X for Xtreme Weather #BlogchatterA2Z

 X for Extreme Weather 

Ok, I cheated with X a bit, but I couldn't find any places starting with X. :-)

We have been to many places with extreme weather. Let me share with you such stories.

Hail:

They say it is always a bad time to hike in the mountains in the afternoons. This is due to the extreme and unpredictable weather in the afternoons. 

We were returning from the Pikes Peak summit(Colorado) on an afternoon. The sky was filled with dark clouds quickly, and we saw a golf ball-sized hailstone hitting our car window very hard. Fortunately, nothing happened, and the hail stopped after some time. That was a unique experience.

Hail
Image by LoraPalner from Pixabay

Snow:

We drove through snow a lot of times. It can be very dangerous when black snow is formed on the roads. 

Cars might skid, and braking might not work immediately. It is always important to maintain a distance from the car in front and go slowly. Once we saw a car just before us skidding to the side of the road while braking. It was scary. All cars were at a speed of around 50 miles per hour.

Lightening, Thunderstorms, and Heavy rain:

It is tough driving during a thunderstorm. We once had to drive during a severe thunderstorm. The rain was so heavy that the wipers couldn't wipe water fast, and visibility was very poor. A Lightning strike very near to us made it even scarier. 

We also saw a whirlwind/twister in a field while driving on the road. Fortunately, we were at a safe distance.

Image by NoName_13 from Pixabay

High winds:

Winds can be dangerous when mixed with snow / wintery weather. We experienced such weather while walking on the Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado in Winter(956 feet above the Arkansas River). 

The winds were so high that we couldn't walk with our eyes open, had to walk holding the rails with our eyes closed, wind pushing us back. It was very tough. 

All these experiences make me realize that nature is not only beautiful, but can also be powerful and dangerous.

Until next time,

I'm participating in #BlogchatterA2Z

Other A2Z Posts:

A for Arches National Park

B for Bigbend National park

C for Capitol Reef National Park

D for Disney

E for Escalante National Monument

F for Fort Davis

G for Great Smoky Mountains National Park

H for Hot Springs National Park

I for Idaho Springs

J for Jackson Hole

K for Kasha Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument

L for Las Vegas

M for Monument Valley

N for Niagara Falls

O for Orlando

P for Pikes Peak

Q for Quiet and Secluded

R for Rocky Mountain National Park

S for Santa Fe

T for Talimena Scenic Drive

U for Utah

V for Vermont

W for White Sands National Park

X for Xtreme Weather

Y for Yellowstone National Park

Z for Zion National Park