I left at 3 on Sunday. I was thinking of checking out the Black Sheep Winery, but everything said "NO! Get home while you can!" And as I headed down the hill, I saw why. It was a supercell, vast and black, maybe 20 miles wide and sky to ground in darkness. A small spur of malformed mammary clouds headed north. It was Straight Ahead.
However, I was lucky. It was over Stockton and the Delta, only a looming edge over highway 99. Heavy rain fell from the edge. I started thinking about highway bridges to shelter under, in case of tornados. I couldn't think of any.
Where I started to worry a little (but still found it fascinating!) was turning onto 120, heading toward I-5. Bright sunlight streaked in from the side as I hit rain so heavy my wipers couldn't keep up. Traffic slowed to a crawl. Lightning sparked to the south, then was echoed to the north. By the time I reached I-5, pea-size hail was falling, and lightning was playing in the clouds. My Discovery Channel knowledge furnished I was near a cell that could form tornados. It was scary, but kind of cool. Finally, I drove out of it, and when I topped Altamont Pass, was surprised by clear skies to the west. Yes, quite an adventure!
