What's the best thunderstorm you've ever experienced in your backyard?

[My Weather Today]

November 17, 2003 in Houston, TX

Severe thunderstorm Event of November 17, 2003

[Stebo]

lol

Yeah I loled when I saw that

[Thundersnow12]

Yeah I loled when I saw that

lol no joke def did. left hand on the handle bars, right hand with the video camera going up my street. I still have neighbors that talk about that day.

[Stebo]

lol no joke def did. left hand on the handle bars, right hand with the video camera going up my street. I still have neighbors that talk about that day.

Now if only someone had videoed that

[Chicago Storm]

Now if only someone had videoed that

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jxn9kQuPQgo&feature=related

[Stebo]

http://www.youtube.c...feature=related

[on_wx]

I have a few favourites...

April 20, 1996 southern Ontario tornado outbreak. A supercell that produced a large wedge F3 tornado skimmed Kitchener on it's way to Arthur where the heaviest damage occurred. It was my 7th birthday party that evening and the storm dropped heavy hail in the city. That storm sparked my severe weather interest. Twister, Tornado, and Night of the Twisters all came out later that year, which didn't help my child imagination, so every time it rained I would play tornado drills, etc. We had a McDonalds drivethru play set so we would pretend tornadoes were attacking the restaurant and the drive thru orders would get chaotic.

July 2, 1997 SE Michigan tornado outbreak. Tornado warned supercell crossed in Canada from Marysville, MI passing over Corunna. I was only eight then, sketchy memory, but the "broccoli cloud" as it approached has become a meme in my family from my comments. Once the storm got close, we went into the cellar so I have no idea what conditions were like. But it was a wild time!

May 31, 2006 a supercell developed near Stratford in the county west of here. The power went out before it hit, so I had no idea a tornado warning was in effect, but thin funnel cloud was spotted over Kitchener that extending to 200ft to the ground according to the news that night. Lightning hit a transformer behind my house that kept power out for five or so hours. Quarter sized hail also fell here.

TORNADO WARNING 
ISSUED BY ENVIRONMENT CANADA 
AT 3:09 PM EDT WEDNESDAY 31 MAY 2006. 
--------------------------------------------------------------------- 
TORNADO WARNING FOR: 
=NEW= KITCHENER - CAMBRIDGE - REGION OF WATERLOO 
=NEW= GUELPH - ERIN - SOUTHERN WELLINGTON COUNTY. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------- 
==DISCUSSION== 
RADAR AND SEVERE WEATHER WATCHER REPORTED A SEVERE THUNDER STORM 
ABOUT 20 KILOMETRES WEST OF KITCHENER.  THIS THUNDERSTORM IS MOVING 
EASTWARD ABOUT 20 KM/H AND IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES. 

July 8, 2007 a supercell formed in Bruce County and made a beeline southeast for Waterloo. I was working the drive thru at Burger King on shift when a man came into the restaurant saying a tornado was coming. BeauDodson chased this storm and he has photos on his website at it passed Waterloo, it was a very classic looking supercell with a huge wall cloud and funnel on the north side of the city. We watched the storm zip past us, it was incredible. The storm produced an F1 tornado and dropped tennis ball sized hail northwest of here.

Photo credit: Beau Dodson

And lastly, on July 8, 2008 a supercell formed north of here moving south. It passed right over my house producing probably about 55-60mph winds and small hail. Many people reported seeing a funnel cloud about when it was about 5km south of here, but it was never confirmed.

[IWXwx]

November 10, 2002, in Hartford City, IN. The day I got caught with my pants down, so to speak, and got up close and personal with an F-1.

We were obviously expecting severe weather that day and I knew that I would be chasing in my back yard. Initiation was not not expected until mid afternoon. I had my kids for the weekend (freshly divorced), so I took them and my mom out for lunch on the south side of town. I was planning eating, then leaving my kids with my mom so I could spot/chase. Just as we finished and I began to drive her home, the storm hit. It was raining so hard, it caused instant street flooding and there was almost constant CG lightning. When we finally reached my mom's parking lot at her apartment complex, we just sat in the car until the rain let up.

After about 2 minutes, the rain stopped very suddenly and the sky quickly brightened. I thought that it seemed strange and just before telling them to get out of the car and make a run for it to the apartment, I looked up and saw debris floating through the air from the Southeast. UH OH!. I told them to stay in the car and I jumped out and looked to the Northwest and the funnel was only a block away, moving from SW to NE right by us. It uprooted a small tree, then crossed an open area and hit a grocery store, collapsing a wall. It crossed a highway and destroyed an aluminum awning to a building, then appeared to lift and I lost sight of it due to obstructions.

I wanted to chase it so bad, but I had my 7 year old daughter, my 11 year old son, and my 80 year old mother with me!!! They were all so scared they didn't want me to leave them alone. I didn't even get to take any pictures, but I'll always have the memory.

Picture of the store afterward:

No tornado warning was issued as NWS was unimpressed with the radar signature and no one reported a tornado until it hit the store (I did). The same storm then produced several more tornadoes, culminating with the Van Wert F-4.