Hurricane Florence has come and gone leaving folks in the Carolinas to deal with the aftermath and cleanup. This got me thinking about severe weather and rain.
1. Hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, blizzards . . . what sort of severe weather threats affect your region?
2. Any first hand experience with severe weather?
3. Rainy days. Love ‘em or hate ‘em?
4. Favorite activity on a rainy day (assuming you don’t have to work)?
5. If you had to relocate and were given the choice between Seattle and Phoenix, where would you go?
Here in the Pocono Mountains, blizzards are the most frequent threat. Earthquakes have occurred, but they are rare and mild; imperceptible even. Few hurricanes track this far north without losing enough momentum to be considered “remnants”. Tornadoes were nearly unheard of here during my lifetime, until the one that hit about 20 miles north of us this June.
Mostly snow and ice storms. When winter precipitation is heavy and accompanied by high winds, it can get pretty dangerous around here.
Usually indifferent, I think, when the amount of rain over a given period of time is relatively normal. When rain is unusually heavy or seems to persist for days on-end, it starts to be disruptive, particularly during the Summer months when it interferes with plans. The elevation here varies widely and there are a lot of streams and rivers that tend to flood their valleys fairly quickly.
All-day, steady rain: inside home improvement projects; binge-watching TV
Thunderstorms: Out on the front porch just sitting and enjoying the sensory experience
Would have said Seattle before I turned 50. Not any more.
Not very many. Utah is mostly a high desert interrupted by mountains where the rain and snow fall. It’s the water that runs out of the mountains that makes living in the desert possible. In other words, weather here is mostly boring.
Not really. We had a tornado slice through Salt Lake about 20 years ago. I heard it from my office, but didn’t realize what it was until it was over. Again, boring.
Rainy days in Salt Lake City are a novelty. I like them, but if they go on for more than a day or so, things start seeming gloomy.
Waiting for the sun to come out, so I can get back to doing what I like to do.
I do like Seattle — the forests, the water, the moderate temperatures. I couldn’t tolerate the all-too-frequent rainy days, though. I’m not especially fond of the city of Phoenix, but from a weather perspective, I’ll take Phoenix over Seattle. If I could live next door in Mesa, I’d definitely prefer it.
1. Hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, blizzards . . . what sort of severe weather threats affect your region?
I live in Houston, so Hurricanes have been the biggest threat so far. I lost my childhood home to a strong tropical storm (not quite hurricane strength), and spent several weeks throughout my life without power from hurricane weather. I’ve met a few people who are just now able to return back to their homes from Harvey. They’ve been living in motels for over a year.
2. Any first hand experience with severe weather?
Question 1 sums it up. I would love to experience a blizzard. I’ve never seen anything like it.
3. Rainy days. Love ‘em or hate ‘em?
I love them for the most part. It was raining this morning and traffic was a mess.
4. Favorite activity on a rainy day (assuming you don’t have to work)?
I like going for a walk in a forested area while listening to headphones in the rain.
5. If you had to relocate and were given the choice between Seattle and Phoenix, where would you go?
Seattle
1. Hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, blizzards . . . what sort of severe weather threats affect your region?
Tornadoes, earthquakes, dangerous heat, dangerous cold, blizzards, ice storms. Yay Midwest!
2. Any first hand experience with severe weather?
A couple of severe hailstorms, a couple of ice storms, a tornado a few miles away (not close enough to damage my home, but close enough to put me in the bathroom to hide and my husband in the front yard to watch). A couple of minor earthquakes as a kid when I lived in California.
3. Rainy days. Love ‘em or hate ‘em?
During mowing season, love ‘em.
4. Favorite activity on a rainy day (assuming you don’t have to work)?
Watching movies while working on craft projects.
5. If you had to relocate and were given the choice between Seattle and Phoenix, where would you go?
Phoenix
1. Hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, blizzards . . . what sort of severe weather threats affect your region?
The only thing we have here at Viña del Mar, Chile, are earthquakes. Once every five-ten years we have a mayor one, and almost every week we have one or two (very short, little and soft quakes) that we can feel under our feet. Besides that, only rain sometimes.
2. Any first hand experience with severe weather?
Just the earthquakes. 1985 and 2010. I barely remember the first one, but on 2010 I was awake working when it started. I could see through the window the light posts on the street moving and dancing like pendulums, shortcuts on the electricity lines, and everything shaking really hard. I was really really hoping the engineer in charge of calculating the steels and beams and such for my building had it done right. And then, it stopped, and everything went dark. Half of the country went black that night, but services were back fairly quick in most of the cases.
3. Rainy days. Love ‘em or hate ‘em?
I LOVE rainy days. I wish I could move to a more rainy city, to the south of Chile. Valdivia or Puerto Montt would be my choice.
4. Favorite activity on a rainy day (assuming you don’t have to work)?
Besides drinking hot chocolate, marshmallows and a good book? If I am camping, I like to go for a walk, just feeling the rain pour over me, or swimming in the lake. Once a went fishing on a lake, that was a magical moment.
5. If you had to relocate and were given the choice between Seattle and Phoenix, where would you go?
I really wouldn’t know, sorry.
1. Hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, blizzards . . . what sort of severe weather threats affect your region?
We have had it all here in Upstate NY There have been tornadoes, remnants of hurricanes, hail storms, flooding, severe heat, severe cold, even and earthquake here and there. None of them are horrendous or last too long. Our worst is snow and ice storms. It can start in October and last until April. When we get a blizzard, things come to a stand still briefly. I will say our road crews have it down to a science and while things slow down … they don’t stat that way for too long … thankfully
2. Any first hand experience with severe weather?
We have gotten a few very early snow/ice storms. One October sever years ago we had a huge ice storm and it took down trees all over the place. Most of Upstate NY was without power for a week if not more in the more remote areas.
About 8 years ago we had a huge blizzard and it took out all the power in our area for just over a week. No power … no heat unless you have a wood stove, which we didn’t. It was well below freezing daily. My sister stayed at her Job in and I packed the kids up and drove out to Little Falls to spend a few days with my other sister. It was freaking miserable. But, I was still thankful. Most had no where to go and ended up in shelters.
3. Rainy days. Love ‘em or hate ‘em?
I have a love hate relationship I love the warm, cozy feeling I get from them … but I hate the pain the actual damp, cold causes me.
4. Favorite activity on a rainy day (assuming you don’t have to work)?
Love to find a good movie and crochet or work on another craft project.
5. If you had to relocate and were given the choice between Seattle and Phoenix, where would you go?
As long as I could afford round the clock AC and had a good vehicle that had AC … Phoenix. I’m sick of snow months But, I do love Seattle (or at least what I have seen in pics)
1. Hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, blizzards . . . what sort of severe weather threats affect your region?
All the above plus long periods of no rain and then long periods of rain and then heavy heavy snow falls … as in shovel off the roof every couple of days.
2. Any first hand experience with severe weather?
Tons. Just had 6 tornadoes rip apart a good chunk of my city. Um, had an 80 foot tall black cherry tree crush the front of my house. Um, ice storm … 5 days of no power. Did I fail to mention that I’m on a well … no power = no water.
3. Rainy days. Love ‘em or hate ‘em?
Love 'em.
4. Favorite activity on a rainy day (assuming you don’t have to work)?
Sex.
5. If you had to relocate and were given the choice between Seattle and Phoenix, where would you go?
1. Hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, blizzards . . . what sort of severe weather threats affect your region?
In the UK we get a lot of earthquakes and quite a few tornados, but they are so small they hardly ever give any trouble. Most people don’t even notice the earthquakes. We get the occasional hurricane - people still talk about the hurricane of '87 which caused a lot of damage, killing 22 and felling 15 million trees. We have always had a lot of rain of course, but severe flooding from heavy rain is becoming increasingly a problem.
2. Any first hand experience with severe weather?
see above
3. Rainy days. Love ‘em or hate ‘em?
Hate the disruption (especially if there’s a cricket match on), love the excuse to stay indoors.
4. Favorite activity on a rainy day (assuming you don’t have to work)?
Ryzom !
5. If you had to relocate and were given the choice between Seattle and Phoenix, where would you go?
Seattle for the wet and windy weather, rather than hot and dry Phoenix.
1. Hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, blizzards . . . what sort of severe weather threats affect your region?
Blizzards mostly. The occasional hurricane but I live about 60 miles inland from the coast and usually hurricanes just glance by Boston.
2. Any first hand experience with severe weather?
Was 2 weeks without power after an ice storm took out the whole grid in town. They had to bulldoze the poles and wires away and put all new in. First week was fine, in the 60s and sunny. Second week went sub-zero. We did have a neighborhood cookout toward the end of the first week to use up the thawing freezer food.
3. Rainy days. Love ‘em or hate ‘em?
Depends on the temperature. During the summer they are fine. During the colder months not so much.
4. Favorite activity on a rainy day (assuming you don’t have to work)?
I’ll work out in the garden or be out fishing even in the rain. I don’t melt. Thunderstorms, I like to watch from the porch.
5. If you had to relocate and were given the choice between Seattle and Phoenix, where would you go?
Seattle. I could still grow a garden in Seattle even in the rain. Better than the one I can grow in New England. I’ve been to Phoenix several times at different times of the year and hated all of them. Nothing grows there.
There have been tornadoes, remnants of hurricanes, hail storms, flooding, severe heat, severe cold, even and earthquake here and there. None of them are horrendous or last too long. Our worst is snow and ice storms. It can start in October and last until April. When we get a blizzard, things come to a stand still briefly. I will say our road crews have it down to a science and while things slow down … they don’t stat that way for too long … thankfully 
But, I do love Seattle (or at least what I have seen in pics)