Last night we were hit with one of the most frightening thunderstorms I can remember. It started with violent gusts of wind that woke me around midnight to close the windows on the east side. Then came sheets of torrential rain swirling under streetlights as gusts of wind tore at the trees. Traffic ploughed through deep streams of water running down the hill. Continuous lightning lit up the city. I watched the sky anxiously for a funnel cloud.

I found myself standing in a puddle of water. The wind was blowing it right through a crack under the window. Next came volleys of hail against the glass. The building shuddered in the wind. It seemed to be under attack.

I thought for sure some tornadoes must accompany such a violent storm, but the news hasn’t reported any yet this morning. However, the Hamilton Spectator reports 80,000 lightning flashes were detected in this storm over Ontario by the Canadian lightning detection network.