A thunderstorm in the desert

[electra225]

Last evening, about 9:30 local time, we were watching "Blue Bloods". A prompt came on the TV, advising of a severe thunderstorm warning for our area. A thunderstorm of any duration is fairly rare around here. There was a system coming down off the Rim headed for the desert. The temperature in the mountains was maybe 30 degrees cooler than it was here in the desert. It was 104 last evening here at about 10:00 pm. When the storm from the mountains meets the heat from the desert floor, that can intensify and speed up the storm. It arrived here with 70 mph straight-line winds. It blew bouganvilla blossoms so hard they sounded like rocks when they hit our front door. It rained maybe 15 minutes, starting out coming straight horizontal, then going vertical and raining so hard we couldn't see the street. Just before it started raining, we got dust. Every palo verde tree in the neighborhood, perhaps hundreds of them, were either blown down or damaged. We didn't see one that survived unscathed. One family's trampoline was in the middle of the road. I've never seen lightning as intense as it was last evening. We were lucky. We survived with no damage at all.

[19&41]

It seems like many times a storm like that comes along, flooding for some areas accompanies it. I was living in Utah when there were heavy rains and a fast melt that caused flooding along the Wasatch front and one stream had to be channeled through city streets in Salt Lake City. The salt lake rose to levels unseen since prehistoric times and the salt flats were awash as well. The washouts were so bad, it washed unexploded bombs off the training range and into culverts under I-70.

[William]

How long ago was that? Having bombs under I 70 does not sound like a good idea.

Bill

[Firedome]

104 at 10PM at night? "But it's a dry heat..." LOL