We’ve been having some interesting weather here lately, rainy and stormy. We’re no strangers to storms here, since we are in a part of the U.S. known as Tornado Alley. But the rain? That’s another story!
Last year we couldn’t buy a rain. But in the last eight days, we’ve had 8.5 inches of rain. The ground is saturated, rivers and creeks are overflowing. We found out yesterday that the farm where we have our church garden is now under water. So much for our 300 hills of potatoes! Perhaps next year we should plant rice instead? Thankfully most farmers didn’t have any crops planted yet in most flooded areas, but many homes have been flooded and families forced out of them. Our potato crop is, well, small potatoes compared to the human suffering the flooding is causing here and all over.
We’ve been fortunate here that bad storms have missed us. The weather radio and storm sirens have kept us from getting much sleep at night though. We bundled up the cats and headed for the basement one night. And yesterday the sirens went off at three o’clock in the morning. It was a tornado warning for our county, but the storm was north of here.
Yesterday afternoon, with storms south of here, one popped up out of nowhere here and started dropping hail on us. Quarter size hail is enough to warrant a severe thunderstorm warning, and sure enough, the sirens went off about five minutes later. Funnel clouds were spotted east of here.
quarter sized hail starting to melt (click on any image to enlarge)
We didn’t see any funnel clouds, but when I went out to see if the hail had done any damage, I saw a doughnut shaped cloud. Or at least it looked like a doughnut to me. Was it going to drop Krispy Kremes out of the sky? That would be better than hail, I think.
doughnut shaped cloud
No, the storms and flooding are no laughing matter, but I think we all need some comic relief about now. At least the rain is making the garden grow lush. We had an asparagus spear that got 20 inches long the other day. That’s one bright spot amid all the gloom and doom.
giant asparagus spear
But what we really need now is a few days with sunshine and no rain, or storms or storm sirens. The forecast for today? 100% chance of rain, with storms likely. Looks like we’ll be Singing In The Rain again. I’m really, really ready to start singing Here Comes The Sun!
It seems like the entire country is having volatile weather. We had a horrible storm last night and are now under threat of bad storms tonight and tomorrow. I think that a lot of my peas rotted at the plots.
So sorry to hear about the church gardens. Have you been able to go over and look at them? Maybe it’s not too bad and something will survive.
I’m hoping that the weather doesn’t turn from too wet to too dry. That would be bad since all the plants that are sown will now have shallow roots.
Robin, I looked at the church garden yesterday afternoon, and it was under about a foot of water. I am guessing the water will not recede in time to spare the potatoes. You are so right, the weather has been very volatile of late!
Oh, how terrible. I’m so sorry to hear this. We’ve had some storms and a good deal of rain here too, recently, but nothing like what you’ve experienced. I’m so sorry to hear about all those lost potatoes, and the sirens and having to hunker down in the basement – how frightening!
Sooner or later the sun must come out…and for your sake I hope it’s on the sooner side – and that everyone and everything there recovers soon from all the weather-related damage.
So glad you can keep your sense of humor about the weather…I think it is a requirement for anyone that manages to garden long term. Terrible news about your potatoes, is there any chance the water will recede before they are ruined? That hail looks aweful…dang.
Glad to hear that you are ok, but so sorry to hear about the damage to your community. Yes, we are all having strange weather this year …I’m very much afraid that those predicting “climate change” are right and hoping this is not the way it will be from now on…
OK, I’m going to stop complaining about our cold and windy weather. So many of the garden bloggers have much worse conditions than I have to put up with here. I do hope the church potatoes survive the floods.
I hear ya. No one is getting any sleep around here either. My husband has spent many nights sleeping with our little boy who is terrified of the storms and they have been house rattling! Every night! This morning he prayed for some sunshine and the rain to stop, then said, “mommy it didn’t work!” ha ha! I told him sometimes God says yes, sometimes no and sometimes wait. And he said, “I think God told me to wait!” Optimism! Hope we see some sun soon!
Shawn Ann, I’m just hoping God isn’t getting ready to say “build an ark”!
It’s too bad about the potatoes. I hope you can replant when things dry out. I’m in the SW part of the state and most of the rain was just south, so we were spared this one. I remember 2008 when we got 8 inches of rain in about 24 hours, at least it seems like it, and watching the pond overtop the levee was not pleasant. Let’s hope this is the last crazy stretch of weather of the spring.
20 inch asparagus is something I’ve never seen! And you’re heading for spring too 🙂