Raindrops and Blizzards

Raindrops and Blizzards
(This a collaborative effort between plannerdan and grandmapenny )

         Cloudy Wright flashed a twinkling smile at the camera. You could almost hear the twinkle through the TV. Velma turned her attention from the spaghetti sauce and gave it all to Cloudy. She had devotedly watched the weatherman during the 8:00 AM and 6:00 PM time slots since he began broadcasting the weather.

         “As you can see, the high pressure line will be passing through the area during the early hours of tomorrow morning. Expect the temperature to drop rapidly and the moisture to follow quickly on its heels. You can expect precipitation in the form of freezing rain, snow and sleet to begin tomorrow morning and extend into the entire day.” Cloudy spoke with the voice of authority.

         For fifteen years he had guessed and divined the weather for the viewers of KDWR. The younger weathermen, who came from the ranks of college, used computer programs and models to predict the weather patterns. No one quite knew how Cloudy did it. Many suspected that he still held a wet finger into the air and studied the cloud formations. But he was reasonably successful and he had a charismatic effect on the viewers. That in itself had been enough for Cloudy to maintain his hold as the top weather guy at the station.

         Cloudy continued,” from the looks of this storm, ice should be heavily covering the road before morning and layers of snow and sleet will be following. I strongly advise you to stock up on supplies and snacks tonight because tomorrow you probably won’t be able to get on the roads. And those of you who live at the top of the hill – Well I’d park at the bottom and walk down to your car if you have to use it.”

         Velma turned the heat down to the lowest setting and put the cover on the simmering sauce. Her recipe called for a good hour of simmering before proceeding to the next step in the preparation of her famous spaghetti dish. She mused, “That ought to be just enough time for me to run down to the market and grab a few items just in case the storm snows us in for a few days.”

         As she walked through the doors of the market she noticed that all of the cashiers were busy. Carts were stacked behind each other like 747’s in a holding pattern. Apparently others had also watched Cloudy’s forecast and responded at his prompting. Velma walked the aisles placing goods into her cart. She surveyed the contents and made a mental note, “milk, bread, stuff you could eat without cooking, in case the power went out, snacks and three boxes of hot chocolate mix.” The shelves were noticeably empty and Clarence Wilson, the proprietor was noticeably pleased with the brisk shopping bonanza.

         The temperature was definitely colder and the wind was out of the northwest Velma noted on her way home. Cloudy was right on target about the weather change. That night the storm assaulted the community. Rain fell in torrents. However, there was no sleet; there was no freezing rain; and there was no snow. There was just an abundance of rain which flooded the creeks and streets. Great streams of mud washed down the streets.

         At 6:30 AM the next morning the sun was shining and the skies were clear. Velma stood on her back porch and smelled the freshly washed morning air. Everything had received a thorough soaking. But there was no snow. The streets were clear and folks were traveling down the roads to destinations that took them to school, work and other engagements. However, one commuter stood ankle high in mud. He had parked his car at the bottom of the hill, which had been the target of a river of mud. The commuter tugged at the door as the mud piled against it slowly oozed out of its way. His fellow commuters passed by on the muddy roadway and smiled at him as they watched him in their rear-view mirror.

         Velma punched the "on" button of the remote and the TV crackled to life. It was 8:15 AM and time for the KDWR morning weather. The anchor was smiling and his co-anchor was chuckling as they bantered about the obvious lack of snow and ice on the roads.

         The male anchor grinned and proclaimed in his best news-announcer voice, “Gloria, in spite of the assurance that snow and ice would coat our roads this morning, our own Cloudy Wright has managed to show up on time. However, it seems that it was not without event. A viewer emailed this picture to your newsflash desk early this morning.”

         Velma stirred the hot chocolate that she had just prepared, courtesy of her trip to the market resulting from Cloudy’s urging. The image on the TV showed a photo of a very awkward Cloudy standing ankle deep in mud opening the door on his Mercedes. The shot then switched to a live, full view of the revered weatherman who was sporting mud-stained slacks and sock feet. Laughs could be heard from off-camera and a smile formed on Velma’s face.

         Embarrassed, Cloudy began his report, “Expect a drastic change in the weather tonight. It appears that sleet and snow will begin around midnight…..”

         “Yeah, right,” thought Velma as she finished the last sip of her hot chocolate. “I need to call Cloudy and tell him not to bring any more hot chocolate home with him tonight. And he can’t park the Mercedes in the garage until he gets it washed.”