Then, last Friday, we had hurricane-force straightline winds come blowing through the city. I have never seen 100+ mph winds, but I have now. I was waiting to catch my bus when it hit downtown. It was oddly fascinating to watch the storm advance on the taller downtown buildings. Plus, to go from feeling no wind to suddenly getting hit with a huge, stready wall of wind was "exciting" (though not so much that I did not decide eventually to seek shelter in a nearby building.) When I spoke to my boss this monring, he apparently still was in the office (on the top floor) when the winds hit, and he said that it sounded like the roof was going to tear off.
Luckily, the windstorm did not hit during the actual US Olympic swim trials (though it did scare the *&^&* out of several swimmers as they practiced, including Michael Phelps (IIRC). Luckily, only minor damage to the exterior of the Qwest Center.
After my wife decided to come down and pick me up, we saw a minivan on the Interstate with its back window blown out. We also saw several car seats and an infant stroller. Hopefully, the kids were fine.
