Originally Posted by
gerv
Curiously been riding to work for 11 years and I think it was today. Weather looked iffy as I left for work today.... was ok until about halfway when it suddenly started raining... and hard!
I didn't have time to find an underpass or a bus shelter, so got under a tree and got my rain poncho out. It really rained for the next 15 minutes!! After that, it stopped enough for me to continue...
Odd because I've had so many incidents where I just arrive somewhere and the deluge starts... guess my luck ran out today..
Those furious rain squalls come up so quickly here in the Great Lakes region! Weather radar is of no use whatever. Luckily they only last a few minutes. But you can start a short ride in sunshine and be totally drenched a few minutes later.
My worst experience happened at work. We had a tornado warning at the end of my shift. I stayed over a bit to help with the patients. I checked the weather radar before I left and judged that I could get home between two storm cells. Sure enough, I didn't get caught in a storm. But the street lights were out and I did I see a huge tree that had fallen across the roadway. I went into a skid on the wet pavement and crashed into the branches. Luckily, they broke my fall and no damage was done. The next day I discovered that a tornado had passed through and tore up the power plant just a couple hundred yards from the fallen tree.