What're Your Most Adrenaline-Pumping Weather Events in Person

[George BM]

I assume that most if not all of us here are weather weenies. And even if you are not...

What are the most adrenaline-pumping weather events that you have experienced in person?

Mine would have to be:

1) Hurricane Isabel September 18-19, 2003

To this day (other than #2 shown below) they were the strongest winds that I've seen in person.

2) Derecho June 29, 2012

Other than during Hurricane Isabel this was the only time that I saw 60 mph winds in person.

Note:

The top wind speed that I've seen in person so far: ~60 mph

 

BTW, Happy Independence Day everybody!

[southmdwatcher]

1) Presidents Day 1979, still the benchmark blizzard in southern Maryland. Went to sleep with around 4 inches of snow on the ground. Woke up to several hours of howling wind and extreme snow rates. Cars were buried and I could barely see the house about 50 yards across the street. This was by far the longest period of low visibility I can remember in any snow event. A week later we were still out of school, the neighborhood had to pitch together to dig out our street by hand and the day after the snow, I could stand in the tunnels that were dug out inside the snow drifts. Snow was packed into the car engines under the hood, I can't remember that happening in my location during any of our other great snow events since.

2) Awaiting the landfall and rapid approach of Hurricane Hugo in 1989, the forecast path was to come through the west side of DC area. Obviously it whiffed to our west. Six months later I traveled through South Carolina and the wide swath of forest that was damaged was amazing.

3) Superstorm 1993, I was in Richmond for this event. There was 4 or so inches of snow ahead of the storm's approach. Temperatures rose from upper 20's to the upper 40's and a windswept rain melted the snow. As the center passed overhead, the rain and wind stopped and temperatures dropped rapidly to the upper teens, resulting in a flash freeze as the windswept snow came back in on the wrap around precipitation. On the drive home up US301, there were untold numbers of trees down through eastern VA.

4) LaPlata 2002 Tornado  I was in northern Virginia throughout the morning and after the rains. the skies broke open to full sun, nearly regionwide. There was an ongoing tornado outbreak the previous few days across the Plains and Ohio Valley. We all knew if the sun came out, what could happen. This is one of the very rare times where the match was lit. Discrete cells and several larger supercells were evident on television. I left a grill and bar and made my way back to southern MD watching the large discrete cell all by itself taking in the energy available. I could not quite get out in front of the storm and got caught in the core in St. Charles, as the tornado warning was issued for LaPlata. For ten minutes increasing hail occurred, starting with dimes and ending with golf balls. As the hail ended, I left and drove the last mile south down St. Charles Parkway, skies were breaking open, steam came up off the hail covered road. The sky directly south(past the patch of broken sky)was extremely dark and there was a low rumble. Trees started swaying and then what was definitely a second funnel was less than a quarter mile in front of me and the bottom of the silver and rapidly spinning funnel was just enough above the tree tops not to have caused a disaster in St. Charles. This was definitely the second funnel that was also photographed as the storm passed out into the Chesapeake Bay. I was very fortunate to have seen it, and also that it remained aloft. It was violently rotating. Everyone in the neighborhood was looking up and asking what the noise was, I said it was above us but LaPlata supposedly got hit. I then drove down to LaPlata and saw large hailstones on the ground everywhere and many windows broken. I parked at the Arby's on 301 since the road was blocked and emergency response had not yet made it there. People were walking around in total shock. Gas lines were hissing at the shredded Exxon station at route 6/301. There was a station wagon in the intersection with a 2 by 4 through the hood and windshield. Across the street the shopping center was severely damaged and the scenery up the hill to the east was all different. The damage in LaPlata was incredible, the adrenaline rush was tremendous, but realized I should not be there. Emergency services were on the scene and helicopters were all around and they needed all the space to search for the injured. Tornadoes became real that day.

5) The snow storms of 2009-2010 are an event that will likely never be seen again in our lifetimes, Having to cut snow off the roof during the February 10th snowstorm and with the howl of 50 mph gusts coming was quite memorable.

6) February 25 2017, another tornado passed through the neighborhood. It was rain wrapped and inside of a larger path of wind damage. The audible roar and rising motion out in front of the obvious supercell was ominous. The radar from Andrews and DCA was obvious that the storm had a coiled hook region that was probably hiding a tornado. The storm started with the roaring wind/rain and small hail. A roaring wind lasted for about 3 minutes, later found out the EF1 tornado skipped through the neighborhood but missed.

 

 

[GramaxRefugee]

Southmdwatcher, your excellent description of No.4 LP tornado makes me think it should be closer to the top.

[southmdwatcher]

Sorry, that was just listed in chronological order. The 2002 La Plata tornado was number one.