20% Chance of Rain

Yesterday was a beautiful HOT AND HUMID sunny day, bright blue skies, perfect for the pool or beach.  The weather forecast predicted a 20% chance of rain...we haven't had any rain at all lately, so I figured chances were slim.  The plants will tell you how little rain we've had so far this rainy season.

Then the clouds built up out of what seemed like nowhere. It was lightning and thundering and it started to rain.  The way it does during a big clash of cloud systems, causing the rain to beat down sideways from all directions.  We closed the necessary doors, laid down the sand bags (towels) and watched.  The mountain guys were freaked out, asking, "Is this a normal rain storm here?" 

"Pretty much, during rainy season."  What can I say? When it rains here it pours.  Literally. It was indeed the most incredible lightning storm we've had this year.  After the doors and windows were secured, I lay in my hammock watching the sky.  It was fascinating.  A couple of the strikes were VERY close. We lost power briefly. Then we lost water.  How you can lose water in a rainstorm I am not sure, but it was back in an hour or so.  We had not overused our water supply yesterday; in fact, there was less usage than on a normal day.  People were just lying around listless in the blistering heat.

I ran around looking for flashlights and candles.  Damn, I forgot to get D batteries!  But I was ready for the big blackout.  It never happened. I eventually fell asleep to the sound of the rain after the wild electrical phase ended.  I know the pool overflowed, I saw that happen while there was still light, but I forgot about the street flooding.  Below is what I found when I woke up today.  I took these photos at about 10am.  The guys who deliver my water said they thought they were in a hurricane.  There is a lot of flooding around the city.

Looking from the kitchen door toward the front gate and street....the water is still standing and is loaded with black dirt.  Is this the dirt I painstakingly added to my Zen Garden...spending hours pulling weeds and rearranging all the plants one day last week?  Or is this floodwater dirt that seeped in underneath the front gate?  Since there is doubt, it must go.  Although you'd never know it, this area is tiled and is thoroughly cleaned once weekly!

Here is another angle of the state of the carport today.

Then I went out into the street.  The corner is still in nearly a foot of standing water.  It's getting washed away slowly by traffic, but I wouldn't count on the drain system, even after its recent "improvements".

And I walked down to see how the other corner looked....it is still flooded halfway up the block.

I am on slightly higher ground and all I have is flood debris. 

Today's forecast, PARTLY CLOUDY this afternoon with a 30% chance of rain tonight.  I am hustling to wash/dry the sand bags for a new outburst!  And trying to get some clothes washed and dried while there is still a breeze....before the clouds build up. Living in the tropics, it's all in the timing.