I woke early, around 3:15AM. The outer rain bands of Isaias arrived in my central Virginia city at 3:40AM with a powerful burst of rainfall. I got up and got on the computer and turned on the local news. There were tornado warnings, then tornados confirmed on the ground. At 5:55AM, electric power went off, then returned. I went back to bed and went to sleep.
When I awoke at 8:30AM, all was quiet. No rain, no wind, and the sun was out. But the local news had photos and video of significant storm damage, apparently from tornadoes. Many trees are down, some falling on cars or houses. Tractor-trailers are blown over onto their sides, lying across the road. Flash floods required water rescues for stranded motorists. Several hundred thousand people, mostly in eastern counties and the Northern Neck, were without electricity.
Rainfall measured at a nearby airport was 5.37 inches, and maximum wind at the airport was 51 mph, but was 70 mph in eastern Virginia, near the storm center.
I haven’t walked around my house, but looking through the windows at the neighborhood, it looks like my city escaped the worst. I’m hoping my house has all its shingles. I expect it will. I see no evidence of any leaks of rain into my house. So blue skies, wet grass, and all is quiet. The temperature is a comfortable 74°F. I opened a front window and back door. I’d like to get a cross-breeze through the house, but the air is still. Still, it’s a very nice morning for those of us lucky enough to have missed the worst.
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