Summer Storm

It was an awe-inspiring sunrise.  What few wisps of clouds there were in the early morning sky glowed crimson against the velvety backdrop of earth’s atmosphere, heralding the arrival of dawn.  Gradually the great ball of fire that is the sun appeared at the edge of the eastern horizon, like a grandiose king greeting the day with outstretched arms of light.  The once-crimson clouds faded to lesser pinks, oranges, and lavenders until they finally dissipated completely in the morning warmth.  Yes, the day had begun beautifully.  The sun shone brightly in the azure sky as a gentle breeze playfully tousled the leaves in the treetops, just as a loving mother ruffles her child’s hair.

The weather forecast warned, however, that violent summer storms could erupt during the sultry afternoon hours.  As the morning wore on, cumulus clouds, puffed and billowing began to form on the western horizon.  Urged forward by the blowing winds of a cooler air mass, the clouds rushed forward, filling the sky within a few brief hours.  As the heat and humidity fought to hold back the cooler air, lightening began to ripple through the heavens and thunder reverberated in the hills and vales.

As if angry at the tailwind driving them eastward, the tumultuous clouds rolled and tumbled over top of each other, making it look as if the sky was boiling.  Darker and darker the sky became until streetlights lining the paved paths through suburbia clicked on, the beckoning darkness signaling their automated sensors.  The artificial light flooded the gloomy streets just as the first large drops of rain began to fall.  So hot was the asphalt paving that the drops quickly evaporated, creating a surreal effect as misty steam arose from the surface of the black ribbons of road.

Not to be outdone, the boiling clouds grew darker still and an electric tension filled the humid air.  Suddenly, as if drawn by some invisible hand, a jagged bolt of lightening sliced open the tender underbelly of the sky, releasing the waters that had been stored up within!  Torrential downpours, driven into solid moving sheets of water by the gale-force winds drenched the soil, the earth drinking in her fill as quickly as possible and the rest running off through the paths of least resistance.

So much power was released that it is hard to imaging that more remained to wreak its destructive wrath upon all things natural and manmade.  The colliding air masses created vast temperature changes high up in the clouds, leading to the formation of hail.  Once heavy with hail, the sky took aim at all targets within range, pelting rooftops and automobiles, windows and crops, leaving a swath of devastation in its wake.

Although the damage toll was high, the storm raged on, ripping and tearing at anything that came to be in its grasp.  The breeze that had played so gently in the treetops earlier now lashed out, stripping leaves from upper branches and hurling them to the ground in swirling fits of rage.  Stronger and stronger they grew, snapping tender trees limb from limb and tossing them to the earth below.  Howling around corners, the wind picked up everything that dared to cross its path, smashing it recklessly to the ground!  Swirling and spinning, the whirling dervish cut a path through town and countryside alike, demolishing homes, flattening barns, lifting roofs, and spewing debris in every direction to proclaim its devilish deeds.

Though powerful, the winds quickly exhausted their strength and blew themselves out.  Once past, the rains, no longer driven by the forceful currents, fell more slowly and evenly.  The billowing clouds rolled on toward the eastern horizon, opening a clearing in the canopy through which a ray of sunlight shone.  The still-falling prismatic raindrops divided the spectrum of the glorious light, painting its arc of colors in wide bands across the cloud-filled canvas of the afternoon sky.  Calm and tranquility once again reigned supreme on the streets of suburbia.