Finally, a thunderstorm

It rained hard for about 20 minutes this evening, not exactly impressive, but worth a quarter of an inch in the rain gauge. It might have been more, as it came in at a slant for some of that time.

Cool(ish) air is colliding with warm moist air as a front moves in. It will bring temperatures in the low 80°(F)s for a few days. Fabulous for mid-July in the Southeastern U.S. Up in the mountains, temperatures will be in the upper 70°s.

Some experts think that we're missing the regular afternoon thunderstorms that used to punctuate summer afternoons in the South and Mid-Atlantic states because of climate change. Old-timers around here like to blame the lakes created in the 60's for power generation for changing the trajectory of rainstorms.

A young horticulture expert suggested to me that all the storms are moving through the mountains, and not passing through here. Well, that's true, to be sure, but is historically true as well. The Blue Ridge Escarpment, the Blue Ridge mountains, and the Southern Appalachians receive a tremendous amount of rain compared to the Piedmont.

Regardless, in long hot summer dry spells, I'm grateful for rain, and a bit of cool weather.