Yesterday, February 13, 2008, Syzdekistan experienced some brutal winds associated with the passage of a cold front. The temperature dropped 17 degrees in about two hours and I estimate winds were gusting over 60 miles per hour. I could hear shingles banging as they popped off the roof. This is the third time we’ve lost roof shingles due to the wind. I think the wind funnels between two neighboring houses and lifts up the bottom edge of the shingles and then tears them free up the roof like a zipper.
At least the downwind neighbor has learned a valuable lesson from previous storms. He now parks his pickup truck outside of the shingle danger zone when strong winds are predicted and then gives me the shingles that end up in his driveway.
Besides damage to the roof, the wind also blew over our (fairly) new barbeque grill. This grill weighs over two hundred pounds and sits against a low block wall. The wall’s bricks are perforated and about 20% of the grill sticks out past the edge of the wall but I am still amazed that the wind knocked this heavy object with a fairly broad base over. Luckily, the natural gas line to the grill had enough slack and didn’t tear free. The grill is pretty dented up but probably will work fine. I will probably end up replacing the dented pieces.
It could have been worse. Several areas of the city lost power and many businesses lost signs. A lot of the street-corner vendors that were selling Valentine’s gifts lost their wares. In fact, I saw a large, white stuffed teddy bear that had blown under the wheels of a moving van. So sad.
McCarran Airport recorded a 67 mile per hour gust and a port-a-potty turned into a dangerous projectile (From the Las Vegas office of the National Weather Service):
02/13/2008 0700 PM
Las Vegas (downtowlefield, Clark County.
Non-thunderstorm wind gust m67.00 mph, reported by unknown.
At McCarran International Airport visiblity was down to 4
miles in blowing dust and a port-a-potty blew across
runway 25… damaging Airport lights and a vehicle.02/13/2008 0700 PM
North Las Vegas, Clark County.
Non-thunderstorm wind damage, reported by County official.
Public works dept reports 5 street light poles down, 8
stop signs blown over, 3 intersection traffic lights
blown down.02/13/2008 0700 PM
North Las Vegas, Clark County.
Non-thunderstorm wind damage, reported by broadcast media.
Mobile home blown into a neighboring house
02/13/2008 0700 PM
6 miles se of Las Vegas (dolefield, Clark County.
Non-thunderstorm wind damage, reported by broadcast media.
Large tree blown onto a truck and crushed it.
02/13/2008 0545 PM
Mesquite, Clark County.
Non-thunderstorm wind gust m57.00 mph, reported by trained spotter.
A weather spotter reported northwest winds gusting to 57
mph with blowing dust and a power outage.02/13/2008 0648 PM
Henderson, Clark County.
Non-thunderstorm wind damage, reported by storm chaser.
A weather spotter in Henderson reported small branches
breaking off trees.
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1 Back to Work After Illness // Feb 21, 2008 at 12:14 am
[…] That’s right, I spent a few hours on Monday up on the roof repairing the damage from the windstorm last week. I got most of the damage fixed on Monday but needed to quit early to let Hot Wife go out for the […]
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