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Life on two acres of arid dirt, on the edge of the Australian outback.

Monday, September 26, 2022

crazy weather ~ unbelievable hail storm

September 7th 2022 started out like any normal day. I did some baking, gardening and even took some photos of blossoms etc on my fruit trees in the morning. I admired the quandongs that were coming along nicely.  Phil arrived home from work the previous evening and he had heard there could be some hail kicking around with thunderstorms, so he put the 4wd away in the shed.  

At about 4pm the rumbling of thunder and flashes of lightening started. Now usually when we hear of a hail warning, nothing really comes of it, just a couple of small spits of ice is all we get. This type of storm is totally unheard of in this area. But this one was different, its the worse I have experienced in my lifetime. It was like a tornado when it passed through. I started to cry when I saw all the destruction unfolding outside. I feared for all my veggies and fruit trees and the animals, especially birds that were in their nests sitting on eggs. I did rescue one bird who was slightly injured by hail from sitting on her nest. I brought her inside overnight and kept her warm with a hot water bottle. The next morning she was fine so I released her.

I do not think there will be much fruit for us to preserve this year. The apricot tree was almost in full bloom as was the nectarine. Although after wandering around the patch this morning there are more blossoms on the trees and the bees are happily buzzing around them. Isn't nature wonderful?

The good news is we have had quite a bit of rain following the storm and the trees are slowly coming back. Even though the fruit yield will probably be smaller this season, I am counting my blessings that the house is still standing firm. The roof is damaged though and will need replacing. Solar panels are all good, but solar hot water tank on roof needs replacing also because it is full of dents.

I'll let the photos tell most of the story.

The storm lasted about 20 minutes and this is what was left behind.


Steam rising because it was quite warm this day.


Shredded...



A winter wonderland.


Alsynite {not sure of spelling} smashed to smithereens. Obviously I was still shaking when I took this photo.






The main road out the front of our place. It was very slippery for a while.





Inside the vegetable patch...


On top of the vegetable patch.




Slushie time haha!


White for as far as the eye could see.











Front road again. Looking down our driveway...



We lost the galvanise off the roof as you can see in this photo. Hopefully household insurance will cover the cost of replacement...









Along with the hail, there was heaps of rain. Two inches all up. This is our front verandah, what a mess!





Up against the house. The wind was horrific, it sounded like a hundred freight trains going through. I was so frighten because I thought our house was going to blow away...



Ohhhh...the mess we had ahead of us to clean up. We are still catching up with things.




The aftermath the next day...


There was still ice lying around...








I am hoping the damage on my moringa trees isn't permanent. They sustained a fair bit of damage. 



Not much left of the old man salt bush that shades my veggie patch. Fingers crossed they shoot back before the heat arrives.


Everything flattened!



Just sticks left in the paddock...


Gone! This is the plant that the bees love. They will struggle to find food for a while...

The spider lilies took a big hit. They have now turned yellow and I think I may lose them.

As they looked today...
















In the pots there was silver beet and calendulas...















I have rescued what fruit I could, juiced, bottled and put in freezer for later. They copped a beating.







This morning while outside I noticed quite a few plants are shooting out fresh growth and blossoms.
 So I get to smile again. 

I don't want to see another weather event like this one.

See you soon.
xTania 


18 comments:

  1. That really is a lot of damage done in twenty minutes
    I can’t believe you got so much hail.
    We are still wet here. We have had a few days of no rain but the paddocks are so wet it will take weeks of no rain to dry out totally
    I hope your insurance pays out quick and you can get all the work done soon

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    1. The weather has been so weird this year. We didn't have much rain over winter but now it doesn't know how to stop. It is still cold, not like normal spring. The plants are sluggish to grow. I hope our insurance pays out also, we are yet to get an answer.
      xTania

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  2. Tania, we had a massive hail storm last hear but thankfully the hail was small. Lots of our many bromeliads were damaged but they have come good since then. I hope you can salvage some plants. It is so heartbreaking.

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    1. It is heart-breaking. You just never know with mother nature, when she will strike. I am pleased to see things slowly coming back, although the leaves seem a little deformed, hopefully they all come good.
      xTania

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  3. Hi Tania, So sorry that you have so much damage. Heart breaking to see so much of your hard work destroyed. Very scary being in the heart of the storm. Hopefully, when the sun shines and everything dries out and warms up you will see lots of new growth. Nature is very resilient. (and so are gardeners) Thinking of you and your garden. All the best ..... Jo

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    1. Hi Jo, so grateful that nature is indeed resilient. All will be good, just a bump in the road. My veggie garden is looking good, will post pics of that soon.
      Have a great week!
      xTania

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  4. Hi Tania Sorry to see all the damage your place took from hail storm. Glad you are ok and hope now its passed that mother nature blesses you with fine weather to dry everything out and rejuvenate all your plants. Look forward to seeing how you turn your lawn into productive garden in the coming months. Cheryl

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    1. Hi Cheryl. I am still undecided about the lawn area. I went to see a lady that grows and sells herbs in a nearby town on the weekend, so now I am thinking about making it a herbal garden because hers was so inspiring. I could combine veggies and herbs, we will see. I have to work out the best way to dispose of the lawn area, am thinking of covering and smothering with something. Spring is very late this year, we are nearly at the end of September and it is still cold. We need some nice sunshine to warm everything up for growth.
      Have a lovely week,
      xTania

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  5. Gosh Tania ... how scary for you .. how mother nature can frighten us at times! I am sure insurance will cover you for this - what a lot to clean up. I am thinking that perhaps as things warm up & as spring kicks in, alot of your things will recover. I am not sure if this would be the case if we were going in to winter & cold - but perhaps the spring sunshine will help things to come back to life. I sure hope so . xx

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    1. Hi Julie, I too hope Spring hurries along so the warm weather can help heal the plants. There are some signs of life showing which is a blessing. I feel things will return to normal, but it will take a little time.

      You never really know what mother nature will throw, this was so out of the blue!
      xTania

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  6. Gosh that was a destructive hail storm and as you say all over in 20 minutes which is good it didn't go longer however the damage is extensive.

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    1. Yes Kathy, we need to count our blessings that the storm didn't go longer, otherwise the result may have been much worse.
      xTania

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  7. I regularly check your blog and noticed that you haven’t posted anything for several months and hoped all was well. But this post is awful. Can’t imagine such terrible hail and rain to do so much damage. You must feel very upset and disappointed after all the work you put into your section. Do hope insurance covers most of your damage and losses. Thinking of you.

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    1. Thank you for checking in on me and for your kind words.
      xTania

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  8. Holy cow Tania! I knew it was bad but I didnt really fully understand just how bad. I am so glad you made it through and that the garden is coming back for you.

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    1. Thank you Jane. Yes the storm was really bad and it will take time for things to recover, but at least our house is okay for now, until we can get the roof replaced. The builders here are run off their feet after this event! Businesses and houses damaged everywhere!
      xTania

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  9. Wow, that was a shocking hail storm! All that damage...really heart breaking, Tania. But God can bring new life, and I am praying that's exactly what He does in your garden. May you see great blessings from His loving hand. Hugs, Jennifer

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    1. Thank you for your prayers Jennifer, they will be very much appreciated. I must remember to be thankful even when times are tough. The garden has been damaged, but it will come back in time. Some plants are getting tiny shoots and that is a real blessing. The apricot tree has produced more blossom also.
      xTania

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Your comments really make my day. Thank you for taking the time and for being so kind.