We Got Off Easy, But Not Unscathed

I have to admit, I was surprised by the intensity at the wind and rain here in Memphis last night. I went in to work at 10 pm. By midnight, the wind was howling. And the wind didn't let up until around 6 am. By sunrise, 74,000 people here were without power. Trees covered roads, schools were closed.

No damage to speak of on the river, although at one point I was sure the windows were going to blow right out of the wheelhouse. It was like a severe thunderstorm without the thunder. There were a few flashes of lightning but I never HEARD any thunder.

We're used to severe weather here in the dirty south. The squalls usually just blow through quickly and are gone. A storm lasting more than an hour would be unusual. But last night it just went on and on and on....

And Memphis was on the "good" side. I spoke to a freind of mine in Nashville around 8 this morning; it had stopped raining here, there they were still in the middle of it. I couldn't help but think of those further south. Still haven't heard from friends in Gulfport...