So our lovely Las Vegas weather has been nothing but days over 100 for the past 2 weeks or so. We have smoke in the valley from California fires, so plenty of us are struggling with the heat and allergies/ air quality. And now we have just a hint of rain and humidity in the forecast.
Seeing those big storm clouds in the distance brings me joy, even though it also brings stickiness and sweatiness. There is nothing like the look, sound, and feel of a summer thunderstorm. It is one of my favorite things to crack the windows and just listen.
If you are lucky enough to have a view of the city or the horizon, when the big storms come in, the lighting show could equal that of a show on the Las Vegas strip. Our air is usually dry and static, and when those bolts run through it, the effect is awe inspiring. Some will cross the sky, and others will shoot higher into the clouds. In the daytime, the flashes are bright, but at night, those flashes turn colors in bright contrast to the dark gray/blue clouds. It has an even different effect here as our night sky reflects the lights of the strip in a rainbow of colors, and it meets the yellow flash of light. Hair on my arm standing up just thinking about it.
When the rain starts to fall, fast or slow, it’s like a hush over the town/street depending on where you are. We don’t see the rain often, and most tend to stay in when it comes down. I love hearing the wind whistle thru is and the rush of drops hitting the ground, the splashing of puddles as cars go by. I like the steady soft rain, but the down pours just really intensify the joy, well as long as I’m not driving in it.
Thunder will crack in the sky, sometimes so close and so loud that it will rattle the walls. It can come before the rain gets to you or boom while it’s coming down. The sound of fireworks is nothing compared to it. It rumbles along, rain falling on the houses, on the windows. Adding to the overall feel of dark and moody.
It wouldn’t be complete however with out the intoxicating smell that it brings. The best way I can describe it is fresh earth. Here, we don’t have that fresh cut grass smell. We have a dusty terrain, and when it mixes with rain, it smells rustic, salty, and earthy. Different from rain in a forest where you smell moss and Pines. The after is best. The sky is no longer colored with smog and dust but blue and fresh, almost as if someone rinsed it off and put in a new glade plug in lol.
Today, it hasn’t started to fall yet, but it is around. I am hoping that once I get off that the storms will be here, and I can run thru the rain when I get home. Or at least get to hear it while I sleep. Rain in the desert isn’t a guarantee, though. It is literally hit or miss. I’m crossing my fingers for a direct hit today! 😁
The Distracted Damsel 