Lightning, traffic, flat tire and birthdays
Yesterday was Quinn's birthday (he turned 11). So, a party was planned last night at Mom and Dad's. Mom calls at 1600--she has a flat tire on I540 and a bit freaked out. I explain I still haven't even left work yet and it would be at least an hour for me to just drive out there. I tell her to call AAA to get some help. She finds card, calms down and realized she can do this herself. I called up davegrrr who is just leaving work and he comes to her rescue by just keeping her company until AAA arrives.
I got home to wrap the present, watch the weather and then take off myself for my parents while trying to check on Mom and her status. She reports AAA got there and she was on her way again home, but because she was on a temporary tire she needs to avoid the highway to get home. Then the storms rolled to unleash their fury on the triangle area. Traffic was horrible. I tried multiple alternate routes to get around traffic and everything was jammed up.
In the middle of this another line of storms rolled in and this one cell was popping some major lightning. This was not the pretty stuff. We're talking vivid, straight, cloud to ground lightning strokes every 15 seconds. There was some hail, but nothing bigger than pea size. There were many reports of hail throughout the area ranging from pea size up to 1" deep to golf ball size in many areas. There was even a vortex signature on radar that barreled through Chatham County, but no tornadoes reported from that.
So, what normally takes me 20 minutes to drive to parents house took 1 hour. Mom also took an hour to get home when it should normally take her 15 minutes. She said she tipped the repair guy handsomely for fixing her tire so quickly in the middle of a storm.
Quinn was very happy with his new gift--Starcraft, The Board Game. Hard to believe he'll be able to drive a car in just 5 years! He gave me a big hug as I left and said, "This has been the best birthday ever"! :)
I got home to wrap the present, watch the weather and then take off myself for my parents while trying to check on Mom and her status. She reports AAA got there and she was on her way again home, but because she was on a temporary tire she needs to avoid the highway to get home. Then the storms rolled to unleash their fury on the triangle area. Traffic was horrible. I tried multiple alternate routes to get around traffic and everything was jammed up.
In the middle of this another line of storms rolled in and this one cell was popping some major lightning. This was not the pretty stuff. We're talking vivid, straight, cloud to ground lightning strokes every 15 seconds. There was some hail, but nothing bigger than pea size. There were many reports of hail throughout the area ranging from pea size up to 1" deep to golf ball size in many areas. There was even a vortex signature on radar that barreled through Chatham County, but no tornadoes reported from that.
So, what normally takes me 20 minutes to drive to parents house took 1 hour. Mom also took an hour to get home when it should normally take her 15 minutes. She said she tipped the repair guy handsomely for fixing her tire so quickly in the middle of a storm.
Quinn was very happy with his new gift--Starcraft, The Board Game. Hard to believe he'll be able to drive a car in just 5 years! He gave me a big hug as I left and said, "This has been the best birthday ever"! :)