I must be bonkers

It’s 1:45 am, and I’m standing on our balcony in my sleepwear thrilling to the torrential rain, thunder and lightning. Yet I feel quite sane!

Batten down the hatches.

Cyclone Pam is heading our way. When it passed over Vanuatu it was a category 5 cyclone with winds up to 340 Km/hr (211 mph) destroying almost everything in its path.

Fortunately there’s a lot of cool ocean between Vanuatu and NZ so it should reduce in significantly in intensity. Never the less, the MetService is warning of gale force winds and that the sea may rise by as much as 3.5 m (11.5 ft) and 5 m (16.5 ft) tomorrow.

Similar storms in the past have caused land slips and heavy flooding due to the very heavy rain of a large area, swelling rivers and streams which are unable to drain quickly due to the high seas.

While grateful that the storm is likely to track down the east coast avoiding damage in my locality, I will really miss not being able to enjoy the adrenaline rush I always get during such events. I’ve never taken mind altering drugs, but I doubt they could ever produce anything so exhilarating as a really good storm. If I’m destined to end my life violently, let it be due to a cyclone.

As much as I would have liked to include a weather animation here, WordPress won’t allow me to do so. The best I can do is this link: The weather tracked in real time