Windstorms, thunderstorms, rainstorns, etc

Overcast skies in Ashland that eventually became a wind/thunderstorm mid-afternoon.

Unpredictable - that's what the weather forecast was like this past week. For instance, the forecast for this past Wednesday called for a high of 82 degrees Farenheit, with a 50% chance of rain...nothing about a storm of any sort to say the least. We were out taking down soybean pan traps and the weather in the Ashland/Richland area seemed perfect, only for it to turn completely upside down.

First, it felt like the temperature and humidity spiked up unbelievably around 1-ish. Then the sky became overcast in less than an hour. After a while strong winds picked up. I'm told that when wind blows and one is able to see the undersides of leaves then there is a likelihood of a storm. Anyway, this wind was strong, so strong that I had to use both hands to close the car door. No sooner had we pulled the last pan trap than the skies let loose! The storm that followed was so "thick"--one could hardly see five feet ahead--with tree branches flying in every direction. We had to pull over and sit in the vehicle for about 5 minutes to wait for adequate visibility to return before we could get back on the road.