BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

We were playing polo when it hit. Just huddled up under trees until it passed, then got out of there before the next one fired up. Soaked.

I was grilling dinner when it started to pour. I chose to skip my ride and went to Dirty Harry's to check the store out. It is only a 15 minute drive from my house, kind of cool. I passed a few riders and felt bad because I skipped out. I still haven't decided on a new helmet, shoes, or a headlight.

The ones who were toughing it out did have a very satisfied look on their face, made me jealous. Had I had my shorts with my I would have ridden, just to not feel out done.

@orion - don't know EXACTLY where you were, but those were some nasty storms last evening. I was under a park shelter for about an hour (unrelated to riding) and I would NOT have wanted to be out there. Between 6 and 7 the clouds/wind changed direction twice, there was visible lightening at least every five minutes, and periodic heavy rain. I was in Franklin Park, just on the southern edge of the storm. I suspect Dirty Harry's was right in the thick of it....

Out west we got nothing, zero, not a drip. Crazy isolated thunderstorms.

@ Edmonds - not isolated, just constrained to the linear front, or whatever. For awhile my radar screen was lit up in yellow, orange, red and deep red all the way from Cleveland to Kittanning. It just stayed north. I was five miles north of my house when I saw all the lightening, and expeienced all the rain. Like you, not a drop fell at my house.

Shaler Township right near Ross. It was heavy but I really enjoy riding in crappy weather.

Dirty Harry's, a few blocks from my house, was definitely in the eye of the storm for a few hours. We lost power and had service flicker most of the night. Street lights were out or flashing colors I didn't think they could when lightning hit - couldn't tell which flashes were with which booms but they were exactly overhead/on the river. ARB was moving at about 10 mph or slower - at least it was behind me - because when cars WERENT splashing from the opposite direction I couldn't see much of anything, including the road surface, through the water.

First time I've ever been in rain hard enough to be comparable to a "white out"... first time I've ever seen weather I wouldn't have biked in for the world. Also first time I haven't seen a single cyclist on my commute (which is mostly highway, too).

Lightning like that is just scary.

The storm from a week or two ago I was trying to outrun it and I got caught pretty good. I made the decision to find cover when tree branches started to fall. I hid out in the Bakery Square parking garage for about 30 minutes. Florida rain...