Seasonfold Postcard No. 1 – Waiting for Rain
One dry evening in April on the edge of a storm.
Dear Reader,
This post is going to be a little bit different than my usual format. My intention is to keep it short and more in the moment. The following entry will describe a single weather event from the evening of April 24, 2026. This will be the first article in the “Seasonfold Postcard” series.
For some context, we’re having a bit of a drought. Looking at 30 year averages for the month, Cincinnati was down 67% as of April 23, 2026. Needless to say, its been a fairly dry and unusual month in regards to precipitation. On this particular day, I had been expecting rain for about 2.5 hours before it actually arrived.
On a Friday Evening in April
8:36 pm EST
The leading edge of an approaching storm has just reached our street. Bringing with it a sudden blast of wind that caused the trees to thrash about wildly. Dark heavy clouds block out the light of the setting sun. In the distance, a wall of rain covers the western horizon, smudging the air a deep grey-blue.
I’ve been expecting rain since around 6 pm and it seems like it’s finally here. One of those storms where the clouds look eerily backlit with a pale blue light. I want the rain. I want the air to feel cool. Here’s hoping this one doesn’t let me down.
A tiny raindrop streaks across the window, then another. Minutes pass and nothing more. The glass has been blown dry in the wind.
8:56 pm EST
Another peek at the weather radar says the rain is about to hit. It almost feels like I’m holding my breath. It looks like the downpour has reached the rim of the river valley basin, but it’s difficult to discern in the low light. To be fair, it’s only visible at all because of the ambient light from the city (perhaps I should say light pollution?).
I can hear the wind rushing though the trees. The windows are splattered with drops again. Pitter-patter… then a pause. Repeat. Give me rain!
I’ve left the east facing windows open because the sills remain dry. I decide to lay upside down on the bed with my head towards the window. Listening, waiting, watching the canopy sway violently.
9:07 pm EST
The sudden sound of rain on leaves catches my ear. Fat droplets pelting down, rapidly ramping up in tempo. At last, the rain is here!
Alongside the deluge, an unexpected idea strikes. A tiny part of me wants to go stand outside… to feel the rain on my skin. To let it cool my hot feet. You know, one of those spontaneous romanticized ideas that never quite works out like you’d imagined it would. On second thought, I shall stay here on my comfy bed, enjoying the storm with my ears.
A few minutes later…
I fell asleep listening to the rain.
Closing Notes
According to various online sources, we only got about 0.3″ of precipitation that night. I was rather surprised, as I was expecting it to be more. With my new found interest in rainfall amounts, I am trying out a phone app called Precip.ai as a kind of digital rain gauge. There are others, and various weather websites of course, but I’ve decided to give this one a go. If I use it enough to develop an opinion about it, I will be sure to share. And in case you were wondering, the weather app I use is called Wunderground.
I hope you enjoyed this shorter segment, as I had fun writing it. And of course I would love to hear your feedback. As always, thank you for reading!
Have you ever fallen asleep listening to the rain?
The rain began again. It fell heavily, easily, with no meaning or intention but the fulfilment of its own nature, which was to fall and fall.
– Helen Garner
