Storms

A strange almost tropical day. 23C and complete cloud cover as I drove back to Florence.

It had rained a lot in night and thunder and lightning kept me awake. There were over three inches of rain in the mop bucket in the morning.

The Scirocco blew briskly and there was a fair bit of debris on the roads higher up but nothing untoward. Indeed the Arno valley towns looked as normal and the river although coloured up looked remarkably placid.

As the day wore on the sky turned a malevolent boiling grey almost silvery green. The distant thunder of a sudden transformed into what felt like a hurricane of flying spray and howling winds. The lighting was like a strobe light and the sound was continuous artillery fire.

I stood by the large glass door videoing the appalling ferocity of it, rain hammering. So engrossed was I that I don’t see the water pooling and flowing round my stockinged feet.

It soon passed and I watched the storm on WeatherBug climb over the Apennines, cross Bologna and head out into the Adriatic.

Later I heard what was probably the same super cell had smashed down trees and put the electric out of action in the Casentino.