Photo by Erik Larson

The weeks started out hot and humid. Temperatures in the mid nineties for most of the afternoon kept most people inside. The rush of school shoppers were down as the economy and heat took their toll on back-to-school shopping.

Cloud cover increase on Tuesday as a low-pressure system moved in to the Tennessee Valley bringing small areas of precipitation, some heavy showers were reported in the area.

Wednesday night brought an intense thunderstorm to my county. Winds gusted to 30 mph and sheets of rain pummeled the house. While the kids continually said they were scared and it was going to be a bad night, they could not stop looking out the windows.

The annual Perseid meteor shower was this week. Once again, the show was rained out for people of SE TN.

The remainder of the week was hot and humid. Temps in the upper 80’s with humidity following suit.

Rain in SE TN affects many aspects of life. The most significant for me is the change in driver's attitudes. Suddenly traffic slows 5-10 mph as they look for that piece of asphalt that will dissolve like sugar, swallowing their car. I do not understand this transformation, but it is consistent, whether rural, urban or interstate. Once someone has driven the same routes over a period of months or years they should know where standing water would form. They should know the width of the road would not change. If you passed the 18-wheeler on the bridge the last time it was raining, you can do it this time.