Today was a nice quiet say, but this afternoon it all went to hell. First I found out someone close to me is very seriously ill. I am really upset about it. Then I found out that I am now in charge of my Swedish group for a couple of weeks. This week is no problem but the week after —– it is a festival weekend & I will have to take charge of somethings. We also have a convention in town of 400 people. We have invited whoever wants from there to attend our group. I am in a near panic state.
Then a storm brewed. In the early evening the clouds were awesome & strange. I took lots of photos. Jo kept me company outside. We saw 8 turkeys cross the driveway. One had his tail feathers all fanned out. Too far for a good photo. Then Willie came home & we had a nice supper.
Then hell. Warning a storm was going to hit our area in around 30 min. I packed up what I needed to survive & put it all in the cellar, but grabbed my camera to take more photos. OMG!!! We had a wall cloud just sw of our farm. A wall cloud precedes a tornado. It was awesome to see. You could see it rotate a bit. It was just so frightening. We finally took cover, but not much happened here.
Came back up. The sky looked ok, still dark, still lightning. But nothing scary. Unpacked in the house —- almost. Suddenly there was a tornado warning for us again. AGAIN. Quickly packed up & ran. It was raining then. First I was hot & sweaty. Now wet with rain. And the mosquitoes were out. We had rain, a few hail, high winds. Then the power went out. Sitting in a dark cellar is not good. It was very Hitchcock-like. That finally ended but clouds to the sw looked scary & just kind of hung there.
We sat on the porch in the dark. Had the radio on. And then the third warning. Not a tornado but a severe line of storms hurling at us at 50 mph. We ran for cover AGAIN. I had not unpacked this time. This time some rain but very high winds. At least 60 mph but sounded much worse. I was terrified we would lose our house. Terrified our wheat would be ruined. Thought it would never end. But it did & we are ok. So is the house. Jo laid in Willie’s chair through it all & could have cared less. We were lucky.
Salina was hit they think with a tornado. In the dark, one is not sure. A nursing home had a roof removed. Then a tornado hit Chapman, east of Salina. There was damage but no reports of injuries when we shut the radio off. Then a tornado hit Manhattan, further east yet. I have an uncle there. There is a report of damage to several buildings on the Kansas State University campus. No report of how severe. My uncle does not live close to KSU. There are flood warnings for all of this area. We live on high ground so does not affect us unless we are blocked from driving somewhere.
We got power back around 11pm.
See all my storm cloud photos here.
First, glad you and everything is OK. Hopefully the hail didn’t hit the wheat too hard.
If you weren’t ok, the following wouldn’t matter, but since you are, let me say:
awesome photos!
You really captured the texture of the clouds and the power of the wall cloud.
I’m posting some of my cloud photos on flickr, and will post on my blog today or tomorrow.
Comment by mike — 2008/06/12 @ 07:33 |
My cloud photos on flickr:
http://flickr.com/photos/glowrocks/sets/72157605570362466/
Comment by mike — 2008/06/12 @ 07:53 |
I have never seen such good pictures of a wall cloud and the other “cotton ball”-like clouds. Wonderful! Glad you and your house are okay.
Comment by N.D. — 2008/06/14 @ 04:59 |
I am glad also!!! It was awesome to see these clouds. No need to see them again anytime soon though!
Comment by Juliana — 2008/06/14 @ 09:42 |
Hi! I live in Saline county…I slept through the whole storm, my hubb and daughter were keeping watch. lol. Glad you didn’t have any damage, and your wheat is OK. We have a little wheat and this time of year can sure be nervewracking. Enjoyed your pictures of the storm clouds! Jenny
Comment by Jenny — 2008/06/21 @ 10:58 |
Would you mind if I borrowed one of your excellent wall cloud photos to post on my blog? I would give you full credit for the photo and link back to your blog. If not..that’s fine. I don’t believe in taking other’s photos without their permission. Thanks. Jenny
Comment by Jenny — 2008/06/21 @ 11:02 |
Hi Jenny,
Sorry to taking so long to answer. Festival in Lindsborg, just go home. Exhausted.
We had basically nothing from the storm. We were lucky. The combines just left the yard so harvest has started for real.
You may use my photo. Glad you liked them. Thanks for asking.
There used to be Roesner who acted/sang at the Salina Community Theater. Any relation? I did nto know him but saw him a couple of times. He was awesome!!
Comment by Juliana — 2008/06/21 @ 17:04 |
Hi Juliana! Thanks! Yes!!! That is my husbands Uncle Francis! His wife Charlene used to be a prof at Bethany College. He used to be very active in the theatre, community ect…his singing was amazing. Wonderful people!
Good luck and prayers for a bountiful, safe harvest. There are a few early cuttings now in Saline county…it’s still pretty wet in some fields. We have our fingers crossed it stays dry this week. ( the hub said rain is forecast tonight. sigh)
I have attended the Midsummer festival several times. It was amazing. When my daughters were little we loved going for the crafts, watching the dancing, maypole and all…Lindsborg is a beautful treasure in Kansas! I love it. Are you a lifelong Kansas resident? I am…wouldn’t live anywhere else. Been through a few too many tornadoes for my liking however.
Nice chatting with you. Thanks again for the photo. Jenny
Comment by Jenny — 2008/06/22 @ 08:11 |