One of the latest first-of-the-season hurricanes on record worked itself into a named-storm frenzy while churning over the Gulf of Mexico in early October, coming ashore near Destin, Florida, last weekend with a Category 2 rating. After that, it sort of sauntered.
It managed to cause quite a bit of destruction and inconvenience, and sadly also a handful of deaths, in the Sunshine State and neighboring Alabama. But we’ve all seen much worse and can be grateful for what it didn’t become or do.
Still, it packed an enduring punch once it shattered into a disorganized mess, putting a damper on most of the eastern United States as its pieces and parts fanned out and brought plenty of rain.
It showed itself capable not only of settling in but also in drawing in enough enduring moisture that kept the rains a-coming, albeit often more drizzly than drenchy.
Bands nonetheless passed over with a more pronounced intent, and we were glad that this was not one of the occasions where the house showed itself as not impervious to precipitation.
This is a house with pooches, of course, and we still had to head outside to take care of pooch business. Fortunately, sometimes it was just sort of spitting or sprinkling in between all those windy drenching downpours.
I still got out and did an evening stroll...
...enough to get me across the finish line on my daily move and exercise goals as mandated by my Apple Watch.
By Sunday morning, we were still getting the effects here in Winston-Salem:
That was the day I got wind of why, which was a clash of weather systems that stalled out the movement:
And then (and it seemed at long last!), the clouds parted and blue sky returned and the warming rays of an October sun finally burst through:
