Weird weather

[Kathy]

Buffalo has been having very strange weather lately. After almost constant rain for weeks, June showers?, we've had record highs in the 90s this week.

Last night the rains returned with a vengeance.









The storm destroyed a few homes, many trees and left thousands without any power.



The best way to get around some city streets would be by canoe.







The storm finally left this morning.

[Piffi]

Wow, i'm sorry to see the that. Hopes everyone is ok.

[Blair]

Not that I wish bad weather on anyone, but I love the look of those kinds of clouds and lightning (I guess it's the photographer in me.)

The bad weather itself sucks, though. I hope that there was not too much damage caused.

[GSyren]

Wow. I was hoping for some Buffalo pictures, but this wasn't exactly what I had been expecting...
I guess you're OK, though, and that's all that matters.

[Kathy]

We don't get these kind of things often so it's always a surprise. No one was hurt and this city always seems to make the best of things. We're known as the City of Good Neighbors.

When Buffalo was hit with the "October Storm" in 2006 we lost thousands and thousands beautiful old trees. Most of those were part of the park systems designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. He's the famous landscape architect that also designed New York City's Central Park.

Local artisans used the wood and much of their work can be seen throughout the area. Volunteers got together to form groups such as Re-Tree Western New York to replace those lost trees.

Here's a few pictures from that other freak of nature.

[Blair]

We're known as the City of Good Neighbors.

Neighbors, yes. Patient drivers, no.

I'm from the little Indian town known as Wherthehekahwee

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Patient drivers, no.

That's normal for the people of bigger cities.
(New York Minute: The period of time that passes from traffic light turning green until the first honk (usually < 1 second))

But just wait and see what happens if they don't have a traffic-light directed crossroad every 500 meters.
If not given a break every 30 seconds they seem to lose the ability to drive faster than 15 Mph.

[Blair]

Yea, I know. Everybody is in a hurry to go nowhere.

Having been in several large cities, knowing what they are like, it both amuses and irritates me when someone I am riding with sees such antics in smaller towns around here--for example, having someone slide in front of you by only a few yards from a side street going 40 mph when there are no cars behind us. "He couldn't wait another 5 seconds for us to pass? Honk your horn!"

There is one thing that I don't understand, though... situations like honking your horn in traffic jams. There are 15 cars ahead of me all in the same situation and several behind me. The other lane looks open but is actually cut off for some reason (not that it matters)--you can go down a ways, but you'll then be stuck trying to merge back in. The cause of the jam is the bridge being up to allow a large ship to go by. Why is the guy behind me honking his horn as if he thinks there is something that I can do about it? The people at the front would only barely hear him, and it doesn't matter anyway since we are all trapped no matter what. The raised bridge isn't going anywhere until the ship passes.


What still gets to me, though, are cab drivers that weave in and around traffic as if riding a motorcycle with no other vehicles on the road. I'm surprised I didn't get killed on more than one occasion.

[Dragonfire]

The weather has been weird here too..for the last few years really.
The last few days haven't been too bad.  I'm sure it will be hot and humid again before long.