Winnipesaukee Forum - View Single Post - Tornado WARNING

DickR · 06-23-2008, 04:00 PM

About three years ago, late July, my wife called frantically around 9pm from our place on Long Island (NE side), screaming about high wind out front, with rain blasting sideways. With the front spotlight on, she couldn't see as far as the swim raft anchored about 75 feet out from shore. I packed a bag quickly and hit the road again. I arrived about 11pm, to complete calm. Power was out. The lower end of the Neck road had a few leaves and minor twigs on the pavement, but nothing notable otherwise. The driveway going in to the cottage, parallel to shore and about 60 feet back from the water, also had just some blown down leaves and minor twigs on it.

The inner half of my dock was ripped off the outer half, upturned, and substantially dismantled. The boat was still tied to the outer half, which was held down by a ballast platform loaded with rock. A neighbor had run a line from the boat to a tree on shore to keep the whole thing from drifting off.

In the morning I walked the shore, headed southeast. It appeared that whatever it was (microburst?) was exceedingly localized. It paralleled the shore, then, at a curve in the shoreline, it slammed into shore, snapping or uprooting upwards of a dozen large trees across two lots. We're talking about two feet and larger at the base. Just beyond those it veered off into the woods, leaving a similar path of destruction, then abruptly stopping. Further downshore there were a few other trees blown over.

I had never seen such destruction from a summer storm, or such localized destruction. The following week there wasn't any mention of this in the Meredith News. Too local, I guess. Too bad they missed such a great photo op.

06-23-2008, 04:00 PM	#18
DickR Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Moultonborough Posts: 735 Thanks: 4 Thanked 254 Times in 166 Posts	Microburts About three years ago, late July, my wife called frantically around 9pm from our place on Long Island (NE side), screaming about high wind out front, with rain blasting sideways. With the front spotlight on, she couldn't see as far as the swim raft anchored about 75 feet out from shore. I packed a bag quickly and hit the road again. I arrived about 11pm, to complete calm. Power was out. The lower end of the Neck road had a few leaves and minor twigs on the pavement, but nothing notable otherwise. The driveway going in to the cottage, parallel to shore and about 60 feet back from the water, also had just some blown down leaves and minor twigs on it. The inner half of my dock was ripped off the outer half, upturned, and substantially dismantled. The boat was still tied to the outer half, which was held down by a ballast platform loaded with rock. A neighbor had run a line from the boat to a tree on shore to keep the whole thing from drifting off. In the morning I walked the shore, headed southeast. It appeared that whatever it was (microburst?) was exceedingly localized. It paralleled the shore, then, at a curve in the shoreline, it slammed into shore, snapping or uprooting upwards of a dozen large trees across two lots. We're talking about two feet and larger at the base. Just beyond those it veered off into the woods, leaving a similar path of destruction, then abruptly stopping. Further downshore there were a few other trees blown over. I had never seen such destruction from a summer storm, or such localized destruction. The following week there wasn't any mention of this in the Meredith News. Too local, I guess. Too bad they missed such a great photo op.