Nebraska Weather, or Not...

On Saturday evening we settled down to a game of Mexican Train on the dinette table.  The mini blinds were half closed because the sun had been shining in during dinner.  As we started to play, I noticed there were some neat clouds coming up and opened the blinds all the way.

One look and we were outside taking pictures of some really wild  cloud formations.

Southwestern Sky

Northwestern Sky

Within minutes, the wind came up and large drops of rain started to splash around us. We took shelter in the Alfa, got out the weather radio and made a few quick evacuation preparations. Things like making sure I had my purse and keys, and Craig had his wallet and keys.  When we arrived on Friday, we were given a flyer showing where to go in case of a weather emergency and a list of radio stations to tune into to.  

Craig found the radar scan on the internet that showed some red areas coming our way, and there was one severe thunderstorm warning on the radio that included the county we were in. We did not like the sound of "ping pong ball sized hail possible". 

Craig lamented: "we've just gotten the Alfa into the shape we want, and now she might be blown away!"

The actual heavy rain didn't last very long, and it seemed like the lightning and thunder were farther off. 

The sun came out again and we were treated to a rainbow. 












As the evening progressed we saw more really neat clouds. 

Although we both grew up in the Midwest, we agreed neither of us remembered this type of cloud formation.  It was a bit eerie.

The whole storm lasted less than an hour. I had put a glass out as a rain gauge and it  collected less than 1/4 inch of rain.

We went back to our game and checked the weather forecast before going to bed. Nothing severe expected.

I thought a lot about the storms in the Midwest as we headed this way. But having lived here I was not afraid. Storms happen just like earthquakes, forest fires, and floods. We will never be 100% safe anywhere.  With that in mind, I found this storm exciting.

A stitched-together panorama image of the initial "wall cloud" including our neighbors' fifth wheel: