Weather Drama

8/11/2026

Hello blog friends,

We've had a few noisy nights/days, and I thought I'd share the experience with you. A local friend, Dana Gassaway, posted the image below on Facebook. It is from his My Lightning Tracker app. On August 10th, there were over 400 lightning strikes in our area! Amazing, don't you agree?

I don't recall a time when I've seen such a firework display. When I was a kid, we'd count, one - one thousand, two - one thousand, and I started doing that automatically but stopped soon after. The strikes were coming too quickly and were very near.

Anyway, Willow is the host for this week's Tanka Tuesday, and she invites us to consider the change in season. I'm not sure Arizona is ready to say goodbye to summer, but the fireworks display could be a transitional phenomenon. We'll see...

My poetic contribution is a simple one, and it reflects upon the once straw fields - now green from the rain. Because of the storm, there's a beautiful freshness to our high desert area that takes my breath away.

I hope you have a great week, dear friend. And if you're blessed with weather drama, please share. ❤️

32 Comments

Dana Gassaway

8/11/2026 16:06:26

A storm a couple of days before had over 1800 strikes

Gwen M. Plano

8/12/2026 08:01:54

Oh my goodness! I didn't know that, Dana. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. 😊

Priscilla Bettis link

8/12/2026 04:59:19

Wonderful poem, Gwen!

Our weather drama has been days upon days of hot, dry weather with no rain in sight. It was 100 yesterday, supposed to reach 102 today. But it's kinda expected in TX this time of year, and hot weather makes us ever more grateful for fall when October rolls around.

Gwen M. Plano

8/12/2026 08:05:04

Wow...that's hot, Priscilla. Take good care of yourself. And, like you, I'm looking forward to October. 😊

Tim Dittmer link

8/12/2026 05:46:48

Thunderstorms are noisy, Gwen, and lightning strikes can be dangerous. Your poetry is great.

Gwen M. Plano

8/12/2026 08:05:50

Thank you, Tim, for the kind words. Hope all is well with you and your family. 😊

Tim Dittmer link

8/12/2026 13:08:59

You're welcome, Gwen. 😍 All is well with my family. I hope all is well with you and your family. 💖🙏

Liz Gauffreau link

8/12/2026 08:05:43

Whoa! That's a LOT of lightning strikes! I hope there were no injuries and property damage.

Gwen M. Plano

8/12/2026 10:19:02

It's been lively, Liz, and there's more expected this afternoon. Thank you for the visit and cheers. 😊

Ange

8/12/2026 09:36:49

Such an incredible amount of strikes Gwen - keep safe and love your tanka 💜

Gwen M. Plano

8/12/2026 10:19:51

Yep, it's been amazing to watch. Thank you, Ange, for the kind support. 😊

Annette Aben link

8/12/2026 09:42:09

gee whiz, our grass fields would be throwing a party to receive more rain

Gwen M. Plano

8/12/2026 10:21:33

Your comment made me smile, Annette. Along those lines, we haven't needed to water our trees or outside plants for a while now -- because of the rain. BTW, as I write, it's thundering again. 😊

Joy Neal Kidney link

8/12/2026 14:39:40

Weather drama is right! Your tanka captures so much.

Gwen M. Plano

8/16/2026 14:43:00

Thank you, Joy. It's been a busy weather experience. All is well though. 😊

willow link

8/12/2026 15:35:12

Hi Gwen what a beautiful poem , I love your words about verdant fields after the rain. Here in the south of England we have not seen rain for months! ... Thank you for your lovely verse.
Oh! the lightening strike data is amazing 💜💜💜

Gwen M. Plano

8/16/2026 14:45:33

Thank you, dear Willow. I was stunned by the numbers of strikes, but I never thought to count them, but I'm glad the weather folks did. ❤️

Thomas Wikman link

8/12/2026 20:54:59

Wow 400 lightning strikes your area. I agree that is amazing. Our dog Rollo would not have been to be where you are. Here in north Dallas we've had kind of the opposite extreme, sunny and 100+ degrees every single day. I looked at the weather channel and it said 102 every single day for a very long time. This is dangerous for dogs and animals outside and our tomatoes stopped fruiting because of the constant heat.

Gwen M. Plano

8/16/2026 14:47:23

Oh gosh, that's miserably hot, Thomas. I hope you get a break in the weather soon.

Jan Sikes

8/14/2026 10:09:14

Wow! That's an impressive lightning display, Gwen. I hope some rain followed all that. I love the simplicity of the poem. Lovely!

Gwen M. Plano

8/16/2026 14:49:53

Thank you, Jan. We've had incredible rain -- and some flooding (not around us). In the prior summers, I had to water our plants every few days. This summer is so different. 😊

Dan Antion link

8/14/2026 10:20:36

That's a remarkable amount of lightning, Gwen. I like your poem. I think I'm ready for the season to head toward autumn.

Gwen M. Plano

8/16/2026 14:52:30

Thank you, Dan. Like you, I'm ready for autumn. It's my favorite season. When I lived in CT, the downside of Autumn was raking/bagging all the leaves. I don't that that concern where we currently live. 😊

Yvette M Calleiro link

8/15/2026 11:00:21

Wonderful poem, Gwen! I love a good lightning/thunder storm.

Yvette M Calleiro :-)
yvettemcalleiro.blogspot.com

Gwen M. Plano

8/16/2026 14:53:35

Thanks, Yvette. A lightning storm is exciting for sure. 😊

Colleen link

8/16/2026 13:12:19

Wow. That's a lot of lightning! I know when we lived in Northern AZ, we had several fires start from lightning. I'm glad you're all safe and sound. 💖

Gwen M. Plano

8/16/2026 14:57:55

Safe and sound -- so far. We've had several days of lightning and pouring rain, so the ground and vegetation is wet. I think that is helping the fire worries. I hope you and hubby are getting settled in your new home. ❤️

Paul Cannon link

8/17/2026 08:25:55

Wow that is such an intense strike pattern and time frame! Love the poem as descriptor.

Cressida link

8/17/2026 15:55:39

Take care. Autumn is not far off Hopefully it will berig you respite from your terrible summer weather. Verdant tango is a nice touch.....Rall

Freya Pickard link

8/18/2026 00:07:29

Love "verdant tango"! That's a LOT of lightning strikes! We have had 2 nights of rain now here in north Devon and it certainly cools the air and makes it unnecessary to water the garden!

Jules link

8/21/2026 14:41:32

Oh, you reminded me of the time I lived in Indiana - during a drought - when it was finally over there was so much relief!

I'm sure your greenery is beautiful. 🥰

Smitha link

8/26/2026 00:56:42

Wow, so many lightning strikes. It sounds dangerous. But I can imagine the entire sky being lit up. Beautiful poem, Gwen.

Weather Drama

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