Thunder And Other Eerie Possibilities Ask Dave a weather question

Dave Thurlow, Host

 

Hi, I'm Dave Thurlow from the Mount Washington Observatory and this is The Weather Notebook. Do you get the heeby jeebies from thunder and lightning. Well commentator Lorraine Johnson Coleman knows someone who does.

Lorrain Johnson Coleman

Lorraine: "I wonder what it is about thunder and lightning that makes my college-educated mother take leave of good sense? Rain by itself doesn't seem to bother her. 'It's calming and purifying' she would explain to me, but that rain quickly lost its tranquil appeal whenever it arrived coupled with the frightening possibilities of thunder and lightning. With each and every clash and flash sometimes seeming to shake the very sky, my mother would grow more and more fearful.

'Turn out the lights' my mother would command as soon as the very first roar of an obviously angry God lit across the sky. 'Turn off the TV too, we don't want to take any chances.' We did as we were told, sitting in the eerie darkness just imagining the gruesome possibilities.

'Can we call daddy at work?' I would ask ignorantly, forgetting every now and again the serious consequences of such a foolish move. 'Don't touch that phone!' my mother would screech loudly 'If we use the phone we'll be electrocuted' my mama said matter of factly. Not one to question an elder's wisdom especially at a time like that, I accepted her explanation and avoided anything electrical during a storm.

Recently my husband and I took my four children to visit my parents. Don't you know it started to storm right after we arrived? My mother panicked as usual and immediately began to turn off everything electrical in the house. My children of course were curious and my oldest asked why quietly in my ear as my mother hurried around reaching for each and every off switch with obvious desperation. 'Just do as grandma says and please don't ask any questions'; so as we sat there huddled together, comfortably clutching one another, I realized that even though mama's fears were without reason, at least they did manage to bring us closer together."

Lorraine Johnson-Coleman is an author and storyteller from Savannah, GA. Our show is underwritten by Subaru, the beauty of all wheel drive, with major support provided by the National Science Foundation.