I think it's my fault.

I moved here in June from Florida to escape the hurricanes and generally bad summer weather. And what do I find? Torrential rains, microbursts, two million in damage in local towns. Yikes! My new neighbors think I brought it with me... :-(

Wow. That's some rain. Funny thing, they've been forecasting thunderstorms now for at least four days, and nothing. Well, Mother Nature spit on us a bit Sunday night, but it was nothing worthwhile. But I've been holding off watering because of these forecasts, and everything is drooping. I'm actually going to go water everything now because I can't wait anymore. Which means that thunderstorm that's forecast for tonight will definitely happen!

:)
Dee

Wow is right, littleonefb, great photos! You really captured how heavy that rain was. We had some downpours here too over the last few days. The garden is very happy with them and no dragging the hose around, so I'm not complaining yet.

Amys...maybe you did bring it with you? [g] It does seem very tropical here lately.

Digger...that sounds like what happened to us last summer. Perpetual forecast for thunderstorms and everyone around us got rain but us. I have been disappointed so often to the point of drooop, that I rarely wait for rain any more and pay little heed to the forecasts. And you are right...as soon as you break down and water...it rains!! So far this year, I've been getting lucky.

:-)

I'm in a same general area as a Dee and can't concur more, those forecasters are @##$%^.
Watered Sunday and Monday, but everything below first inch of the soil is still dry :-(

We got hammered with rain in central mass last night. My droopy plants appreciated the water. I have gotten away with only watering less than a dozen times this year. These storms have really saved me watering time and allowed me to get my fair share of weeding done. I was just telling my wife last night...."before I started gardening, rain bummed me out. But now, all I can think of is the plants appreciating the drink, and it makes me smile." This has been a good season so far for me...greg

Greg, we had more rain last night too. Very thankful for every reprieve from watering! Weeds are really worse than usual this year though. We have been doing fair to midland keeping up with them. Still not quite on top of it yet.

I am the same way about how I view rain now. It is always a welcome sight. My DH has always been a rainy day kind of person. He just enjoys it, feels like it is 'cozy'. Will head out to the screen house to sit and watch the rain when there is no lightening. We have a DS who misses work when it rains and so we take turns being happy. :-)

pm2

It's finally raining here today. Of course, because I had planned to take DS to Six Flags tonight. I'll be sure to plan that again next time we need rain in CT.

I wanted to give a shout out to Amysrq. Hi there! I remember you from THS forums: Kitchens and/or Home Decorating. Welcome to New England, and don't worry, you'll love the fall!

We had a very dry Spring here, and I was watering like crazy particularly because I planted and transplanted tons this Spring. Especially with all the winter-sown seedlings which needed to be watered almost daily. My water bill jumped dramatically during that time. But the Summer has been punctuated by thunderstorms and much more rain. I've watered much less, thank goodness!

We've gotten 2 1/2 inches of rain in the past 3 days. Sorry Fran, I don't think the storms are over...more heavy rain predicted for today in parts of New England, including CT. Hope that makes the CT gardenwebbers and their droopy plants happier. :)

Well, it rained here this morning... just as I arrived at my farm job and just in time to delay DH's flight out of NYC. What timing. Luckily for me I could only work a few hours at the farm, although I suppose once you are soaked through and covered in mud, does it really matter how long you stay and work, lol? But as of ten minutes ago my poor DH was still sitting in the plane on the runway...

It's raining again now too, which is really a good thing, considering we really need it. I've always been one to like rainy days. PM2, your DH has a good way of putting it - "cozy". I've always thought rain had a nice, peaceful, calm feeling, and love when I can stay home on rainy days and feel snug in my house. Not that I always get to stay home, lol, but even when I'm at work (my inside job, lol!) I like the rain.

Here's hoping those who need the rain get it, and that it ends for those who have enough already!

:)
Dee

I'm loving the rain, and the nice cool days this week! It did knock down my Hyrangea 'Anabelle' (over and over again) but at least I'm not having to water.

I too love rain...especially at night tucked up in bed when you can hear it on the roof. Cozy is the right word! :-)

I have NEVER had such great vegetables as this year with all this rain!! And all the shrubs that I moved around this year are all doing marvelously well, no stress at all.

Greening...my Annabelle also looks very sad, all flopped over. I've been cutting a lot of the flowers (rather than see them rot on the ground) and our house is full of hydrangea vases!

My gardening clients are all happy too, because I haven't had to nag them to water their new gardens :-)

Wow!! It is again, coming down in torrents! Dark as pitch out there, plenty of thunder. The rain is so loud it woke me from a nap!

Look out Fran! :-)

Hi Paige! Yep, it's me from the Home Dec board. (I mostly lurk at Kitchens. :-)) I am already looking forward to Fall, my most-missed season (just after Spring).

I went off to the supermarket this afternoon and came back to a tornado warning! That's passed, leaving a Severe Thunderstorm Warning/Watch in effect until 6 pm /10 pm.

The online weather maps look like the system may mostly bypass us, but I'm hearing thunder now.

I transplanted an azalea today - probably won't need to water it again for a while. I think I'll close down the computer for a while.

Claire

OK, the power went out repeatedly, then stayed out for about an hour. Some nice heavy rain and thunder, but all is quiet now.

I suspect a lot of you got hit much worse than we did since we just got sideswiped by the storm.

Claire

PM2, thanks for the warning, but I got it before you did. Never thought it was going to stop. Just look at the pics I posted, it was another repeat today.

At this rate we may never have to water again. On the other hand, who knows what August and September will bring.

Rain is nice, gentle soaking rain is wonderful, but these deluges and severe storms are not good.

Fran

Well there seems to be a lull in the deluge for the moment, so I just went out to check the rain gauge. I emptied it last night and there is another three inches in it right now. That is about 6 inches in the past three days. Wow, what an unusual July treat for the trees and shrubs! Everything is getting a great soak. Nice way to go into August...

In my little corner of the world north of Boston, we have been in an 18-hour thunderstorm. Yes, it stops but soon starts again. I don't ever remember a line of thunderstorms lasting so long.

My garden was beaten down by a hailstorm very early this month and the frequent heavy rains have not helped. This will not be a great summer to remember in my garden, except for the flowering trees and shrubs which have put on a fabulous show. And thank heavens for impatiens, which I know a lot of people look down on, but it seems impervious to all this weather, when my perennials and other annuals are looking like they were in a bar fight.

After another round of storms just passed, it's actually brightening up here in Metrowest. It is soooooo green out there! Uhh....the sun just popped out! Must go check the veggie garden.

my perennials and other annuals are looking like they were in a bar fight.

*LOL* Mine too... and not on the winning side either. *G*

I'm one town over from Fran, and I am flying the white flag too. I'd like a smarter neighbor while you're at it, Ma Nature. Last night he put his trash barrels and recycle bins on top of the storm drain at the left side of my house. This is the sight that greeted DH and me this morning. The rain was blocked from the storm drain and had nowhere to go except down the left hand side of my garden.

Water flowing from the street down the left side of my house.

{{gwi:1085854}}

Past the compost bin, taking several bags of shredded paper with it.

{{gwi:1085855}}

DH went out and moved the neighbor's bins and barrels. Voila! The water started going where it was supposed to, into the drain.

I know there are people out in the Midwest who are dealing with losing lives, crops and livestock to floods, but this was scary.

That IS scary dawiff - lucky you weren't off on vacation with no-one to notice.

Did the trash collectors empty the bins and barrels and put them back on the storm drain? or had they just not been emptied yet?

Claire

Dawiff, what a mess. Claire is right, lucky you where home to find it and DH could take care of the mess.

Keep hanging the white flag, more storms are coming.

Enough already. I don't need these bumper crop of weeds growing or useless mushrooms everywhere either.

This is just nuts; but we really shouldn't complain, Not when you see the pictures of damage that occurred a few hours ago up in NH.

Fran

I couldn't believe the severity of the storms in NH today. The security guard at my work told me about it and I had to go to the computer to see for myself.

The weeds have been out of control this summer and I almost give up because it seems they grow back two days after I get rid of them.

I do appreciate the cooler weather though after last week. Classic New England I guess.

Interesting weather this year. Check out these two photos that I made a few weeks ago. It's the first time in my life that I've seen this tidal wave cloud formation. It looks like Armageddon.

I've never seen anything like that. Pretty scary looking.

Tree Oracle, that's an amazing couple of pictures. I can't stop looking at them.

My town suffered immense damage from a freak storm last Friday. Today we were bracing for round 2. I've promised to never complain about rain, but this is getting a bit rough. What the beetles haven't detroyed of my roses, the water is weighing them down so much, they're snapping off. I dare not look at my full bloom mophead hydrangeas tomorrow.

I hope everyone stays safe. And I hope that dumb neighbor doesn't have any more trash to put out tonight.

Wow, Dawiff that's quite the drainage backup. I have a similar problem with a drain in front of my driveway every time it rains, except not so bad and it floods into the fields across the street. They are supposedly going to fix that problem when they re-pave the street next year.

Cool pictures Tree! You should submit those to one of the weather sites...an interesting cloud phenomenon.

Well my "rain gauge" (a bucket out by the driveway) said 2 1/2" on Tuesday, 2" yesterday, and another 1 3/4" today. That's approx 6 inches here in the past few days too, same as PM2. If it's bone dry in August, I'm going to be wishing that Ma Nature had spread the rain out a little more through the summer.

It has been quite a stormy summer, can't remember one quite this stormy ever...

Tree Oracle...nice to see you posting again. :-) Amazing photos! Clouds can be so fascinating. I have not seen anything like that myself. I didn't know the name of it, thanks. Thought you might enjoy this photo...

A rare, mother ship cloud formation hovers over Childress, Texas. Tornado-chasers there covered seven hours and 150 miles (241 kilometers) tracking the supercell thunderstorm that produced this cloud formation. Supercell thunderstorms are known to spawn tornadoes with winds exceeding 200 mph (322 kph). Photograph by Carsten Peter

Wow, Tree Oracle, those photos are amazing. The kind of thing you see on the weather channel from the Midwest, not something you think of happening here in Massachusetts.

I am glad that DH was home to move those barrels and bins. The trash guys had not come yet, so they were full, and of course, the paper recycle bin was full of wet paper, which weighs a ton. With my back problems I don't think I could have moved it. In fact, DH just got back from a week in England visiting his mum, so I'm glad this didn't happen last week. (I had a whole different crisis last week, fridge broke down.....it's always something.)

I didn't even know about the damage in NH till I saw Fran's post. I'm grateful I don't have a flattened house.

Nice sun this morning, and no oppressive heat. Just lots of weeds clamoring to be pulled. I'm trying not to listen to them.

Tree Oracle,

I have seen that once before here in New England. It was about 8 years ago when I was working at Chaves Gardens in Middletown, RI. I saw that tidal wave of eerie green clouds rise out of Narragansett Bay right over the fields of RI Nurseries. That scared the living hell out of me. At that same time which I was unaware of...my hubby who was in the Coast Guard was riding out to Block Island from Point Judith. He's been in some bad stuff before...but that storm, he didn't think he and his crew where coming home. And for him to say that...it must have been horrible out there.

I was home working this week and saw the sky get dark like it did that same storm 8 years ago. I did find myself looking for the tidal wave before all hell broke loose. I wondered if someone else would see it. Scary stuff man...

Not knowing much about clouds, I went a-Googling and found some very interesting (and some scary) photos.

Tree Oracles's clouds look like the shelf clouds, or maybe roll clouds, down near the bottom of the linked page. Not something I'd want to see coming at me.

Claire

Hi have you all gotten use to all the rain yet? We folks in FL wish to welcome you to the hurricane club! It's your year for a nice cat 4 to come a knocking. You got our heat and humity cause it's so cool here compaired to your weather. I'll let you know before your comes a knocking

Greenthumbs, I've heard that this is NE's year for a hurricane. I hope the tornados and severe storms will be it, though.

Hey greenthumbs, got any good tips for the stock market? Because if you can predict the landfall and category of a hurricane, you should go into meteorology or maybe reading crystal balls! ;)

Anyway, even if New England did get a hurricane those of us who are inland aren't likely to be much worse off than all the storms we've been getting. We're going on 8 inches of rain here in less than a week. Some places have gotten much more.

It's nice to not have to water all this stuff I've planted this year!

Terrene, don't be too complacent about the possibility of a major hurricane hitting New England.

It's been said by the pros that we are long overdo for a big one to hit.
The damage inland can be, in many ways, far worse than along the coast.

The coastline will take the beating of wind, rain and storm surges.

Inland will take the beating of potentially a lot more rain and strong winds, as well as the potential of the tornadoes that are spawn off from a hurricane when it comes inland.
Hurricanes are also known to stall over the inland areas as well.

If you think we've had rain now, you've seen nothing compared to what a category 3 or more could and would dump inland. It can be upwards of 15-20 inches of rain.

Take it from someone who has lived through 2 sizable hurricanes here in MA,
one along the coast and the other living well inland. The damage, wind and water was far worse inland than along the coast.

Fran

My hubby works in emergency management and says that it is not a case of IF but WHEN we get a major hurricane here in New England. There was a huge hurricane in the late 1930s that took down most of the trees across central MA and caused major damage across the region.

Some of the pics in this threat are very scary!! The weather patterns we have seen this summer are very odd. We have a stream on our property which flows with the runoff from the hills above us. Last year, the stream stopped flowing in April, and we did not see water flowing again until late fall when we got a lot of rain. Major drought. This summer, the stream has been a raging torrent pretty much the entire summer. Who knows what this fall will bring but flood control is always a threat in this area :-(

PM2,

Cool pic! The cloud itself is incredible but the silhouette of the tree really gives that pic an eerie quality. It's like Close Encounters.

Claire,

Great website. I feel somewhat honored to have witnessed one of the ten on that list. I'm pretty sure that the cloud was a roll cloud because it was rotating around a horizontal axis. It also seemed to be separated from the main cloud. I must now go on a quest for the other nine types of clouds on that list.