Wild Thunderstorm In Miami Yesterday Afternoon

Really wild. That for a Miamian is saying A LOT. Been a while since I saw so many cloud to ground lightning strikes, a few coming down like arteries flowing out of the storm itself, most thick and straight down and very deadly looking.

This picture was snapped around 79th Street and Biscayne Blvd looking westbound. The cloud was so low people in the car insisted it was smoke... told them .."nooo" and sure that cell had rotation in it. A man sitting in the back of the pick up truck in front of us kept looking over at it nervously. People were craning their heads out windows to try and get a better look at the sky and that line of storms.

Hail hit a few minutes after I snapped the pic. Big piece of hail bounced off the window and a few more and then the heavens opened up to an incredible torrential downpour like I haven't seen for several years down here. 98 or 99 maybe... there was a spring I think before Irene that was crazy with lightning storms and flooding rains.

Streets flooded fast, copious amounts of rain, heavy wind and hail mixed into the rain ... floating in the water as it ran down the street and slid into street gutters or melted on sidewalks. Small hail, like the size of pellets.. not quite marbles.

Wild, really. Whole way home everyone thought and talked ominously about the hurricane season and their own gut feelings that we would have a storm this year. People who I haven't heard talk on weather let alone their "feelings" on this hurricane season. Seems everyone's nerves or gut feelings are a bit funky this year.

Did you write your congressman or senator today?

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ <-- link posted at hurricanecity.com
http://billnelson.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm <--link for the astronaut senator