It's Raining, It's Pouring!

The weather forecast for the next three days is almost a perfect match to that of Knoxville, with similar highs and lows and warnings of thunderstorms every day. Last year we can remember just a few days where there was significant rain, while this year there have been just a few days without significant rain.

The rain comes down in buckets here. It makes a great noise on the tin roofs and comes cascading down and splashes through the broken or bent gutters, if there is any gutters at all. Each building serves as a showcase for multiple waterfalls. I suppose it’s the warm temperatures that influence the type of rain…it reminds me of the down pours we had in Singapore every afternoon, with the skies opening up and absolutely drenching everything.

The pathways are muddy and puddles have remained on sections of the roadways that have continuous stretches of pavement. All the rain, cloudy skies and strong cool breezes from approaching storms translate into a nice moderation of temperatures for us. Which is greatly welcome of course. Last year the hot sun would rise at 6 or 6:30 and the temperature would quickly jump up to the standard 88 to 90 degrees. It would remain at that temperature until sundown, and inside the buildings the temperature would become more and more miserable later in the day. Our home would be very warm in the early evening, and we often took showers right before bed in an attempt to cool down. 

This year it is different. It is still warm, but the temperature reaches the daily high for just a few hours in the mid-afternoon. The heavy storms, which had been limited to the evening and night, now come at all hours of the day. Yesterday we even had rain in the morning, which until then was unknown. This provided the extra benefit of quieting all but the strongest rooster, and forced the geese to stay away. Too bad we didn’t have the luxury of sleeping late yesterday! I think Todd Howell and Matt Hincken, our favorite TV weathermen, would call this a “persistent weather pattern” but Al Gore might say it is climate change.

Besides the cooler temperatures (don’t get me wrong, it is still warm here) another benefit of all the rain is cleaner air. The rain soaks many piles of trash and debris ready for burning, and the just don't seem to release such huge plumes of smoke when they are lit. I guess they must be smoldering slowly. I also think the rain prevents some of the smoke from neighboring areas from reaching us, and also cleans some of the pollution from the air.

The rain brings many frogs out onto the roads and walkways and Jacob is still enough of a little boy to try and catch them. He is usually successful and we have been unable to dissuade him from the hunt. If he dropped his umbrella in the dirt he would hesitate to pick it up but somehow a frog in the dirt is totally different.

This morning and afternoon the sun has been very bright and you wouldn’t think there’s a chance of rain. Jacob has identified the 100% accurate predictor of rain, which is the curtain spanning the doorway to his bedroom. If the curtain is blowing out from the doorframe into the dining area, then it will rain. It’s doing it right now so I guess we should take our umbrellas with us when we go out later today. Now, despite the sunshine, I am hearing the rumble of thunder. (Note: It's now 3:15 in the afternoon and pouring...Jacob's predictor is still 100%!) 

While packing for this trip I planned to take my water resistant Northface windbreaker. My plan was to wear it on the plane. But we arrived at the airport and I realized that I had left it at home, along with my straw hat and a few other odds and ends I was going to put in my carryon at the last minute. I dismissed the issue, remembering back to the high heat and lack of rain last year. I think I only wore it once then, and for just a few minutes. Thank goodness we have our umbrellas as they have been used almost every day and thus far we have avoided getting totally soaked, except for our poor shoes a few times.