Raining into the pit – Photo: L. Weikel
Deluge
The disparities in our climate conditions across our country are growing every day. I can’t believe the west is expected to be trapped under yet another ‘heat dome’ this weekend. Of course, as oppressive and debilitating as those temperatures are, they’re made even worse by the lack of water. And yet here we are in Pennsylvania experiencing major rains and even a deluge last night.
Which comes first? The drought or the hellish temperatures? I don’t know – but I do know it seems like the impact of climate change is unfolding all around us at a cataclysmic rate.
Rain water from last night’s deluge – Photo: L. Weikel
What Fell From the Sky?
When I woke up this morning the evidence that we’d had a wild night of torrential storms and rain was everywhere. Leaves and branches stripped off trees. Limbs and entire trees blocking roads and taking out electrical wires and cables.
I’ve been emptying our fire pit of the water that collects in it after each storm. It’s a convenient pluviometer, albeit not as accurate as more conventional rain gauges. Sometimes, however, quantity isn’t the only quality being measured.
Which leads me to this morning’s discovery. Take a look at the water that accumulated in the two small coolers I’d left outside last night. It almost looks like strong tea or tobacco juice. It’s in both coolers. There were no tree branches or anything else above either of the containers – only clear sky. Nor were either of them near any drainage spouts.
And then I looked at the fire pit. Good grief! What in the world feel from the sky last night? The water in that fire pit was opaque. And the fire pit had been completely empty at the start of the evening. Not a flake of ash nor any leftover rain from the last storm.
This was bone dry before I went to bed last night – Photo: L. Weikel
Troubling
I’m wondering in all seriousness about the color of our rainfall last night. Why in the world did it range from golden brown to walnut black? And did it fall from the sky that way? It sure seems like it did.
To give context, I’ve included at the beginning of this post a photo of rain falling into the fire pit exactly one month ago (June 8th). The difference in the color of the water falling from the sky is obvious.
I wonder if this has any significance whatsoever. It sure doesn’t feel right.
(T-140)