Hailstorm

whiteout

It came out of nowhere. Today started hot and dry like yesterday and the day before. The air was sultry and hot. We had to wade through air just to move.

Around midday we noticed the sky darkening in the south. There was thunder and some lightening, but our rain normally comes from the north so we expected to miss out.

We wondered whether to close the windows on the vehicle. We were still superstitious about chasing the first rain away.

hailstones on the stoep

The dark sky drew ever closer., and soon it started to rain. Hurrah! first rain!!

we thought. Then "oh a hailstone" ; then more hailstones and soon a total whiteout as hailstones, some as big as baby golf balls, splattered down all around; crashing on the tin roof so we could not even shout above the din.

torrents of topsoil

The ground was baked hard by winter sun, so the rainwater ran off the top forming raging foaming torrents that raced past our windows carting icebergs of hailstones. 

after the storm

Then it began to slow down. The ground was white with hailstones interlaced with rivers of brown soil. The sun came out. The granite boulders steamed and diamante droplets hung on the bare trees. The air was cold and icy, and a double rainbow was emblazoned across the sky.