Sunday, July 26, 2009

Rain at Blue Jay Barrens

Several storms came through Blue Jay Barrens yesterday. This is the scene from behind the house. The storms were coming in fast from the west, which would be the left side of the picture. The early morning sun illuminated the field, while the storm clouds were already over our heads. If you see some dark specks in the photo, you are seeing a couple of soaring Turkey Vultures cruising over the Blue Jay Barrens woodlands. If you’re seeing more than two specks, it may be time for you to clean your monitor or get your eyes checked.

The sunlight was quickly blocked by the approaching storm clouds. To the right is The Hill that I posted about some time ago. When I learn how, I’ll provide links in situations like this. Until then, you are free to browse the archives for any vital information you may have missed.

The Turkey Vultures kept circling, but drifted eastward ahead of the storm. This bird gave me a good looking over. Maybe it was planning on coming back to see if lightening turned me into a nice fried morsel.

The clouds provided some interesting formations just ahead of the rain. There were a lot of lightening flashes and thunder, but no cloud to ground strikes.

Heavy rain. The past two years have been super dry and I’m really happy to see this rain. Blue Jay Barrens averages less rainfall than the surrounding area, a fact supported by 23 years of rainfall records. A rain like this means no satellite signal for a while and usually a loss of electricity, with a corresponding loss of water since the well pump stops working. It also means the garden has a chance of producing for while longer and the well may be recharged enough that I won’t have to impose water use restrictions on the family.
After the storm, the cooler air usually means fog rising out of the woods. Sort of like a tiny bit of the Smokey Mountains.

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