Storm in Phoenix

Wow, we had some serious humdinger storms roll through the Phoenix area today. The great news is that these storms, though very strong, only lasted no more than an hour each. Granted, there was a good amount of destruction left behind, but think of how much worse it would have been if they lasted longer than the hour (and I am being generous, the worst of the storm was probably only about 20 minutes...). We have had a great storm in Phoenix today.

This afternoon's storm had really high winds, golf ball sized hail in some places (luckily not where I was) and loads of rain. There is good and bad about a lot of rain coming down. Since we have not had that much rain to saturate the ground, and it has been so hot, a lot of the water did not soak into the ground, but just ran off and made a mess of the roadways. This afternoon's storm was bad enough to ground all airplanes at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. The high winds also knocked down 19 power poles, one of which fell across a freeway, which subsequently stopped traffic in both directions (you think?).

If you couldn't guess, I love storms, just not all the time. That is why I get so excited about storms out here in Phoenix. It seems like we get about 350 days of sunshine, so when a storm rolls through, it is an exciting event. Right now I am still listening to the diminishing sound of thunder. I cannot see any more lightning strikes, but occasionally the sky lights up in the distance. Our monsoon season ended a few weeks back, so for me, this is a major treat.

Usually we are on the road, so I never get to witness the awesome monsoon storms here in the Phoenix valley. This was like the monsoons I remembered from years ago (when I was working a regular JOB). It is a major treat to be able to witness the power of these storms. It gives you new appreciation for the forces of nature. The winds blew so hard that the rain was going sideways, and upwards again when it swirled on the patio. The temperatures dropped at least 20 degrees, to the point where it was tie to consider putting on a sweater. That by itself gives cause to celebrate, it has been in the triple digits up to about 2 days ago. Having it cool enough to want a sweater is a major treat.

Anyway, now that the rain is gone, the winds have died down and the lightning has moved off, it is time to wander outside and get a whiff of what the desert smells like after a cleansing rain like we just had. You can smell the creosote bushes (a fresh, tangy scent) and nothing smells dusty anymore. An additional advantage of a rain storm in the desert is that once it is over, the water evaporates quickly so mold does not have time to form. Great for those of us with allergies, no mold to concern ourselves with.

Hopefully you all have had a peaceful evening. Mine was exciting, but in a very good way. I will now be stepping outside to enjoy the scents of a clean desert and to watch for the next storm cell that may be heading my way. Love those storms in Phoenix.

Until tomorrow...