Severely weathered

A month ago, I regaled you with the deluge of thunderstorm, tornado, and flash flood watches and warnings that filled my inbox over the course of roughly 24 hours. After a final flash flood watch alert at 6:13 PM that day, things finally quieted down for a week, at which time I got one tornado watch. While that's all I got for Virginia Beach -- a watch, no warning -- Suffolk wasn't so fortunate. Tornados there wreaked at least $30 million in damages, including complete destruction of 49 homes and four businesses. Miraculously, there were no deaths.

After a two-week lull, all hell broke loose again. For the last week and a half, it seems like the Weather Channel has been spewing warnings at a record pace. On 5/11, we got a tornado watch and a severe thunderstorm warning. On the 12th, no fewer than six coastal flood warnings, with a high wind warning tossed in for good measure. Coastal flood warnings continued the next day, racking up four between 3 AM and 3 PM.

Then, after a week's reprieve, Mother Nature provided more grist for the Weather Channel's mill, in the form of a severe thunderstorm watch and two severe thunderstorm warnings. The first warning was of A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING NICKEL SIZE HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. Twenty minutes later, it was CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL. Talk about rampant inflation... And it was not just "capable" of producing hail -- it delivered the goods. Don't know if it got to "quarter size" in my back yard, but dime-to-nickel size, definitely.

For some reason, tornado watches and warnings are unusually rampant in the area this year. I almost think I prefer hurricanes; they at least give you plenty of warning before ripping the roof off your house.