Summer Squall at the Snapper Inn
If you were on Long Island yesterday afternoon you may have heard about the tornado warning and maybe even witnessed a severe summer squall blowing through your neighborhood.
We were sitting on the dock at the Snapper Inn enjoying cocktails and the shade provided by thick black clouds. They seemed to be north of us, so I figured whatever was coming would pound the north shore and leave us alone. How wrong I was.
At first there were only a few drops, then it started to rain hard enough for us to move from the dock to the tent. And then, within a matter of minutes the sky opened up and the wind started blowing. Really blowing… The winds even knocked down a tree on the grounds that had been toppled and saved 25 years ago in a different storm.
According to the National Weather Service the storm came through at 40 to 50 mph and produced wind gusts up to 60 mph. Based on what I saw I don’t doubt those numbers.
Here are some pictures…
Black clouds. Nothing to worry about...
A little rain.
The rain begins in earnest.
Visibility is reduced and the wind picks up.
Driving rain is blowing inside the tent; customers and staff race to close the panels.
Storm damage: Down for the second time in 25 years, this tree's trunk is now broken and cannot be saved.
Not long after the rain started, the skies cleared and the evening sun cast a golden glow on boats in the river.