Thunder, Lightning, OMG
it’s so Frightening
The other night we were awoken around 5 am to a thunder storm. We were right in the middle of it, and I about shot out of bed before I realized what it was.
They say you
can tell how far off a storm is by counting the seconds between seeing the
flash of lightening, and hearing the thunder. FIve second for each mile away.
Let me tell you, when the speed of light and the speed of sound
registers no perceptible difference you are in the middle of a storm. If there was room under the bed, that is
where I would have been.
After about 15 minutes the storm passed, but as it is with these circular weather patterns it
was just a matter of time before you get hit with the tail end, so no reason to
get back to sleep. Wait for
it…wait for it, and BAM! There it is
again. Fifteen minutes later, there
was finally a pause between the light and the sound as the storm moved off.
That
morning I went out to survey any possible damage. All the trees seemed in place. The air smelled extra sweet, as if the storm
cleansed all the impurities. The plants
enjoyed their bath, the trees were un wrapping their leaves and the flowers
plumped out a little more than the day before.
Spring was in full force except something was missing.
There were
no bees buzzing the flowers as there were the day before. I saw no bunnies and the yard was empty of
the normal army of squirrels. I did not
see a single bird, but they were starting to chirp cautiously.
I had never
noticed this after storm quiet before.
I think we need a good storm now and then to clear the air, refresh the land, force us
to pause and appreciate what we have been given and understand how fragile it
all is.
I love thunderstorms, so long as no one is hurt and there is no damage. Just the sight and sound even the smell is oddly appealing to me. I believe the sound of thunder travels at a speed of one mile in five seconds.
ReplyDeleteI love storms. Beautifully explained.
ReplyDeleteWe have a storm coming in now. I need to go to bed, it's so nice to go to sleep with the lullaby of wind, rain, and the rumble in the sky. It won't be over in the morning though, the weatherman says it's going to stick around for a couple of days.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy a good thunderstorm, but the one we had a few days ago made me nervous. I had to give up my evening driveway walk and use the wraparound porch. I had my cell phone to keep track of how long I was walking, and I was afraid lighting might come in under the porch roof and strike my phone! Not that there's any reason for lighting to strike ME, of course.
ReplyDeleteI've never noticed any after storm quiet either, I must remember to listen next time we get a thunderstorm. Ours usually happen over night or late afternoon, so by morning things are back to normal, apart from any destruction caused.
ReplyDeleteI love the storms but as soon as I hear there is one coming, I get the lanterns and batteries ready and switch off any unnecessary appliances, even though I have surge protector power switches.
I do agree with your concept about having storms. We'll be heading into our monsoon season in about a month or so, so we might be having a few severe storms ourselves. I personally like a good thunder and lightening storm as long as there is not any damage, however, waking up early morning like that can be a bit disconcerting.
ReplyDeletebetty
We rarely get storms, just the odd rumble of thunder and occasionally a flash of lightening. I think it may be something to do with us being surrounded by hills, they act as a kind of barrier and keep the storms out (no idea if that is true). I don't mind a bit of a storm, they do make me nervous but they are quite exciting at the same time. Glad there was no damage.
ReplyDeleteI liked your description of the storm. It's something I don't see these days. In fact, I can't remember having had a storm in years. Is that good or bad, I wonder.
ReplyDeleteWe get that pretty regularly, in fact, last night. Yes, the critters are very cautious the next day after a storm, and the land does sometimes need all of this.
ReplyDeleteThat last paragraph is very profound Joe. If I "borrow" it, I'll try to remember to credit you. It really is that good.
ReplyDeleteWe had one of those storms a couple of weeks ago -- an under the bed kind.
ReplyDeleteI don't do well with those kinds of storms now that we live in a trailer. It's so much louder than it ever was in the house. But they do cleanse the earth quite nicely.
ReplyDeleteThe critters know before we do and they are all safe and sound in their homes. Smart little buggers.
ReplyDeleteIt is frightening when you're in the center of a thunderstorm. Very frightening. I'm glad all is well.
Have a fabulous day, Joe. ☺
There's nothing like a nasty storm to make one think about our ancestors and what it must have been like living out in nature, unprotected from the elements.
ReplyDeleteI used to enjoy thunderstorms until our weather became more extreme. Now I keep an anxious eye on the sky. Everything does look and smell so good aftrward though.
ReplyDeleteLoved your last paragraph in particular. Violent storms do make us feel quite mortal and vulnerable. Always such a relief to survive them unscathed.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully written post, Joeh. I quite like thunderstorms, but waking up at 5.00 a.m. to the monster you describe is perhaps more than I would like to witness! But I have always marvelled at the smell before, during and after...
ReplyDeleteI live in L.A.--we barely get rain!!
ReplyDeleteI always remember what Normal Cousins said about thunderstorms.
ReplyDeleteWell, here in the Other New York we got clobbered ... trees down, power outages, and low-level flooding. Fortunately it was mostly property damage but the next day was pretty calm. And sobering.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen so many down trees as this spring. Stay safe!
ReplyDeleteA beautiful observation about a spring storm. I've always loved them, and this post made me nostalgic for spring and summer tempests of the past.
ReplyDelete"I think we need a good storm now and then to clear the air, refresh the land, force us to pause and appreciate what we have been given and understand how fragile it all is."
ReplyDeleteVery well said Joe, Excellent post my friend.
You guys back there get some fierce storms. The only thunderstorms I ever remember were when we went back to the south to visit my dad's family or to Ohio and Indiana to visit cousins. They scared the heck out of me. We didn't get many thunderstorms or lightening storms in the bay area but since we loved up to Shasta, we get them a lot- we're close to the mountains and they get them all the time. Now I like them- my poor dog doesn't.
ReplyDeleteThe Tampa Bay area is called the lightning capital of the US. During the summer, we get a thunderstorm almost every afternoon. It is so regular and expected that a thunderstorm during any other time of the day is greeted with puzzlement.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a kid, I was afraid of thunderstorms, compliments of my mother who was so afraid of them she'd wake up everybody in the house in the middle of the night during a thunderstorm and gathered the entire family in the living room. Not sure what we were supposed to do in the living room...hahaha.