Weather Report on TS Lee

WHEN? Monday · September 5

WHERE? Gulf Shores, Alabama · find us on the map

WHY? Winds and rain from Tropical Storm Lee

Tropical Storm Lee has definitely made itself know in the panhandle area and beyond with strong winds and lots of rain. We mainly checked out this on the line at Alabama and Florida.

Yes, we're fully aware we are idiot storm chasers, and we're old enough to know better.

Our sense of adventure and goofiness have shown their face before. We thought we could get some videos and photos to show what TS Lee caused, so we kept driving eastward on the beach road, even when there were times when it was partially covered with sand. We went beyond Gulf State Park and stopped to go out on a boardwalk we had gone to the end of during Hurricane Ike in 2008. Were we surprised to find it was not something we could do when we came to a wall of sand.

If you have never been out on the beach when winds are this high, let us tell you it hurts everywhere your skin is exposed. We were very thankful we both had on eye glasses to protect our eyes. The sand made it's way into our pockets and just about everywhere else. Maybe it was worth it to catch the photos and videos we took on Labor Day of 2011.

The show was actually viewable from the road because the waves were so high.

I have already looked at the videos we took, and I'm not sure they show what we saw.

We actually went inside of the Flora-Bama, and they have made lots of progress in their building since we were there last. The upper level is set up so people there can look down on the stage from three sides, where it used to be a very short balcony on the south side.

It would only be a guess if I tried to tell you about the erosion caused by this storm. Buildings probably made it okay, but I was feeling sorry for anyone who reserved a condo or beach house for the Labor Day Weekend. Their vacation was pretty much shot.

See our photos on flickr:
Wind and Waves from Tropical Storm Lee.

We took several videos to try to let you know what the experience of the winds and rains were like as Tropical Storm Lee came through Lower Alabama.



This video probably best shows particularly how big the waves were:

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We spent the rest of our Labor Day at Magnolia River Bar & Grill in Magnolia Springs, Alabama, inside out of the rain and wind and enjoying good friends, music and spirits.