Thunder and Lightning

It’s best to run early this time of year.

Increasingly hot temperatures throughout the day warm air near the surface of the Earth causing it to rise. When this air ascends into the atmosphere it cools and moisture gets wrung out, usually precipitating in a dramatic late-day thunderstorm. Today’s storm threatened just as my run began and broke open about halfway through. Gusty winds heralded the inevitable thrashing and what had started as a dry, breezy run turned into a fierce lashing punctuated by the bright flash of lightning and the heavy boom of thunder. My route along the Cherry Creek Path/Bikeway kept me partly sheltered from the brunt of the winds and the risk of a lightning strike. This walled corridor, sunken below street level, becomes an impromptu shelter for Denver’s less fortunate during events like this and I exchanged some smiles and inquisitive expressions with those I passed huddled beneath the overpasses. The Denver storm drainage system was pressed into action during the heavy rain and the many spouts along the walls of the Cherry Creek Path, ordinarily dry, were casting water out enthusiastically. I wondered if the Hanging Gardens of Babylon had similar features-hopefully with slightly less filth. The runoff poured into Cherry Creek and continued on its way to join the South Platte River, the primary watercourse of the city. As these storms tend to do, it lasted only about twenty minutes. By the time I got home, blue skies were again coming returning to Denver. The only sign of the downpour that remained was a telltale squish in my shoes.