This morning I went for a walk. Walking the morning after a storm is always a little more peaceful than a normal morning walk. It was quiet except for the sounds of hack saws and chain saws. As I walked up and down the streets there were neighbours on the front lawns talking, there were people walking around wondering what the heck happened.

We seriously needed rain, it seems like a month since we’ve had any noticeable amount of rain. Rain keeps popping up in the forecast however it always seems to miss the city. However Mother Nature gave us rain last night – she returned with a vengeance.

Last night I feel asleep early however at about 8:30-9pm I was awoken by a huge clap of thunder. I was relieved to finally get some rain, however when I rolled over in bed and looked out the window I was not prepared for what I saw. It looked like I was in a ship that was sinking, it looked like I was underwater. I could barely see the tree out front of my window but I could tell that the winds were higher than I have ever been in before. There was a sound unlike a sound I had ever heard before and my first thought was tornado. Hindsight is 20/20. If I was smart I would have snapped a picture because I still have a hard time believing it, but instead I grabbed decent clothing and ran downstairs to the main floor.

There I found Brian and Adam standing near the window looking at the rain and wind. Adam wasn’t quite sure what to make of it and convincing Brian to go to the basement was going to be a waste of time. I looked out the front and my Mom’s planters and chairs off her porch were on the front lawn. I looked on the deck and our cushions were scattered but all there. That is when I noticed water coming in our back door. I went and got some towels and covered the hard wood so it wouldn’t get ruined. I went to the basement and did a water check and there was no water in the basement so we were good.

By this point the storm was still going however it was letting up to just a downpour. As I went upstairs to check those windows for leaks I looked out and it was apparent that something happened. Within 30 minutes it was clear enough to go outside and what I saw was weird. The neigbours started emerging and we walked out to the street to find a huge tree was split and the other half was half a block down the street. In good fashion those who lived closest to it were standing around it with beers in their hands discussing their brute strength and their ability to rip a tree in half.

I didn’t take any pictures last night but went for a walk this morning. Last night the general consensus was it could have been a tornado but looking at the damage there isn’t enough of it to be that. It’s really weird though because the damage is in one straight strip down the street. If you walk a block to the east or to the west of my street there is the odd thing out-of-place but nothing like in the strip. It’s also weird because the fronts lawns of the houses are untouched but the backyards are ravished. I talked to many of the people on the street and they too agree it’s weird.

So something happened here in this part of the city. Talking to people all over the city they only got a downpour of rain. The news only spoke of one tree down the next street over, however they also were flashing across the screen “There had been a tornado touchdown in <Insert Location Here>” We couldn’t tell if a tornado had touched down, to take their warning seriously or if some night janitor was told to press the button to put that on the screen. To be honest the news station in the city is a little lacking when it comes to coverage of things like this.

The Weather Network just has a general story about the storms that hit the area so I guess we’ll not know what the heck happened besides high winds and rain last night but I think if you ask most people something more happened last night.

So here are some pictures from my walk for those who live on the other side of the city and only got a downpour.