Exciting weather Saturday, wouldn’t you say? An encore is due today, with stronger winds and heavy rain.
I sat down to write this around 4 p.m. Saturday when a 45 mph gust of wind hit and boom, the power went out. After 20 minutes, I began to panic, wondering how I could get my column down to the copy desk by my deadline.
I hooked my laptop via USB cable to my Android cellphone — I could download my document to the phone and then email it The Columbian. Yeah, figured all that out.
Halfway through, the power was restored and I went back to my desktop.
Heavy rain and then a break was the pattern Saturday. Rainfall amounts were approaching 1 inch by late afternoon. I read online that there were many power outages in Clark County and in the metro area.
This is very unusual for September to have such large and powerful storms, but I thought the TV kind of overdid the alarm Friday night. Saturday’s storm was just a typical good winter-type storm we might get in November or December.
It doesn’t help, though, to have the leaves on the trees — when heavy and wet, they snap limbs off onto power lines and topple smaller trees.
So the bottom line is, prepare for more rain and possible stronger winds later today. Have flashlights and candles ready. And if it is really stormy, stay off the streets; it is nasty enough without extra traffic.
Showers will continue Monday and Tuesday before we dry out. How long that lasts is anyone’s guess. Things are changing quickly. Keep warm and dry and be safe!
Patrick Timm is a local weather specialist. His column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Reach him at http://patricktimm.com.
