Thunderstorms

Grandmother Jewel called a thunderstorm “an Electrical Storm.” She was terrified of them. We lived 130 miles away, so rarely did I experience the same weather emergencies as she described. But, upon our visits with her and Grandaddy Moore, her vivid descriptions of the most recent storm, would have won at least Honorable Mention in any weather horror story; they were onomatopoeic. We sat mesmerized by Grandmother Jewel’s entertaining tale.

She was an elementary school teacher and knew how to get children’s attention. I sometimes wished I could have been there during those thunderstorms. Well, I missed another thunderstorm; just as dramatic if not more so. While we were at church recently, a major thunderstorm passed over our church and continued its journey eastward. When we got home, we discovered that a tree had come down.

The tree missed our house but was lying on top of the electrical line going to our house. Our power was still on, but the line was stretched taunt, but not damaged. The EMC reported hundreds of customers without power. We are still on their list as I write this, but as an incident, “still with power.” We also learned that crews had worked all night (through another thunderstorm) and still working on their repair and service calls.

Despite fears generated by thunderstorms and actual damage that they may bring as a natural dynamic of Nature, we still need thunderstorms.

Agriculture is tops; not only do these storms replenish the earth – recharging lakes, rivers, and streams, washing the atmosphere, and watering the soil.
Lightning is an immense value (discounting damage). Atmospheric nitrogen is generated from its intense heat creating nitrogen oxides. Rainwater from the storm dissolves the nitrates created in the process and are key nutrients for plant growth.
Thunderstorm’s heavy rainfall is a refreshing shower for the earth and atmosphere. It’s like after a grueling day of work, your sweaty body getting a good cleansing in the shower.

Thunderstorms

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