Caught Out in the Storm

Texas, Tuesday, 8PM

Overhead, complete mayhem

Roiling, rumbling clouds alight

Neon blue and blazing white.

Abruptly now, the rain begins

Deluginous, as the storm spins.

Ominous rotation starts.

We've confirmed on weather charts

As the sunlight dims, we see

Rivers flow where streets should be.

No souls out but you and I,

In pursuit of home, we fly.

Nearby, in the wind and hail,

Growing louder, sirens wail.

Thanks for reading! On September 29, Pam and I had to make a quick nighttime run to the grocery store in a torrential rain. We'd been watching a violent thunderstorm closely and knew we'd need to hurry back.

The tornado siren near the store started up right after we jumped back into the car with the groceries. We didn't consider "sheltering in place" for a single second. Our dogs were home alone and Walmart isn't our idea of shelter.

Every overpass on the way home was full of cars, drivers having chosen to wait it out under the protection of the bridge. Honestly, that's a great option for hail, but a tornado doesn't see it as much of a challenge.

We didn't slow down for much of anything, especially since the sirens were spinning up all over town.

We made it home fine, just as the siren a couple of blocks from the house started up. It continued to start and stop all night long. Turns out we had 2 tornadoes on the ground that night, but no major damage occured anywhere. Gotta' love Texas weather.