Raging Storm

This is how the stream at Joy's house looks on a normal day. It's very mellow, all the rocks are exposed and the water trickles along very peacefully.

Then we had the most insane storm last night and it sent everything topsy turvy in the entire town. The first sign that it was more than a normal thunderstorm was when water overflowed in a windowsill and flooded the bathroom. The lightning just would not quit. Lightning struck every ten seconds and the thunder shook the whole house. By that point, the rain was so loud, it was impossible to have a conversation with the window open. All this, and it was still so damn hot!!

Pretty soon Joy came home from work early because Cacao Lane had closed due to flooding! The entire historic center was flooded and all the businesses had closed. Joy, her roommate Sarah and I went for a wet walk and saw the town overrun with water and of course got very wet.

Kevin, Joy's other roommate, shone his headlights on the "stream" so this picture could be taken. It was very dark, and it still didn't turn out that well, but you get the idea. On a normal day, the water is about 8 feet down, last night it was less than two. The force of the water and the speed was terrifying. I was afraid to be near it alone. This wasn't the only stream running over either. A little stream or river of sorts runs right through the center of town. There the water is usually ten feet down and there are buildings built right over it. It's very quaint because it gives the town little bridges and spaces for benches and enjoying a coffee it wouldn't have otherwise. During the storm the water was actually hitting the buildings and that was the cause of the flood.

By the time I got home from school this afternoon at 4:30 pm the stream was still this high. The news said that the storm is supposed to continue tonight and the telltale heat lightning that comes before the storm is already in full swing out front. This is seriously the most exciting weather I've ever experienced. I could really do without the humidity though. Thank goodness for those dehumidifiers.