Three Days of Thunder

In the seven years we have lived here, fall in the southern Rockies has always come hard and fast. Balmy days turn to hard freezes early in the season and it's over. 
 

Not this year. Mornings were crisp and cool but without any hint of frost. Days were lovely, breezes mild. And then it rained. 

For three days it poured, thunder came and went, dazzlements of lightning flashed like electric lights gone haywire. Quite a show.

This is not a complaint and it's nothing compared to the weather disasters of North Carolina or Florida. Or flooding in Roswell, NM, south of here, where the rain was much greater, the fire damage from earlier this year left hillsides vulnerable, and rain swamped the city and caused devastation and two dead. There has been no flooding up here, although my rain barrel overflowed the first day and then just spilled rain wherever. 

But it's unusual for us. We get storms that roll through during monsoon season, and very, very rarely a morning of sprinkly precipitation, but not three days of downpours and sporadic thunder. My rain gauge showed 2 inches of rain. I've never seen that here before.

For three days it was dark as night in the daytime. Suddenly clouds parted, and brilliant sunshine poured in, but then quickly disappeared. It was all very turbulent, punctuated by rumbles of distant thunder off and on.

But no frost, no overnight freezes. It's late October and chilly now, but still well above freezing at night.

Rain is an entertainment here, a marvel we enjoy in this climate. But three whole days of dark days, noisy grumblings and startling sky flashes has been a bit much.