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This July 2005 photo taken from the Fredericksburg City Dock catches a lightning flash on the Rappahannock. |
WHEN it's summertime and you're going about your normal routine, the average rumbling thunderstorm is not that much of a problem.
If you're out working in the yard, you watch the sky and head in when the sky looks likely to explode.
Heading to work or shopping, you grab an umbrella and try to time your coming and going to avoid getting soaked.
But if you're out on the water and a storm seems possible, it's a whole other kettle of fish.
With options for ducking and running minimal, you keep your eyes on the skies and, if you're lucky, any bit of technology on board to warn of impending trouble.
With friends and family,
Yes, there was a possibility of a thunderstorm sweeping through. But when we set off, the skies were clear. Weather radar showed a big green blob of storm well west of Fredericksburg.
From our launch point on the Potomac River at Fairview Beach, it seemed perfectly safe to head down for some steamed crabs at a waterside restaurant near the U.S. 301 bridge.
"Seemed" turned out to be the operative word, as we pulled away to first give one passenger a try on water skis at nearby Potomac Creek, where blue skies were in abundance.
By the time we finished, the horizon was taking on
No problem, I thought to myself, this weather was moving away from us.
By the time we turned and headed in earnest for dinner in our little, open, 22-foot runabout, that dark edge had turned into a pretty dense bundle of clouds.
The further along we went--which again, should have been away from the clouds--the closer they got.
Inside, I was thinking "Be gone, you big mushy menace! Don't mess with us!"
But outwardly, I was keeping a game face on for our guests as I watched the cloud bank overtake us.
"Oh, no you don't!" I thought, goosing the throttle to outrun the dark. (Hey,
I goosed it again as the cloud continued on pace with us, with the boat finally making the restaurant's dock a minute or two before the dark sky.
Working frantically to put all of our stuff in dry bags and under bulkheads was enough to ensure that the storm scooted by without releasing more than two or three droplets of rain on us.
I stress here that, all along, there was never any hint of thunder and lightning, or
Ditto for the fact that it was a well-contained stormlet, with brighter skies all around.
The whole incident reminded me how quickly summer weather changes, and how helpful it is to
Being out there in the open, with precious little cover, makes you appreciate the power of Mother Nature.
Especially in the heat of summer, when thunderstorms are as regular as overpriced gas.
Rob Hedelt: 540/374-5415
Email: rhedelt@freelancestar.com
