Hours before the big storm, when those outer bands first head into your area, the sky is filled large sudsy-looking clouds. It looks a lot like what a bar of soap does in a microwave. You can still see the crystal blue sky behind those monsters and it serves as a picturesque contrast of nature.
The closer the storm gets, the winds starts to pick up. The whole day turns gray – everything. Even the air itself feels heavy with gray. That first wind is calming and cooling in the summer day. It is in fact that proverbial calm before storm. As trite as it seems… it’s the truth.
Not to romanticize these killers; I’ve lived and worked through many – Katrina being one. That storm changed my life and I have an earned respect for tropical weather. Maybe that’s why I’m able to now also see the beauty in it.
I interviewed a couple in Panama Beach City during Hurricane Dennis. They went into a long discourse about Mother Nature being a cruel mistress. They said the rise and fall of the water during a hurricane was amazing to witness, even though deadly. A little like white arsenic in wedding cake.
Later that same year, after Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita was coming our way and I first noticed the pre-storm breeze. I guess it was my first time seeing Mother Nature for the cruel mistress she really is – a deadly splendor.
There is just something majestic about these marvels of nature. Some people see the awe in tornados, rainbows or sunsets. For me, it’s those hours before tropical weather. It’s almost like a small gift as we prepare for the destruction and force that follows those peaceful moments.
Thankfully Fay is just a rainmaker for us with some flooding. Here are some of the effects in our area.
From our Meteorologist Joey Sovine:
From a viewer:
