Atmospheric River and Wind

Another weather warning - atmospheric river - in the sky

a river of rain flowing all day, a waterfall wavering over trees, winding down streets, widening puddles that fill with yellow and orange leaves

sodden leaves

later, a new riptide, high wind warnings, three hundred foot fir trees bending, straining to keep their wide, not deep, roots bound to the earth

An enormous gust blasts across the backyard with disturbing noises, and when I look outside to see what I heard, there is an empty spot. It's not the table that is gone, but the propane barbeque grill.

It lies on its side below the porch, blown off, over the edge, in the gust of wind.

was it a sixty or sixty-five mile per hour?

I called to my husband, the chief BBQ-er, that he best go out and check the tank. Flipping it upright, removing the tank, not disturbed. Perhaps there was a glint of glee. For now, he has a reason to shop for a new grill.

I pondered. At least this time, he's home. Usually, when these things happen, he is out of town; I wouldn't have been able to get the tank off the grill, and it would have been an all-night worry until help could be sought. Did the wind lift those sodden leaves?

☔️ ☔️ ☔️ ☔️

NOTE: we've had power outages north and south of Seattle for weeks due to windy weather, heavy rain, and snow in the mountains.

From USDA: Atmospheric rivers are a natural part of the water cycle in the western U.S. and in the Northwest occur most often in the fall and winter. When they are beneficial, they bring much needed rain to the region. Between 1950 and 2010, between 60 and 74% of persistent drought ended when atmospheric rivers made landfall. Atmospheric rivers, as their name implies, are large channels of water in the atmosphere. They vary in size but can be 250–375 miles wide and over 1,000 miles long. Some carry more water than the biggest river on land, the Amazon River.

Copyright © 12/17/2024 by Andrea O. Corwin

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