TOP reader Mike Plews found himself on the other side of the camera on Tuesday, broadcasting from his own porch
Here in the American Midwest we are used to fierce storms. But even by our standards, the storms that ripped through Nebraska and Iowa from the Great Plains on Tuesday were remarkable.
"Baseball-sized hail" is usually an exaggeration
(Photo: KNEB Storm Center, Scottsbluff, Nebraska)
Hail-battered Mazdas on a new car lot in Nebraska.
(Photo: Francis Jenkins on Twitter)
Straight-line winds (i.e., not tornados) reached a reported 70 to 100 MPH, ripping off roofs and driving large hail through car windshields and even the siding on houses.
Our friend and frequent commenter Mike Plews, in Iowa, was out shooting with his news unit in Iowa when a call came in from his wife saying she thought he should break off whatever he was doing and come home. "In forty years on the job that has never happened before," says Mike.
The new Weber at the wrong end of the deck
"Mrs. Plews" as Mr. Plews often affectionately refers to her—Jacquie—had seen their new Weber gas grill cartwheeling end-over-end across the back deck, and took that as a sign she'd better head to the basement. Once in the basement, she found water pouring in, and called Mike.
Mike ended up doing an on-air interview from the other side of the camera—from his own home.
Wind and hail damage at the Plews home in Iowa, June 3, 2014
Mike says they were relatively lucky, because the sub-roof held in the winds and no windows failed. All his repairs will be covered by insurance.
Mike J.
(Thanks to Mike P.)
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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:
John Krumm: "I still have memories of being pelted with 'near-golfball' sized hail while on a bicycle in Montana. Can't imagine what baseball sized hail would feel like. A severe stoning by your deity of choice, I suppose. Here's to quick and successful repairs."
Mike replies: English soldiers on open ground suffered an extreme hailstorm near Chartres in 1360, and hundreds of soldiers were killed (several by lightning before the hail started). The carnage was indeed seen as the will of God, and the storm led to a fragile peace that ended the first phase of the Hundred Years' War.
Remarkable! So glad to read that you and and your wife are OK, Mike. The meteorological reporters were calling that phenomenon a "land hurricane". Sure enough, for several hours that morning Wind Map portrayed a perfect cyclonic doughnut with an eye nearly in the middle of the U.S..
Posted by: Kenneth Tanaka | Friday, 06 June 2014 at 02:49 PM
That looks quite scary and I hope all is repaired and no one was injured in all of that. But really- I'll take my chances here in California with earthquakes!
No tornadoes, hurricanes, ice storms, baseball sized hail. Now sea level rise hmmm another story!
Posted by: Joe B | Friday, 06 June 2014 at 03:45 PM
Holy cr*p !
Posted by: Dennis | Friday, 06 June 2014 at 03:53 PM
Wow. That's some massive hail. I hope everyone was OK. Coincidentally, another TOP reader and frequent commenter also had to deal with Tuesday's wild weather. I was flying from Chicago to Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon. We punched through the storm system near North Platte, Nebraska. You can see an aerial view of one of the thunderstorms here: http://www.photos4u2c.net/2014/06/06/refilling-platte/
Posted by: Dave | Friday, 06 June 2014 at 04:58 PM
I grew up in Michigan, and am very happy now to be living in Oregon.
Posted by: Herman | Friday, 06 June 2014 at 06:18 PM
We lost a full sized propane barbecue to the wind years ago here in Alberta. In the same storm, my car (a nicely restored 1969 Chevy Impala) floated down the road and high-centred itself on the median after I'd pulled over under an overpass to avoid the torrential rain. My 17 foot long car managed to stop traffic in both directions that day. I've never seen hail like that, though. Mother Nature can be vicious. I'm glad Mr. Plew's family is okay. That's quite an experience!
Posted by: Dillan | Friday, 06 June 2014 at 06:28 PM
Mike,remenber the French anthem until the Revolution (1792:
"Domine salvum fac regem
et exaudi nos in die
qua invocaverimus te
Domine salvum fac regem"
Posted by: jean-louis salvignol | Saturday, 07 June 2014 at 02:03 AM
Somewhat more recently than the events of1360 reported by Mike:
"For 60 years the skeletal remains of more than 200 people, discovered in 1942 close to the glacial Roopkund Lake in the remote Himalayan Gahrwal region, have puzzled historians, scientists and archaeologists. …
Now, the first forensic investigation of one of the area's most enduring mysteries has concluded that hundreds of nomads … were killed by one of the most lethal hailstorms in history."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/1476074/Giant-hail-killed-more-than-200-in-Himalayas.html
Posted by: Richard Parkin | Saturday, 07 June 2014 at 10:56 AM