Monday, June 22, 2009

RIDIN' THE STORM OUT: MONSOON COMES TO CHICAGO




On Friday we experienced one of the biggest, longest, most dramatic series of thunderstorms in recent memory.

It began at 3:30AM, came and went for most of the day, and ended after nightfall.


There was so much water coming out of the sky that it was like driving in a whiteout. Traffic on the expressways slowed to a crawl (except for the invincible few, usually in SUV's, who kept driving fast anyway).

Plus there was thunder and lightening. Lots of it. And very closeby.

Pets hid in closets and under beds.

Streets and basements flooded.

Traffic signals stopped working.

There were power outages.

During one of the final thunderstorms, around 7:30PM, there was so much wind the trees seemed to be bent horizontal. it looked like a hurricane was hitting us.

And the trees took it the hardest.








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The next day it was 90 degrees and sunny. Soon, the air was thick with cloying, energy-sucking humidity.

Debris and downed trees were everywhere.

But everything smelled nice and clean.

Apparently summer is finally here.

(You know it is when you see the corner grocery store-cum-juice bar setting up to sell coconut water and fresh sugar cane juice right out on the street).


4 comments:

  1. "cloying, energy-sucking humidity"
    love it! i wish they would use this during the weather report.
    "tomorrow will be 95 degrees and sunny with cloying, energy-sucking humidity" that would be fantastic!

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  2. Thank you, Kara.... Pitta-kapha people don't do so well in the heat, and this is my first summer in town since '05. So far I've been all tired, all the time - not to mention stupid/irritable. But I have some remedies from my teacher.

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  3. hmm, i wonder if i'm pitta-kapha? i hate humidity...i get fainty and very short tempered. wish i could blame stupid on the heat index, but i seem to have that year round

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  4. yeah i was drenched riding the bike home yesterday at 4pm after we picked up our scary fridge (a BIG cleaning job)-i think a bollywood flick is a good remedy...

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