Thursday, July 16, 2015

Tornadoes... in July?

Have you all had bad weather lately? Well, the photo above tells what happened here. Around 6 PM CST on the 14th, the sky turned dark and suddenly the wind got really strong. Next came the down pouring rain and then we heard a loud cracking noise. After it was all over, we discovered this huge downed limb from our cherished Bradford Pear tree. The wind took-out nearly the whole backside of this tree, barely missing our utility shed. The whole storm lasted only a few minutes. Other people in this county suffered much worse damage, but thank God no one was injured or lost their life. The local weather station had released a severe weather alert, but did not detect the two tornadoes until after the fact. We suspect that one of those tornadoes dipped down and caused this [sudden] damage to our tree. Mother's television cable line was snapped by the tip of this limb, so until a tree service can get over here, the cable company cannot install a new line. Somehow, the utilities line that was side by side with the television cable line did not snap. We are so thankful that this downed line did not start a fire. Here in Alabama we usually do not get tornadoes in July, as they typically occur in the Spring. Hoping that you all are safe and are staying cool in this intense Summer heat.


Blessings, Danice G.

3 comments:

Raymond Homestead said...

Don't like those destructive storms! Glad you are ok!

Wendy @ Ravenwood Whimzies said...

Wow...glad you are all safe! We had two Bradford pears by our patio...they are know to split easily...and sure enough...as last Spring and Summer wore on, I noticed one was splitting...with the winds we get up here on the hill...it wasn't long before the split was half way down the tree...we cut it down to be sure it didn't fall on the house and picket fence. Sure enough...this year after the hard winter, the other pear started to split..it was getting pretty bad. About a week or so ago, I went out and walked past it on a windy day on my way to take care of the chickens, and I heard it creaking and groaning...the split was getting worse...I was afraid it wouldn't last with the wind, and the hubby was at work, so I had our son come drop the tree. Once it hit the ground it just fell apart. I'll never plant them...they are pretty, but not very sturdy trees.

Danice G said...

Yes, so true. My late step-father had planted that Bradford Pear, so that is why it was special to us. You are correct- they really are weak, and should never be planted near any structures.