Hey pal,

I can only imagine what the sand blowing into Midland must look like right now. I definitely don't miss having half of Odessa blow through my town. . .

Good to see you again, btw. :)

Someone told me recently about how some cars at a car lot got a paint peeling sand blast in a wind storm due to an uncovered dirt pile at a nearby construction site. Those winds can do some damage.

I wonder if there's some inexpensive way someone (you?) could measure the wind speed at home.

I definitely don't miss having half of Odessa blow through my town. . .

It could be worse. I-20 outside of Odessa is now closed due to wildfires.

Good to see you again, btw. :)

Thanks! Hope you and your family have been doing well. Stirred up any revolutions lately? ;-)

I wonder if there's some inexpensive way someone (you?) could measure the wind speed at home.

George, you reminded me that I have a hand-held digital anemometer. I never think to get it out. The problem is that to measure the wind you actually have to, you know, get out in it, and who wants to do that?!

Sure was windy here last night. I think I saw on the news today that Allen maxed out at around 65mph, but tell that to the folks three miles to the west. Word is that they got swatted by an F1 tornado, but I haven't been able to find confirmation in the media (because the meteorologists are always strangely reluctant to confirm that sort of thing, even if they're true).

Big thanks go out to God for looking after us last night. Not so much as a missing shingle or fence picket, at the Foo homestead. I did have to help one of the neighbors with a large trampoline that had migrated from her back yard into the entrance of the alley overnight, but she was meaning to get rid of it anyway, so it was more comical than anything else.

The first wind turbine farm in Texas was put up in 1994 just south of Guadalupe Pass. They were also the first damaged by the wind, when a system in January of 1995 cause the NWS wind gauge at Guadalupe Peak to hit 163 mph ... before it also broke.

Compared to that, last night and today's winds were wimpy little puffs of air. ;)

(Also it's really burning around central and southern Ward County tonight, and there was another wildfire along I-10 south of Saragosa. That one could burn for a while if it manages to get up into the mountains.)

You should measure the wind speed outside, brave the elements and all that...It might blow you away :S.