I was ensconced in the studio in Skokie IL for most of the evening, but it did take me 20 minutes to do a 5 minute drive at 6PM.

Outside was about 80% rain density, almost parallel with the ground. Auto-braille, indeed.


The Mrs. Lady Chimp and I live up just South of Loyola. The lightning show from our balcony at midnight was nothing short of fantastic.


Also! I just recall being woken up at 1AM by the loudest thundercracking that I have ever heard. I've always slept through storms like a brick, but last night, I shot straight up in bed, thinking that the Walgreens next door had just been firebombed.

Subsequent observation failed to confirm this, to mild disappointment, but Holy Shit that was loud.

I work in River North, didn't really notice any storm yesterday, though. I'm far from the windows, didn't really leave my desk all day.

So after work, I walked to Union Station, got about 2 spits o' Rain on me.

Then I get off the Metra in La Grange. Got wetter on my walk home than I have ever been in my entire life. Wringing out the money in your wallet wet. Good gravey, I thought I was going to be knocked down and pinned to ground by the sheer force of the downpour. Shirt soaked through to the skin UNDER the rain jacket. Don't buy the cheap windbreaker-style, fyi.

The basement didn't flood, somehow. And we didn't lose power, or too many branches. Dumb luck.

I don't know how much more rain the ground can absorb. I hear we're in for the same thing today.

They just came by and cleared all the branches off the street in front of my apartment.

A guy at work's 26 story condo building was on the news for losing part of it's roof on top of Lake Shore Drive.

My friend took these pictures - all within a 4 block radius of his house. Pretty crazy. I was in a high-rise downtown - pretty cool to watch it come in.

Ya know, I work in Evanston and I took 2 trains and a bus home yesterday all through this crazy storm. I didn't see any traffic, didn't come across much rain (until the last few minutes of the trip) and never saw any destruction, even though I traveled all the way to Uke Village to get home. Plus, my electricity was not out, though parts of my neighborhood were. It was like I was living in another city.

barndog wrote:My friend took these pictures - all within a 4 block radius of his house. Pretty crazy. I was in a high-rise downtown - pretty cool to watch it come in.

Cool pix!

I wasn't anywhere that seemed insanely windy, but the rain and lightning were fantastic. I went after work to Pearl Arts on Chicago for some crap and the second deluge started while I was inside ~6:40. The clerks took it upon themselves to fashion garbage dresses for all exiting patrons which was awesome. Tons of down branches and packed bars in Lincoln Square.

Hope nobody's car got smooshed and that basements are holding up. Second wettest August on record so far.

my work is still out of power in lincolnwood and has been since they first hit at 3 or so yesterday, and so is my entire block (maplewood s. of diversey). at home. we're told 72hrs before we get it back, i'm now at golden rise. that was some weird shit sleeping and hanging out with no power last night.

fortunately i'm headed to wisco for the weekend, fuck this noise!

oh, and a huge branch fell off the tree in my front yard and landed on our fence, narrowly escaping hitting rachel's car parked in front.

I was walking down Lawrence. It had been muggy and sunny all day but I noticed some pleasant, puffy clouds just kinda floating by.

Then, a few blocks before I hit Ravenswood I look back and notice the sky is dark and surging behind me. It was kinda cool and spooky, and in other midwester towns I'd maybe have some tornado paranoia but I figured, "eh...that shit rarely touches down in Chicago."

Then the storm hit. I hustled and huddled from awning to awning until the bus came, then I got off at the Red Line stop and waited the storm out.

It lightened up enough that I was able to walk the rest of the way home. Once I was home the storm hit hard again, knocking out the power a few blocks north of me.

Anyways, I sustained minimal storm damage after having been out in it.

That means ME:1
STORM:0

Yikes. I just walked around the neighborhood (Logan Square), and a street a block west of me got it bad. Here's some pics: