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A WEATHER ADVENTURE
The Day I Ran Into a Derecho
It was the worst storm I've driven through
Derecho — a long-lived, fast-moving windstorm associated with a line of severe thunderstorms.
It was May 16, 2024. A mysteriously calm day for Houston, although severe weather watches had been posted. The day was a contradiction of conditions vs reality.
I had spent the day fifty miles from home with my grandson, who was a pediatric kidney dialysis patient.
While he was in the clinic, I spent the afternoon in the family lounge working, while keeping one eye on the developing weather.
I start my days understanding the daily forecast and its impact on the region where I live. That day, the Storm Prediction Center issued multiple statements about Southeast Texas, highlighting the explosive nature of the atmosphere.
All the atmosphere needed was a trigger, and the area would be hit with multiple thunderstorms, hail, high winds, dangerous lightning, flooding rains, and tornadoes.
There were storms in Central Texas, heading our direction, but their speed showed they would impact Houston after I was home and safely off the roads.
