Rainstorm!!

I thought I would pop in this morning and share that the Jackson Metro area got rain yesterday.  Boy did we ever get rain - at least in the area where I live!! 


I left work early and made a stop by the post office to pick up my mail; as I pulled in and parked, drops started to fall.  I was close to the door, so I just grabbed the items I had to drop in to go out and dashed inside.  I dropped those in the outgoing bin and then went and collected my mail from my box.  When I came back out it wasn't bad.  


Well, I got back in the car and headed over to the grocery store.  I had to go down a couple of aisles before I finally found a parking space.  The rain was coming down a little harder, but I grabbed my umbrella, got out and headed inside.  


I went to the pharmacy and picked up my prescriptions, then went on to do a little shopping since I was in the store and needed some things - including a bag of cat food for Sukiey, milk and bread.  I got those things, along with some others, thinking that by the time I was done shopping and checked out, the rain would have either slacked up or dissipated.  


Wrong!!  I got checked out and went to the exit and discovered it was coming down as what we call a "gullywasher".  It was storming and the parking lot was starting to flood.  It had only picked up in intensity since I went in the store.  I had no idea how long it might last, so I decided to make a "run" for it.  


I was totally soaked by the time I got to the car and loaded my purchases into the car.  I got in and cranked up the car and turned the defrost on to clear the windshield, but that didn't seem to be helping.  It was extremely difficult as far as visibility goes seeing to drive.  


Because I know the area so well, I decided to go ahead and try to head home since I had no idea how long it would take for me to wait out the storm.  I got to the intersection for the road I live on and it had calmed down a little - just a little - in intensity.  I turned on to that road and found that the outside lane was flooded, so I moved to the inside lane and more or less straddled both lanes - taking my lane in the middle of both. 


I was praying that power was on at the house so that I would be able to raise the garage; thankfully it was.  When I pulled in and parked, then got out, I got a surprise....


The garage was 100% flooded.  It had rained so hard that the drains and gutters had backed up.  I was already soaked, so I just went ahead and got the car unloaded and the items that needed to be refrigerated put away before I stopped to go and change into dry clothes.  


My housemate called me on her cell phone - she has only done that a couple of times.  I knew something must be going on for her to do that.  She was caught in the storm too - trying to drive home.  She was coming through the same area I had just made it through.  I "coached" her on what to do - based on what I had done - and she made it home a few minutes later.  


We discovered that the backyard had also flooded.  We got out in the garage after backing our cars out and swept the water out of there.  Then I ate supper while she went to work out - the rain had calmed down considerably by that time.  


Before we headed to our bedrooms for the night, we saw that the backyard was draining off and I pulled my car back into the garage.  She had pulled in when she returned from working out.  


I knew we had a 70% chance of rain yesterday, but I don't think this was at all expected.  Alex - be he tropical storm or hurricane, right now I'm not sure - may be responsible.


Well I'm running behind schedule - got to go get in the shower and get ready for work.  Later....