I discovered that Kansas does weather
really big time. Should have known, after all, this is where Dorothy
started off from when she took a tornado to Oz.
Before we left the ship. I saw a
weather clip about a storm front moving through the Kansas area, but
at the time I was more concerned about the weather in Ft Lauderdale.
I did check the temperature in Kansas however, and it was supposed to
be 90F on Thursday when we arrived. Wow, that was the temperature in
Panama.
Before the Storm |
Friday morning I was off to the track
with sunshine and HOT temperatures again close to 90F. T-shirt and
shorts weather, but as the day progressed I started hearing about the
expected storm. It was supposed to be extreme and there were multiple
warnings issued for the area. I was staying at the track for the
evening ARCA night race, and as the sun went down and the track
lights came on, I could see the darkening skies on the far horizon. I
had been speaking to another fan sitting behind me who was from the
area, so I asked him about the approaching storm. He got out his
phone, and calling up a weather app, he showed me pictures of the
storm. I was concerned that we might lose the race tomorrow, but he
said this was not a problem; the storm would be a wild one, but would
come through overnight and be gone by morning.
By the time the evening's race was
over, you could see the black skies to the west and as I started
walking out of the track the lightning was providing a vivid light
show. I called the hotel shuttle and joined the crowd of people
waiting for a ride at the road outside the track. The majority of
people were taking a track tram to the various campgrounds around the
track, but there were also five or six hotel shuttles coming and
going.
My shuttle did not arrive in the
promised 15 minutes. Those dark clouds were climbing higher into the
night skies.
Fifteen minutes later, the crowd was
mostly dispersed, and the sky was half dark with black clouds and the
lightning was getting much wilder. The sky to the west was constantly
lit up with flashes.
As the lightning got closer and closer,
the police came and advised the three girls directing traffic to get
into their vehicles instead of standing on the road. I was starting
to get worried, so I asked one of them to call again for my shuttle.
She was told it would be a while, because the driver was stuck in traffic.
This was not looking good. The skies were completely black right
overhead, and the violent lightning was all around. I could see the
black skies clearly with the wild light show provided by the
lightning. I looked around, trying to recall my limited experience
with lightning, am I better to be out in the open hoping the
lightning is attracted to the light poles and the elevated speedway
structure close by? The tent providing shelter for folks waiting for
the trams was held up my metal poles. If I went under the tent would
the lightning hit the poles and be directed to the ground through
them rather than me?
Welcome to Kansas Weather! |
Then the rain started; hard pouring
rain. Ok, I decided to take a chance under the tent.
Fortunately, my shuttle arrived soon
after and I survived the storm, but back at the hotel it was only
minutes later when the storm hit hard with lightning and torrential
rain for hours, but by then I was safely relaxing in a nice hot
whirlpool bath, watching the light show out the window.
My friendly fellow race fan was
correct, and the following morning day dawned bright and sunny. BUT
gone was the nice 90F temperatures; it was down to 50F. A 40 degree
drop in temperature, welcome to Kansas!