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stormy weather
Feb. 25th, 2006 07:19 pmWhen it rains, it really, really rains.
We leaving Bunnings in Northland when it started to spit. Earlier we'd watched the clouds rolling in, the city disappearing into the gloom. For some reason it still hadn't occured to me that it was going to pour. It was only spitting after all.
We started heading home to get the washing in. Five minutes later the gloom deepened and the heavens opened.
We decided to forget the washing and head over to Collingwood to get some stuff. After all, rainstorms only last a couple of minutes and then move on.
Then the lightning and thunder started. And the rain didn't stop.
We headed down St Georges Rd, which was rapidly turning into St Georges River. The left lane was completely flooded, so all traffic moved carefully into the centre lane. The occasional car still tried the left lane, but quickly decided that the risk to brakes and engine wasn't worth it. 10 minutes after we'd left Bunnings we realised that the rain wasn't stopping and we were heading down a hill toward the Yarra valley.
Where all the rain was going.
Lots of rain.
Probably not a good idea then.
We turned off St Georges Rd and tried to cut across on a side street. Traffic was at a standstill. The rain had short circuited the boom gates. We turned the other way and headed back up St Georges Rd. Northcote High School's oval was rapidly becoming a lake. The traffic huddled back into the centre lane again as the gutters remained overwhelmed.
"If I were evil" said Dean "I'd go up the tram line."
We didn't. We did turn onto Blythe St and start heading homewards. The first steep bend on the Nicholson/Albion corner was deeply underwater. We didn't attempt the second, turning off the road again in an attempt to seek higher ground. The line of cars, including one facing the wrong way, also helped make the decision.
Coming towards DeCarle St, we passed two uni students who'd obviously been caught out in the storm and had given up on the whole idea of trying to stay dry. They cheered us on through the large puddles, playing around in the water sprayed up at them.
The lightning continued. The thunder continued. The rain continued.
The speed hump in my street was completely underwater. That would be at least 20cm of water just on the road. We finally made it inside and started checking for leaks. Three of them, two minor, one quite bad. Not much we could do but stick buckets under them and hope that there wasn't enough water to collapse the ceiling or anything. So far there hasn't been.
When the lightning finally moved away we headed down to look at the creek. It was about 1.5m higher than normal, but hadn't broken the banks. It was dropping as we walked along until the point where the bike path was finally cut. The sun came out. The humidity kicked in.
We walked home again, listening to the far off thunder and watching the black clouds head towards the south-east.
And now we're waiting for the second rain band, which has just started spitting again.
We leaving Bunnings in Northland when it started to spit. Earlier we'd watched the clouds rolling in, the city disappearing into the gloom. For some reason it still hadn't occured to me that it was going to pour. It was only spitting after all.
We started heading home to get the washing in. Five minutes later the gloom deepened and the heavens opened.
We decided to forget the washing and head over to Collingwood to get some stuff. After all, rainstorms only last a couple of minutes and then move on.
Then the lightning and thunder started. And the rain didn't stop.
We headed down St Georges Rd, which was rapidly turning into St Georges River. The left lane was completely flooded, so all traffic moved carefully into the centre lane. The occasional car still tried the left lane, but quickly decided that the risk to brakes and engine wasn't worth it. 10 minutes after we'd left Bunnings we realised that the rain wasn't stopping and we were heading down a hill toward the Yarra valley.
Where all the rain was going.
Lots of rain.
Probably not a good idea then.
We turned off St Georges Rd and tried to cut across on a side street. Traffic was at a standstill. The rain had short circuited the boom gates. We turned the other way and headed back up St Georges Rd. Northcote High School's oval was rapidly becoming a lake. The traffic huddled back into the centre lane again as the gutters remained overwhelmed.
"If I were evil" said Dean "I'd go up the tram line."
We didn't. We did turn onto Blythe St and start heading homewards. The first steep bend on the Nicholson/Albion corner was deeply underwater. We didn't attempt the second, turning off the road again in an attempt to seek higher ground. The line of cars, including one facing the wrong way, also helped make the decision.
Coming towards DeCarle St, we passed two uni students who'd obviously been caught out in the storm and had given up on the whole idea of trying to stay dry. They cheered us on through the large puddles, playing around in the water sprayed up at them.
The lightning continued. The thunder continued. The rain continued.
The speed hump in my street was completely underwater. That would be at least 20cm of water just on the road. We finally made it inside and started checking for leaks. Three of them, two minor, one quite bad. Not much we could do but stick buckets under them and hope that there wasn't enough water to collapse the ceiling or anything. So far there hasn't been.
When the lightning finally moved away we headed down to look at the creek. It was about 1.5m higher than normal, but hadn't broken the banks. It was dropping as we walked along until the point where the bike path was finally cut. The sun came out. The humidity kicked in.
We walked home again, listening to the far off thunder and watching the black clouds head towards the south-east.
And now we're waiting for the second rain band, which has just started spitting again.
