I took the dog for a short walk after the rain stopped last night. The power was out just down the street from me, and the water made it nearly impossible to make the full tour of the neighborhood. How much water? A couple of girls in the neighborhood had their kayaks with them, heading toward deeper water! Wait a minute, kayaking in Midtown Mobile?
Our original plan for Thursday was to see Downton Abbey at the movie theater. We'd even bought advance tickets several days earlier, but there was no way we were going to attempt the drive out to West Mobile on a day when the commute became an adventure in Waterworld (apologies to Kevin Costner). We definitely needed the rain, because until Thursday, we'd had exactly ZERO rain in the City of Mobile in September. Normal rainfall amounts usually exceed five inches in September.
So we're essentially back to normal for the month, even above normal in some areas. And all of it came down in just four crazy hours. The National Weather Service had one report of more than 10 inches of rain near Spring Hill College.
The rainfall measurements do not surprise me at all. We had our own rain bucket (sort of), because the lid on our garbage can remained open after being emptied yesterday. There was at least a foot of water in the garbage can when we got home.
Getting around became a real problem, too. Mobile PD simply asked people to limit driving, and there were at least 60 water rescues. The "turn around, don't drown" mantra meant something to most commuters, but apparently not everyone. Maybe the worst example is a Wave Transit bus that apparently had a schedule to keep....
We should probably mention the lightning. Not only was our dog (and probably every other dog) terrified, but it was shaking homes and buildings; and sparked at least one fire. No one was injured in a two-alarm fire on Ashland Place.
Fortunately, the bad weather is over for now. And today, it legit feels like fall. Fall will officially begin on Monday (9/23) at 2:50PM. After yesterday and the weeks of (too) hot weather leading up to yesterday, I'm ready for the best season of the year on the Gulf Coast.
Wanna see more? Check Mary Booth's blog post, and coverage from our news partner NBC-15.