The miserable winter continues Wednesday edition. We were hit dead on with what's being called a bomb cyclone yet again. This storm has brought us almost 4.5" of rain in a day and a half. On top of the near continuous rain over the last three months. It's much too much, and our hillsides are literally oversaturated. This is the new view out my studio window, more on that below.
This gif shows the storm really well, there were two big rotating storm systems that were also rotating around a central point, something called the Fujiwhara Effect, and that just sped up the winds incredibly.
I took this when I briefly went outside with Meg, she was too scared to go though. This was nothing compared to the really strong gusts.
We have had really windy days over the many years we've lived here, but there's never been a windstorm like this one. I unfortunately watched as four redwoods toppled below our house. Luckily for our downhill neighbors, they fell in the right place. It reminded me a lot of seeing the cannery collapse during the 1989 earthquake, just utter destruction actually happening before my eyes. Like something out of the movies. The wind gusts continued for most of the day, the highest being 33 mph, which is incredible in the protected area where we are. Downtown Boulder Creek which is more open (less trees), that gust measured at 40mph.
So, I saw those trees fall, the tops of the remaining redwoods are shredded and sparse now. But at the same time, another group of redwoods toppled.
We didn't used to have a view of the sky in this spot before. That's because there was a clump of about four redwoods blocking the view. As you can see, they're no longer there, as they also fell. We had heard something, but the wind was so loud we weren't sure, and we definitely were not out walking around with all the giant branches falling (they're not called widow makers for nothing)
It paused a bit in the ferocity so we bundled up and went out to see why we could see the sky. I noticed the decimation of the magnolia tree I just posted
about on Sunday.
I'm so glad I took those pictures on Saturday. So those little spiky trees behind the magnolia are what's left of the redwoods that were formerly behind it. We could see broken branches on the redwoods to the left and further on down the hill.
Finally I looked down and saw the roots sticking up out of an enormous mud ball. That little hillock looking thing is where the trees used to be standing.
It's incredible, all those trees just gone. We can see our neighbor's house for the first time ever.
Our power has been out since the winds started yesterday around noon. Thankfully the internet is still on. All of the roads are a mess, and we're not driving anywhere anytime soon. Unfortunately, and unrelated to the storm, last Wednesday our hot water heater went kaput, and the new one was to be installed today. But our plumber can't get here from there, so at least another day of heating up water for sponge baths.
wheee fun!
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