Sunday 4 October 2009

How The Hail Took Us By Surprise

I cannot lie and say that it is not hot in Pakistan. It is more than hot, it is extremely humid. I am now used to sitting at my desk with both a manual and automatic fan simultaneously, still damp in my clothes. It is supposed to be the monsoon season here right now, but we haven't had any rain to cool us for about three weeks.

This Saturday we were forecasted rain. The sky appeared doubtful and I sat outside during the evening. Little by little, the temperature rose to a near-painful level. It was finally going to rain. It must have been about 35° but it felt like 50°. Suddenly the winds picked up; fresh air blew our way as we sat back to enjoy the storm. The rain fell down hard. And pounded harder still. Leaves and bins span around, the iron gates swung open and the noise on the roof became deafening. The air cooled but the wind and rain did not relent; only picking up momentum. Never have I seen anything like it before in my life. It began to hail. But not the hail I know. Huge golf-ball sized chunks of ice literally fell from the sky in their masses. The kind of snowball that could knock someone to death! Everyone blinked in amazement, at the strength of the elements. Impressively powerful, oh-so violent, and very refreshing...

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