Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-07-09
THUNDER-SHOW ER.S.
ny J. W. PHELPS.


The thunder shower of Southeastern
Vermont generally comes from the south
west. To understand why It should take
this course instead of any other, we must
examine the Typographical character Of the
country.
The chain Of Green Mountains extends
throughout the State from south to north,
inclining some degrees 10 the cast Of north.
1t presents barrier to the prevailing gen.
ersl current of southwest wind, and in
summer condenses the vapor which that
wind bears, thus forming piles of cumulus
cloud over the higher SUBMITS or most
wooded districts. The deeper ravines, or
river-beds, on the eastern slopes of the
mountains, run to the southeast and open
out on the wider valley of the Connecticut
River.
In order to convey more definite idea
Of our theory, we will choose a certain To-
cality which may serve the purpose Of a
diagram to our demonstration; and this
locality shall be the region Of West River.
This river takes lis rise among the forests
near the summit Of the Green Mountains,
at a height of some 1000 feet above the
level of the sea, and, flowing southeasterly
forty or fifty miles, empties into the Con-
necticut River about Ten miles from the
southern boundary OF the State.
During hot summer day the sides Of
the deep valley of this river reek with in
tense heat, and cause a flow OF moist air
upward toward the SUBMITS of the noun
tain ridge, from the valley of The Connect
lieut., and also from the sea. This moist
air, meeting with the general current from
the southwest, piles up an immense mass
of cumulus cloud, of many square miles in
extent. So long as the intense heat pre-.
walls, this cloud increases in size, grows
black and blacker with its dense vapor,
and casts a gloomy, lurid glare over the
face of Nature, darker than that. OF any
eclipse. The vapor, pushed up by the
ascending currents of heated air, attains 10
great height above the sea, where the
temperature is very low. But finally, at
that hour Of the afternoon when the heat
begins to decline, the accumulated vapors,
no longer augmented or sustained by heat
ed air from the valleys below, fall in rain.
The effect OF large cold drops of water, or
perhaps of ice, making altogether millions
of tons in weight, falling from a great
height into q deep, narrow valley, is, not
only to beat down the air into that valley,
but 10 chill the air there and the cold air,
seeking the lowest level, tends to rush
down the valley, at first near the surface of
the earth, but growing deeper and deeper,
until the cloud itself is borne away on the
swift rushing air-freshet of its own max
ing.
The land beginning 10 cool with the de-
Ginning sun and the cooling rain, causes
the southerly breeze to slacken and die
away, and the storm cloud rushes on I'M
obstructedly down the West River and the
Con necticut, deluging and fertilzing tho
fields along its course, while its quick
light ming and oft-repeated claps of thunder
fash and resound among the reverberating
hills.
The cloud passes on, and often the sink
ing sun ONES out from behind 1t; the late
hushed and frightened birds gush forth
with new song myriad drops hang gilt
tering on the spray; the green is flushed
with brighter, fresher hue, and the glow
ing rainbow smiles serenely from the dark,
retiring, and still grumbling storm.
This storm is followed the next day by
delightfully."- clear weather, with a cool, ex-
hilarating breeze from the northwest
though this is not always the case, the
cloud sometimes overspreading the sky,
losing its motion, and leaving the air damp
and murky.
fhnnHnF-GhnWnr NHn hau Ia
described it, though limited to a small dis
trict of country, may be regarded as the
type Of all similar showers that occur in
mountainous regions everywhere. Nu-
merous notifications, however, of local
origin will occur, due to various causes,
and it would be a highly interesting and
valuable study to ascertain these causes for
every particular case. "'t .i.
Yet as to whether the moving force of
the thunder-gust is limited wholly to the
causes here given, may well admit of a
question. 1t is not improbable that a
cloud, from its great height, may penetrate
high upper current from the northwest,
and that both this upper and the lower cur
rent may con tribute to its rapid motion of
translation. 1t is we'll that these thunder
showers are movable, instead of being
stationary, as they often are at sea, for
otherwise summer rains would not be
evenly distributed over the face of The
country, and the land in some places
would be subject 10 exceeding moisture,
while in other places 1t would suffer from
the drought.
A few days after the above was written, a
violent thunder-gust closed warm after
noon. 1t was on the LIST of August, 1873.
The day had been hot and peculiarly OPP
pressive, as Is usually the case before q
violent storm. Between four and six
o'clock, p. NJ, a thunder shower came
down the valley Of West River, and cor
responded in its general features with the
description given above, but it exhibited
in addition other features which were en-
tlrely peculiar. The lightning struck in
five notably different places in the village
Of Brattleboro, which partly borders the
valley Of West River near where it disem-
bogues into the Connecticut River, and
these places, instead of being elevated
points, were, in all cases except one,
among some of the lower ones. And they
were nearly all in the same straight line,
about half or three-fourths of mile In
length, and at a short distance from the
Connecticut.
The strokes that fell upon these points
followed each other in pretty rapid suecei-
nd