Thursday July 7th 2022

Last night the weather forecast for today called for thunderstorms in the afternoon. This morning the forecast had changed. There was only a ten percent chance of rain all day with a mostly sunny sky. They shouldn’t have changed the forecast. About 4PM the sun disappeared, the sky darkened and it began to rain. As the precipitation got heavier cloud to ground lightening flashes surrounded the area. The time between many of the flashes and the sounds of thunder were next to instantaneous. The lightening was very close and the ground often shook. The storm was also very slow moving. It lingered overhead for close to two hours. This was a typical Florida summer afternoon thunderstorm that we haven’t been getting in this area much lately. I think the weather pattern has changed.

Earlier in the day I was out on a mission to visit the St. Johns river for some sight seeing followed by a stop for groceries. Traffic had another idea. I got on Interstate 95 heading south and almost immediately slowed to a crawl. It took almost twenty minutes to get to the next exit two miles away. The traffic on the local roads was also heavily backed up. My plans changed to just grocery shopping since the Walmart was easily accessible. With groceries in the car it is more or less imperative to head straight home in this heat. Checking the south bound lanes of the interstate as I headed north showed that the backup hadn’t improved. My trip to the river was off until another day.

I got in one walk around the park late in the day. It was necessary to dodge a few puddles and a goose or two, but I stayed dry and got in a little exercise. The temperature drop after the storms made the walk more comfortable.