Thursday, July 23, 2020

Then the Rains Came

Welp - the rain is here.  We set out for the morning ride, it was sprinkling but we thought no big deal, it never really rains until the afternoon.  No - wrong.  The thunder started, the rain started and we were drenched.  I haven't been that wet on a bike in a very long time.


This was radar this morning.


Many of the roads in Tucson are nap of the earth.  If there is a wash or a low spot, the road follows the terrain.  Many roads do not have storm sewers so the water can get deep fast.  When it rains, one should not drive through the raging waters. 


And yet they do.  Every year, like clockwork they have to be rescued.


This was last night, after another dry day.  Nice clouds.


With the exception of the patio roof, we don't have gutters.  We have a flat roof with scuppers that dump water on the ground. It's not actually flat, it's pitched to get the water off.  Anyway, the water feeds into canales which direct the flow away from the house and out into the yard.  This short palm tree serves as a water break and disperses the rain.


Water on the street, backing up into the driveway.  The driveway slopes uphill from the road, so that's a fair amount of rain.


I took this standing on the patio holding my camera over my head because it was raining and my camera did not want to get wet.  This is the wash next to the house.  The brown blob mid photo is some sort of dead plant, you can see water behind it, and an eddy in front of it.  At that point it was pretty dark, so there you go.


Our gutter, doing its job.  The water runs into the wash and will eventually hit the aquifer.  Tucson still has dependence on underground water.


So that was today's excitement.  Our shoes are soaked and are sitting with a fan pointing at them.  It's still raining, so there can not be any walking out or anything.  Woe, woe is me.  It's good for the parched cactus, so one can not complain overmuch.

7 comments:

  1. It's about time you got some rain. Enjoy it!

    ReplyDelete
  2. weren't you just bemoaning the fact that the monsoon was bypassing you? there's a tropical depression in the Gulf heading our way. its path was projected straight at us but I see it's been modified now further south though not by a whole lot.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Roads and excess water bedevils every road in this country, excepting maybe the Great Salt Desert.

    ReplyDelete
  4. We got rain and thunder and lots of lightning this afternoon. I was just thankful there was no hail. Hopefully your dry desert plants will rejoice in their bath.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yay! You got rain, FINALLY! Rejoice and celebrate, even if you're slightly damp. (Or even soaked. :) )

    It's funny that you started your post with "Welp." I was reading a book today in which that word was used in exactly the same way. Weird that I should see it twice in one day, when I don't think I've EVER noticed it before.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Not a fan of getting caught in the rain on my bike, as it necessitates cleaning and lubing the chain after, but I know you needed the rain. We woke up to sprinkles this morning, and as such, decided not to ride. It never poured but did rain lightly until lunchtime. By the time we got out to walk after lunch, it was incredibly sultry and hot in the sunshine. Ah well, it is July, after all.

    ReplyDelete
  7. That kind of rain is cozy to me, because it means i have to stay put, no reason to go outdoors, hallelujah.

    ReplyDelete