Friday the 13th? You gotta be Kiddin' me!
So it started out as any other day...then at about 11:24 am the thunderstorm hits the Inland Empire and promptly leaves by 11:50 am. I reckon 20 minutes can't be that bad. Evidently it was really quite spectacular. In that short 20 minutes, there were lightning strikes, blackouts, hail, downed power lines and fires. In that 20 minutes, 1.6 inches of rain were recorded! In that 20 minutes, I personally lost the following: A patio umbrella, two cordless phones (one an answering machine phone), satellite service to one room, and a TV/VCR combo. These losses were due to wind or hail and electrical surges. Wow! I usually don't believe in superstition, but it sure wasn't my day.