The Simple Pleasures of a Rainstorm
One of my great joys in life is the anticipation of an approaching storm. I love everything about it—the dramatic change in light and atmosphere, the violence of it, the excitement. It’s almost like watching a great movie, except it’s more impactful because it’s real. During a summer storm, it can go from terribly hot, humid, and still to windy and much cooler in just a few moments. It’s a feast for the senses, as you may notice it’s coming in various ways. Of course, storms can be damaging, but they can also be renewing—wiping clean the conditions and the mood of the day.
A quickening
I like to think of a storm in terms of bringing life, and a great word for this is “quickening.” Quickening has many meanings, including the action of bringing someone or something to life and stimulation or excitement. A great example of a quickening is the rainy season in areas with distinct dry and wet seasons. When the first storms of the rainy season come in the Serengeti region of Africa, the land is dry, and life is struggling for survival. The storms bring new life to dormant or struggling plant and animal life.
Storms can also bring excitement by completely changing the mood of people experiencing them. I’ve had barbecues when a thunderstorm has come up, and rather than bemoaning the weather, it excites everyone as we look outside at the unfolding tempest. I run out in the rain and risk the lightning to flip the food on the grill. It is super fun for me—a mini adventure and a quickening in every sense of the word
Watching the drama
When a storm is coming, I always try to watch it from where I can really see and feel it. Even though the climate doesn’t technically have emotions, it really seems as if it does. The darkness of the coming clouds is angry and intimidating. The thunder is a growl of menace and foreboding. The rush of the rain and the water rushing down the low areas is violent and powerful. There is an emotional content to every bit of it. It also has something for all of your senses. The feel of the wind and humidity on your skin, the smell of the ozone, and the sight of the images vying for your attention all add up to a sensory feast.
The smell of the storm
One particular sense contained in the coming storm is fascinating to me—the smell of it. The smell of a storm is quite noticeable and vivid, but where does it come from? Depending on the particulars of the storm, the odor can come from various sources. One of the most common is geosmin, a by-product of dying bacteria composed of an alcohol molecule with a distinctive musty odor. When it rains, the geosmin is released into the air. The more it rains, the stronger it smells, but even a small amount is noticeable. If the storm contains lightning, the atmosphere is heated, breaking oxygen into ozone. Ozone has a sweet smell that travels down from the upper atmosphere during a thunderstorm.
Memories
Because of its strong emotional and sensory aspects, a rainstorm is very effective in bringing back memories. The information collected by your sense of smell travels directly to the amygdala and the hippocampus, the areas of your brain that are responsible for your emotions and your memory (1). When you add in the other dramatic aspects of a storm with its ability to bring back memories, it becomes an emotional powerhouse of an experience.
I love any abrupt and significant change in the weather, but for me, rainstorms are special. They provide me with drama, nostalgia, and excitement. Yes, they may put a crimp in certain plans, but what’s better than sitting, having a drink, and watching the storm anyway?
(1) Walsh, Colleen, 2020. “What the nose knows: Experts discuss the science of smell and how scent, emotion, and memory are intertwined — and exploited.” The Harvard Gazette, February 27, 2020. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2020/02/how-scent-emotion-and-memory-are-intertwined-and-exploited/ (Accessed 6/17/2024)
