Tuesday, June 22, 1999
Wet weather good vibration for Big Country
By ANTHONY WILSON
Staff Writer
Skies weren’t blue Monday, and neither was Tim McCloskey.
Standing on a rain-slickened street in downtown Abilene, the
florist and caterer’s mood was sunny even if the weather
wasn’t.
“It’s wonderful,” McCloskey said as a few stray
droplets fell. “I just love rain. It’s not depressing
at all. Most everybody I know it puts in a good mood — because
we need it.”
Although it’s no secret that gray, wet weather dampens
spirits, rain showers seemingly spark an opposite effect in dusty,
parched West Texas, where water is as revered as crude, cattle
and cotton.
Dr. Marc Orner, a local psychotherapist, said the good vibrations
from a rain-making thunderstorm date back to when area farmers
first plowed into the earth hoping to cultivate a livelihood.
Today, city-dwelling homeowners may just be happy they don’t
have to water their lawns.
Either way, Orner said we maintain a “nature-nurture”
relationship with the weather.
“It helps things grow,” he explained. “We really
tie into nature that way. We’re earth people. When it rains,
everybody smiles. One of my favorite things is to walk in the
rain. It feels so clean. It’s hard not to be happy when it’s
raining.”
According to the National Weather Service, there’s a 40-percent
chance the good moods will continue today. That matches the chance
of rain and thunderstorms through this afternoon, when temperatures
will peak in the mid-80s.
A 20-percent chance of rain remains in the forecast through
Wednesday.
On Sunday, 1.47 inches of rain fell at Abilene Regional Airport.
A thick quilt of cloud coverage cooled temperatures Monday,
officially the first day of summer. It also delivered a morning
sprinkle that added another 0.04 inches of rain, bringing the
month’s total to 4.51 inches — 2.52 inches more than
average.
At 12.62 inches, the year’s rainfall total is 2.21 inches
higher than average.
Still, the rainfall has yielded little runoff into Lake Fort
Phantom Hill, Abilene’s shrunken water supply. Sunday’s
rains failed to lift lake levels, which remain 13.4 feet below
the spillway.
“I’m certainly not going to whine,” said Linda
Simpson, a water department official. “This has put us in
better shape for the summer. But my hope for the big rains have
moved to the fall.”
The showers have managed to cut consumption and postpone water
rationing a little longer. Sunday’s usage of 20.252 million
gallons was more than 5 million gallons less than four days before.
“Anybody who turns on a sprinkler is silly,” Simpson
said. “The rains have been perfect for watering yards.’’
Orner said his profession recognizes Seasonal Affective Disorder
— or SAD, appropriately enough — as a legitimate illness.
The weather, he explained, reinforces a person’s perception.
Naturally sunny people are energized by clear skies and sunshine,
which have a warming effect on their psyches. Conversely, dark,
foreboding skies can serve as a barometer for gloomy people.
However, rains can also bring a soothing calm, Orner added,
noting the popularity of relaxing recordings of rainfall.
“We’d feel a heck of a lot different if we lived
in Seattle,” Orner said. “It gets to be oppressive.”
Mandy McMahan, a student who attends a Scottish university,
said wet weather mellows her.
“It doesn’t depress me, though there is less reason
to smile,” she said. “I get more work done because there’s
no reason to go outside. But I don’t mind the rain.”
Anthony Wilson can be reached at 676-6734 or wilsona@abinews.com.
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| Heavy rains left this car
flooded in a parking lot June 20 at the South Plains Mall in
Lubbock. According to local weather observers, Lubbock and its
surrounding counties have received an unusual amount of rain
this year. Photo by Associated Press |
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Copyright ©1999,
Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps Publications
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