Sudden Wind Storm with Awnings Out

July 16, 2022

Our campsite faces east, so we get stunning views of Lake Chicot with the window shades up. It also means the morning sun in the windows, heating up the RV.

To keep the RV cooler, I’ve been putting out the awning on sunny mornings to prevent the sun from directly shinning into the RV. I love having the awnings out, allowing us to keep the window shades open so we can see Lake Chicot.

On Thursday, I put the awnings out and they did their job of keeping the rig cooler. I didn’t put them away in the afternoon, as it is nicer to go outside in a shade.

Bruce and I were both inside when the RV shook and even rocked. Bruce asked if I was doing laundry while I was bringing up the RV app on my phone. I replied no, and Bruce went outside. The RV awnings were acting as sails and where blowing closed with the awning material several feet a above the top of the RV.

It was a scary sight. I was sure the awnings were damaged. Bruce told me to bring in the smaller awning first. I brought it most of the way in and then he had me bring in the large awning. Once the large awning was in, I brought the small awning the rest of the way in. I was surprised and pleased that the awnings came in tight to the RV.

Both Bruce and I were still worried that the awnings were damaged from the wind. In the evening, the wind had died down, so Bruce had me bring out the large awning. It went out without any problems and it closed without any problems. I did the same with the smaller awning and there were no problems with it.

Whew! I know you are supposed to bring awnings in if you aren’t going to be at the RV. This experience demonstrated why. If we had a different type of awnings, they could’ve torn or broken.