Apocolypse (in ten minute intervals)
The end of the world is imminent. The signs are clear: last night Philadelphia got the most bizarre hail storm I have ever seen. Granted, I had never actually seen hail until 3 months ago, but that in itself is telling of the strange directions our atmosphere is taking us.
It had been a really hot and humid 95 all day, but towards the evening, as the weathermen had predicted it got cloudy and slightly cooler. Like 92 degrees. The rain came, and about 5 minutes later the hail started. The hail I described in April was powdered sugar compared to this.
I was the size of grapes. Jagged, frozen grapes falling from hundreds of feet in the air.
R and I had been having a picnic by the river when it started. R in his infinite wisdom predicted that it was about to start raining so he started to bring our things to the car. I very calmly finished eating my corn. A few drops started to fall, and only then did I get the grill and the food ready to go. I just barely made it in the car by the time the rain had turned to hail.
Sitting in the car, watching the hail strike the windshield was amazing, not because it was beautiful, or because it spurred awe at the power of nature. What was amazing was that those 10 minutes or so that we sat there with our mouths open hoping that the windshield would not crack seemed as if it were a clear sign that things have gone awry. I don't know jack about weather patterns. I don't know how pressure systems work, and I don't fully understand how global warming works. But, this did not feel like a normal anomaly. It did not feel like the usual freak exceptions - like a snowfall in April, or a very warm day in January.
This was something else.
It had been a really hot and humid 95 all day, but towards the evening, as the weathermen had predicted it got cloudy and slightly cooler. Like 92 degrees. The rain came, and about 5 minutes later the hail started. The hail I described in April was powdered sugar compared to this.
I was the size of grapes. Jagged, frozen grapes falling from hundreds of feet in the air.
R and I had been having a picnic by the river when it started. R in his infinite wisdom predicted that it was about to start raining so he started to bring our things to the car. I very calmly finished eating my corn. A few drops started to fall, and only then did I get the grill and the food ready to go. I just barely made it in the car by the time the rain had turned to hail.
Sitting in the car, watching the hail strike the windshield was amazing, not because it was beautiful, or because it spurred awe at the power of nature. What was amazing was that those 10 minutes or so that we sat there with our mouths open hoping that the windshield would not crack seemed as if it were a clear sign that things have gone awry. I don't know jack about weather patterns. I don't know how pressure systems work, and I don't fully understand how global warming works. But, this did not feel like a normal anomaly. It did not feel like the usual freak exceptions - like a snowfall in April, or a very warm day in January.
This was something else.
posted by beef at 8:45 AM
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