Wednesday was a strange weather day. Actually, since weather doesn’t necessarily follow a 24 hour cycle, this day isn’t over.
I knew something was wrong when I was awakened by thunder around 9:00 this morning. Thunderstorms in Connecticut favor the late afternoon and early evening hours. Morning storms are rare.
A bolt of lightning lives its life in an instant. So too should be the thunder. Not today. A few bolts produced a noise which undulated and rumbled for at least ten seconds. These were throaty, deep noises that rattled the house. There was no clap nor any high frequency sound. It was as if the sky was groaning.
Thunderstorms produce larger drops than stratiform rain. Today’s rain pounded down with the drops exploding as they hit a hard surface. There was nothing gentle about this storm.
By early afternoon this first batch of rain had moved away, but the air was infused with moisture. A stroll outside was like walking in a sauna. Dew points were in the 70°s.
Tonight storms began to reappear. While heavy rains drenched areas to our west, new cells developed overhead. I’d look at the radar and see a little patch of green. A few minutes later the area had exploded into the hot colors that correspond to downpours. The updrafts in these clouds must have been crazy–like an out-of-control elevator shooting to the roof!
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch went up between 2-3:00 PM. Though originally set to expire at 10:00 PM, it’s now on until 5:00 AM Thursday. Here, that’s unheard of.
The worst is yet to come. There will be more heavy rain–inches more. I expect flooding on Thursday in vulnerable places. It’s tough to say exactly where.
July has been dry in Connecticut. I’ve heard many people asking for relief. I don’t think anyone wanted it this way.