Planet Earth is capable of some pretty freaky shit. If you've ever lived through the terrifying destruction of a hurricane, earthquake, tsunami, tornado, volcano eruption, landslide, or just about any other atmospheric or geologic event, you know that these events can be just...awesome in their fury. Hell, even a good thunderstorm is enough to freak some people out.
This afternoon, Ottawa was under a tornado warning, and around 3 pm, the skies over Hull darkened quickly, and the wind and rain lashed about furiously. At one point, the wind was actually blowing the rain up instead letting it fall down.
And just like that, it was over, at least where we were.
I looked at the sky around us, and I knew there wouldn't be a tornado around Hull or downtown Ottawa. The sky didn't have that ghoulish greeny-black tinge to it that I've seen in Alberta whenever we were under a tornado watch or warning there. Not that the sky absolutely has to look that way before a tornado strikes off in the distance, it's just a purely anecdotal observation that I've made over time when I lived in tornado alley. When I saw that sky, I knew a twister was likely in the vicinity. Today, it was just...dark.
The wind and rain picked up periodically into the early evening, but just like that, the threats flashing red on the weather sites came and went with little to show for it.
I'm going to sound awfully ghoulish myself, but I'm a sucker for a good storm. I'm enthralled by the power of big storms and the reminder they serve us of just how inconsequential living things are in the face of the forces of nature.
I never want people or animals to be harmed by these events (unless they are fish. I said it, so what.), but when it happens, it's a powerful reminder that we're so vulnerable, despite our advances.
Stay safe all...
...Wish you were here.
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