A Dark and Stormy Night

We had heavy rain, high winds, lightning, thunder, and all manner of things going bump in the night outside as a large storm system moved through the area. At one point yesterday, the system stretched all the way from the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians. In between, depending on how far north or west you lived, there was heavy snow, blizzard conditions, below zero cold, high winds etc. It was not a day fit "fer man nor beast." We're heading toward record rainfall for the year, though I don't think we will match the 71 inches recorded in 1948. After last night, we should be at about 65 inches for the year, a good 10-12 inches above the average, but it would take several more big rain events to break the record. I don't see that happening, though we will probably give '48 a good run for its money. After several years of drought, we were all happy to see a return to more normal rainfall patterns this year. But for now, most folks would be happy to see a "dry spell." Of course, that's how "averages" are made: drought plus excess equals average.