Whew what a week

3" of rain fell last week in our small city of Port Richey, conditions ripe for severe weather made it all the more interesting. Now I truly no what a bust means, all the ingredients there but no action. well no tornadoes or hail or strong winds but we had a lightning strike right around the corner.
The cell I was watching moved in right over us producing .50" of rain there was no lighting until the cell moved over the gulf and the things got eletricfied.
I was in with my son and my husband just stepped outside to look at the sky( he has bitten by the weather bug too)The rain had already stopped and the sky was clearing.
suddenly out of nowhere BOOM!!! It sounded like a bomb dropped in the back yard, the whole house shook the windows rattled and I Let out a small scream.
I flew out to the garage before i got there my husband met me in the entrance shaking.
" I felt it, he said through my whole body, my whole body is tingling" he was wide eyed and I could tell he was pretty shaken up. We new it was a close strike.
Then another boom and another for about fifteen minutes it was consistent one right after another. as much as I wanted to go outside and film, my fear kept me inside.
Finely silence fell. The sky war was over.
I look out back and saw flashing lights I had too go see, so me and my camera went outside. Th first strike hit less then 500 feet from our house. It knocked over a light pole and went trough the ground rupturing a water pipe, water was spuing all over covering the road way.

I don't know where the other strikes hit but the sounds of sirens where ever where.
How anybody can get so close to lightning and photograph it, I dunno because i could not get enough courage to go outside during the event.
It was a great ending to a truly interesting week. The weekend was Hot and humid but no more rain fell. It doesnt look like this week will be even close to what last week held.
The tropics are quiet with this being said:The area of low pressure over the northwest Caribbean continues to be monitored by the National Hurricane Center for signs of tropical development. Thunderstorm activity has gradually increased, but the system remains disorganized. Weak winds aloft and warm sea surface temperatures are creating a more suitable environment for organization, and a reconnaissance aircraft may investigate the disturbance this afternoon if necessary. This system has moved very little toward the west or northwest due to very weak steering winds in the region. Current forecast models are not in the best agreement on the future track of this disturbance, but a slow west to northwest motion is expected during the next couple of days.
Also:TROPICAL WAVE IS ALONG 38W/39W S OF 13N ESTIMATED TO BE MOVING
W 15 KT. THIS LOW AMPLITUDE WAVE HAS BEEN DIFFICULT TO SEE SINCE
EMERGING OFF THE AFRICAN COAST...LIKELY A FEW DAYS AGO...AS IT
HAS BEEN EMBEDDED WITHIN THE LINEAR ITCZ CLOUDINESS. THE WAVE IS
MORE VISIBLE ON THIS MORNING'S IMAGERY WITH THE ASSOCIATED DEEP
CLOUDINESS REACHING A POLEWARD CREST ALONG THE ANALYZED AXIS.
THE MIMIC TPW ANIMATION SHOWS A NARROW RATHER QUICK WWD MOVING
MOISTURE BUMP PERTURBING THE ITCZ...RELATED TO THIS WEAK
FEATURE. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS ARE WITHIN 210 NM EITHER
SIDE OF THE AXIS.

TROPICAL WAVE IS ALONG 56W S OF 20N MOVING W TO NW NEAR 10 KT. A
1010 MB LOW IS LOCATED ALONG THE WAVE AXIS NEAR 18N. THIS LOW
ONLY CONSISTS OF LOW-LEVEL CLOUDS...AND IN FACT MAY BE OPENING
UP. WEAKENING SCATTERED MODERATE CONVECTION IS WELL REMOVED TO
THE E OF THE WAVE FROM 16N-18N BETWEEN 51W-53W...SHEARED OFF BY
STRONG UPPER SWLY FLOW. So there you have it, the tropics no that i'm not ready yet for a hurricane interception, mother nature is giving me the time I need to learn and be ready.lol well that's what I like to think.

As for today it looks to be a beautiful day this is what sert has to say:
With the state caught between a ridge of high pressure over the eastern U.S. and a broad area of low pressure in the northwestern Caribbean Sea, winds will continue to be from the east today. These winds will still be quite brisk, particularly along the eastern peninsula coast where winds of 15-20 mph are expected. Such onshore winds will create a moderate to high threat of rip currents along the entire Florida Atlantic coast. In addition, there will be a moderate threat of rip currents along the western panhandle and Big Bend coast as easterly winds will cause a stronger current to run parallel to the beach. Beachgoers throughout Florida should heed warning signs, flags, and lifeguards.
The chance for rain will diminish greatly today as drier mid level air moves westward into the state. The best chance for rain will be in the Lower Keys and the panhandle during the afternoon, and only isolated activity is expected in both areas. An occasional cloud-to-ground lightning strike will be the main threat. The bigger issue today will be the heat and humidity. Highs this afternoon will reach the upper 80s to low 90s statewide. With abundant humidity, heat indices will climb into the mid to upper 90s. The heat index may reach 100 over portions of Southwest Florida, where near-record highs will be possible today and Tuesday. Overnight lows will be in the upper 60s to around 70, with mid 70s to near 80 south of Interstate 4.
I have to admit i am looking forward to some fall like temps, I would love to turn off my ac and open up the house. Not gonna happen this week but i am looking forward to it.
Well I'm too read dewdrops blog and see what Jeff Gammon's has to say. Have a beautiful week and remember KEEP YOUR EYES TO THE SKY!!
JESS...;)