Storm

Okay, so last time I had us on the road, in a vast flat space, in the dark, somewhere in Oklahoma.

We were driving. The sky was utterly dark, both because it was night and because somewhere overhead enormous, pitch-black storm clouds were boiling.

All of sudden, we started hearing thunder. The sound was deafening. Every few sounds, there’d be a blast that would rattle the windows and make the car shake.

And now we could see the lightning bolts, not just the light they created. Enormous, long, electrical bolts would arc down from the heavens to some point on the ground before us. Or, if not to the ground, then the clouds themselves would be full of lightning. Great pitchfork-shaped bolts would fill them. I believe the term is “cloud-to-air flashes,” or “spider flashes.” Whatever, they were terrifying.(*)

A few more miles on, and we got the first rain drops. A little further, and they began to fall more quickly, and more densely. Soon it was a torrent. The windshield wipers were no use. I had them in the fastest, most frenetic mode, and I could still see nothing.

Finally, knowing there was no alternative, I put on my flashing warning lights, pulled off the road and on the shoulder, and stopped. Behind me and ahead of me, I saw traffic doing the same. Soon, the road was nearly empty of moving vehicles.

About the photos: Obviously, I don’t have any photos of the storm we endured while we waited on the side of the darkened road. So, instead, I’ll offer some pictures of lightening and related phenomenon that I’ve taken from the website of the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration’s National Severe Storms Laboratory, which has a website here: https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/. All these are believed to be in the public domain.

First, an example of spider lightning. We saw a great deal of this that night. Second, a photo of a cloud-to-cloud strike. Third, a ground strike, which I was very glad we didn’t see (or experience). And, fourth, a tree-strike. Fifth, what I was afraid we’d get, but which we (thank goodness) missed, was serious hail. Finally, sixth, a tornado, which was what I feared most of all.

Except ...for a few high speed semi-trucks, which flashed past. I presume they had enough weight to manage the conditions. Though, later, I saw many commercial trucks pulled off on rest areas and exit ramps.

Oh, and also, I saw again a few pickups, always jacked up and with ornate hubcaps, that went past us at speeds which would have been hazardous if the road had been dry, much less wet. But, the drivers seemed to sense no danger, or maybe to lack common sense entirely, and they plowed their way forward, risking hydroplaning and death.

We sat. Then...we heard a harsh, metallic clatter. It wasn’t raining any more. It was hailing. Great, huge, chunks of ice were falling from the sky. It wasn’t just ordinary hail. Not pea sized or pebble sized. But big. The size was large ball bearings. (I heard later that some areas near us got hail the size of baseballs). I waited anxiously for one such to hit the windshield, and for it to crack. But, we were lucky, and the glass survived intact.

Time passed. Ten minutes. Twenty minutes. Forty-five. An hour...

Finally, the hail turned back to rain. Then the rain slowed to a normal fall. Martha said, “I think you could go.” I took off the parking break and we headed out, cautiously. A few miles on, I saw a Love’s Truck Stop. I pulled off the highway and into the parking lot.

We all made it into the store. Then, I dashed to the men’s room. Martha and Judy moved more slowly.

I emerged and waited for them. I realized there was no one other than the clerk in the store. We were alone. The place was empty.

What time was it? I glanced at my phone.

Oh my God. It was long after midnight. The idea of our getting back to Winfield before bedtime? Gone. Absolutely gone.

Still...at least we’d made it through the storm without getting into an accident. Couldn’t complain about that.

Martha and Judy re-appeared. They complimented me on how I’d handled the storm...which I thought was funny, given that all I had done was pull over and wait it out. But, they replied, a lot of other people hadn’t had that much forethought. So, I took their kind remarks and didn’t complain.

We all purchased ice cream treats. I believe I had a drumstick. I forget whatever everyone else got. Whatever, the snacks soothed our jangled nerves and kept us awake.

Then it was off again. Martha drove this time. She’s a better driver than I am, and besides, the storm was dissipating. So, from there on out, everything was pretty smooth. And, just about 2:30 am, we saw the signs for Winfield.

That should have been the end of the story. But...

It wasn’t.

More to come.

Footnotes:

* See “Severe Weather 101,” NOAA, https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/lightning/types/

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