Weather Report

 

I know I owe the blog a write up of our travels through NC, and that's coming soon, but tonight I want to tell of last evening's weather adventure.

 

We had a windy day Friday of cruising from Oriental NC to BelHaven NC, and the open water sections on the Neuse River and Pamlico River were bouncy. We had departed Oriental early since rain and possible thunderstorms were predicted for the late afternoon and evening and we wanted to be settled in at BelHaven by then.

 

As we cruised north we noticed that a tornado watch had been posted for the region until 9 pm. No big deal since many predictions of thunderstorms in these parts include tornado watches.

 

Our plan works as we tie up to the BelHaven town dock at 2:30 pm, just before a rain squall hits. The remainder of the afternoon is quite windy with a few rainy periods.

 

In the evening we walk the dogs and then leave them on the boat while we head for The Tavern at Jack's Neck for supper. We eat at the bar and one of the big TV's has a weather report saying the tornado watch had been upgraded to a warning and that funnel clouds were seen about 60 miles west of us. The weather radar is full of bright colors and its all headed our way.

 

As we are wrapping up supper I ask the bartender where in town one might run to if a tornado is imminent. He hems and haws and says he figures the brick building the tavern is in is as good as any. A fellow down the bar mentions that 'you'll know a tornado is coming if you here the town fire whistle go off'.

 

So we head back to Spray (only a couple blocks away) and marvel at the balmy temps and impressive lightning from the west. Once aboard I'm glued to my iPad watching weather radar as the colored blobs approach. The wind and lightning increase and then at about 7:30 the fire whistle goes off!

 

So we quickly batten the hatches, scoop up the dogs, and head out into sheets of rain and crazy wind. We run to the tavern and they welcome the 4 of us in along with some other boaters. As the wind and rain scream outside we sit near the bar and watch the TV weather which is showing tornado funnels and golf-ball sized hail from the town of Washington, 30 miles to the west. The dogs are pretty nervous, what with all the thunder, until one of the tavern owners shows up with some scraps of prime rib (tonight's special!), which takes their minds completely off the weather.

 

The weather rocks and rolls for the next half hour, and apparently a tornado did hit about 5 miles north of town, but then things quickly quieted down and the rain stopped. So we thanked the tavern folks and returned to a wet, but unscathed, Spray. I pumped a couple inches of rain from the dinghy.

 

A couple of Springs ago our friends the Siegels were anchored nearby and also rode out a tornado near-miss. I guess springtime tornados are common around here.

 

It all made for an exciting evening. This morning we awoke to sunny and clear weather, and continued our travels.

 

 

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