Clouds

Squalls

I scrounged a lift to Redcar, as I walked to the town centre the weather changed from bright sunshine to driving rain and hailstones.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI sheltered beneath a shop’s awning, an old fella sheltering next to me told me that he had burned his forearms sunbathing in Marske this morning.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe rain subsided and the sun broke through, I walked home along the beach watching  offshore squalls blowing across the Tees bay.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI left the beach and walked along the footpath to Windy Hill Lane, the heavens opened. I arrived home soaked to the skin, elated.

Squalls – From the Middle English squalen (not recorded) and squalen (“to cry, scream, squall”), from Old Norse skvala (“to cry out”), probably ultimately imitative with influence from squeal and bawl.

Cognate with Swedish skvala (“to gush, pour down”), Norwegian skval (“sudden rush of water”). The noun is probably from the verb.  Source