I can't remember the last time I saw a storm like I saw today. In all, a couple inches of rain fell in a relatively short amount of time and some places measured wind gusts between 60-70 miles per hour. The alarms went off at the Trib Tower telling us to move away from the windows for a good 20 minutes or so. We even sprung a few dripping leaks at work (although nothing like what I'm sure some people are dealing with in their basements and homes tonight). Madness.
But all told, and granted I was indoors at work during the brunt of the storm, I love that kind of weather. When I did decide to make the commute home shortly after 7pm it was still raining but not that hard, and after waiting a few minutes for a cab I was convinced that the rain wasn't hard enough to keep me from walking to the train home. It actually felt pretty good.
But what topped it all was the light show in the sky. Streaks of lightning and other bursts lit up the night above me as I meandered through the city, across the river, to the train, and eventually home. Tall buildings became silhouettes in front of brilliant flashes of light. And walking from the train to home I saw at least three bolts of lightning strike skyscrapers downtown, one giving off a stream of sparks from the tall antennae atop the Sears Tower. It was one of the most amazing things I'd ever seen.
I'm sure a lot of people were inconvenienced by the storm today, but hopefully nothing an insurance claim won't take care of after it's all said and done. But I gotta tip my hat to Mother Nature for a fantastic show today. She gave us a good jolt. Cheers.