There is always a bit of excitement to storms that only last for about a half hour or so. You have to act quick and think fast of something while at the same time trying to keep the equipment dry and dodge the hail that is falling. These storms move fast and pound the ground. Chico was rocked with a heavy rainfall that brought some pellet sized hail Wednesday. I noticed the sky change and headed out when it started to sprinkle. About the time I got in my car (30ft away), it started to downpour, followed by hail. I knew it wouldn't last long and hopped out of my car and to the street where I shot the hail falling on the ground. The hail let up, but the rain didn't. I drove out to see what else I could find.
Cars drive along E. Park Ave where hail piles up along the road as a strong quick storm brought some hail and rain down on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 in Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)
Kaoyee Chue, 22, walks under an umbrella across W. 3rd St. along Broadway as a strong quick storm brought some hail and rain down on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 in Downtown Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)
A man walks along Broadway as a strong quick storm brought some hail and rain down on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 in Downtown Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)
I tried to follow the storm, but it was moving quite fast. I saw some lightning, but was too slow to capture it. I decided to head downtown to hopefully find some people dealing with the crazy weather. I spotted a Chico State student with a huge umbrella. I took a couple shots around downtown, but was getting too soaked in the rain. Then like a faucet, the rain stopped. The sun came out and it was like nothing ever happened.
As I stayed amazed at the storm that came through, I suddenly realized how funny it was for me to cover the storm as a news story. You see, in the Florida Keys, this type of weather happens everyday. Granted without the hail, but the downpour to a sudden sunshine is nothing unusual for a Floridian, or a Hawaiian for that matter. It just made everything humorous to think of what those people might think of seeing the front of "news" being about a rain shower that came through town.
A rainbow appear in the dark rain clouds over the Senator Theater on Wednesday, April 28, 2010 in Downtown Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)
Later that day I headed to the same spot along W. 3rd St that I photographed to women crossing the street with an umbrella. No more than an hour after the downpour, the streets were dry and the sun was shining. It was amazing what the difference had been. You would have never known if you just walked out from dining at Broadway Heights.
These two photos were taken about an hour apart along W. 3rd St along Broadway in which the top photo shows the street drenched after a strong storm brought some hail and rain down and which in the bottom photo appears dry and sunny Wednesday, April 28, 2010 in Downtown Chico, Calif. (Jason Halley/Chico Enterprise-Record)
As I stayed amazed at the storm that came through, I suddenly realized how funny it was for me to cover the storm as a news story. You see, in the Florida Keys, this type of weather happens everyday. Granted without the hail, but the downpour to a sudden sunshine is nothing unusual for a Floridian, or a Hawaiian for that matter. It just made everything humorous to think of what those people might think of seeing the front of "news" being about a rain shower that came through town.