage. It was actually kind of peaceful as the last lines ran through the metro are to the north of us in Elk River. The lightning and thunder was calming to me for some reason while I inspected the damage.

The next Spring a tornado went right over the top of us and landed a mile directly to the east in Rogers. We got lucky on that one. All was calm while the storm showed up then all of a sudden wind was blowing through our home at mach 3. Then it died down in 1 min. The news then flashed a tornado landed directly east of us on a east path. I mean if it was light out, the thing probably went right over the top of our house and I could have looked right up its arse.

That's a n amazing story!

I have been near a few tornados. I was directly under one as it formed over the West Beltline a 2-3, 5 years ago. It touched down about 2 miles away and took out some trees and damaged a few houses. Nothing major, but what I remember most is how everyone was coming OUT of shops and offices to gawk. I hit the gas and topped out at 90mph on Gammon Rd and never really let up until I got to my Dad's house.

God has been trying to vacuum up this spider for years. Missed me again, fucker!

 

[leglez]

Either Central Plains Ice Storm which left my house without power or anything for 2 and a half weeks and we couldn't get out of our driveway for the first half week. Or The flooding of the Marais Des Cygnes River, that was in the city next to mine but I was over there for a few days helping evacuate a bunch of friends.

 

[ElFenix]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_ike

 

[Poulsonator]

Originally posted by: SearchMaster
The scariest one I've been in was last summer. I was cleaning out my shed so most of the stuff was out in the yard. I went in to eat lunch, and one of those fun "surprise thunderstorms" popped up. So I rushed back outside to put things that needed cover back in the shed, and then there was a lightning strike within a quarter mile of me - probably much much closer. It was so freaking loud I screamed like a little girl, and I am not normally easily startled. It ended up sending some voltage through my home network and power lines and fried several items (three routers, one of my HDMI ports on my TV, hottub circuit board, etc.)

I've been in much worse storms but that was the first time I was truly scared.

Late last year, I was leaving work, and was stopped at a light just outside of my office. It's storming decently, and I'm looking just to the right. To my amazement, I see lightning strike the ground about 50 yards in front of me, exactly where I happened to be looking. Saw the dust fly up, my eyes were a little blinded, and instantly heard the loudest thunder I'd ever heard. Shook my car. It was so awesome. I've never seen that before, and I'm sure I'll never see it again.

Having lived in Iowa, Colorado, Arkansas and Florida, I have been in so many bad storms it's impossible to count. Was in a blizzard in CO that reached 6' of snow in areas; saw 4 tornadoes descend at once while in CO during another; countless tornadoes and ice storms in AR (although nothing like what they just went through); have been in FL since 2000, so I had the pleasure of the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons.

 

[mugs]

Blizzard of 1993: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1...American_Storm_Complex

We got 3 feet of snow in NJ