If you weren't aware, the Northwest was slammed by severe weather in December. Fortunately/unfortunately, we missed all of the excitement because we were in Utah by the time the ice storms and freezing rain struck. We were grateful to find all "well" with the home we're staying in when we got back. Luckily we had no frozen or broken pipes, and the power outage the lasted over a day in our area only took its toll on my freezer full of meat and precious frozen berries. All things considered, we were very lucky to get out of the storms with only that damage. That is, except for the giant evergreen that toppled from the empty lot next door into our backyard, the remains of which you can see in the pictures above. What we would have given to have witnessed and heard that tree fall. We don't remember that tree specifically (there are so many it's hard to remember them perfectly), but from what we can remember, it was probably a good 40-50 feet tall and quite close to the house. We're grateful it fell the way it did; otherwise it would have landed right on the master bedroom. So if you're like me, you're wondering how a huge tree like that comes down as a result of ice and freezing rain. Apparently, most trees around here are accustomed just to rain and much milder temperatures, so when ice freezes on them for any extended period of time, even large, "sturdy" trees like the one we lost are crippled by the weight of the ice, and they snap and break and even fall down. Add in some decent wind and several days of extreme temperatures, and this is what you get. Incredible, huh.
If you weren't aware, the Northwest was slammed by severe weather in December. Fortunately/unfortunately, we missed all of the excitement because we were in Utah by the time the ice storms and freezing rain struck. We were grateful to find all "well" with the home we're staying in when we got back. Luckily we had no frozen or broken pipes, and the power outage the lasted over a day in our area only took its toll on my freezer full of meat and precious frozen berries. All things considered, we were very lucky to get out of the storms with only that damage. That is, except for the giant evergreen that toppled from the empty lot next door into our backyard, the remains of which you can see in the pictures above. What we would have given to have witnessed and heard that tree fall. We don't remember that tree specifically (there are so many it's hard to remember them perfectly), but from what we can remember, it was probably a good 40-50 feet tall and quite close to the house. We're grateful it fell the way it did; otherwise it would have landed right on the master bedroom. So if you're like me, you're wondering how a huge tree like that comes down as a result of ice and freezing rain. Apparently, most trees around here are accustomed just to rain and much milder temperatures, so when ice freezes on them for any extended period of time, even large, "sturdy" trees like the one we lost are crippled by the weight of the ice, and they snap and break and even fall down. Add in some decent wind and several days of extreme temperatures, and this is what you get. Incredible, huh.
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