Into the eye of a storm

Watching a tornado brew is a surreal experience

Storm systems are created by cycles of high and low atmospheric pressure. Our lives are no exception to these. Storm systems bring heavy rainfall and, along with that, a series of woes. However, it teaches each one of us innovative ways of drying our laundry!

A quarter of a century ago, my flight took off from Atlanta to my home in Houston, Texas. The southern part of America receives heavy thunderstorms, or hurricanes with interesting names, with such frequency that they are now second skin to its people. When the flight took off, we were told that we would likely run into rough weather given the prevailing conditions en route via Tennessee. There was a storm system, we were warned.

After a few minutes of pleasant flight, the captain’s voice reverberated on the public address system: "You will experience some turbulence." Lo and behold, we were subjected to some tossing, which resulted in a few water spillages and a few items falling off the tray. Believe me, we were yet to witness the best or the worst, as beauty always lies in the eyes of the beholder.

This time the captain announced, "Please open the window shades to watch brilliant fireworks in the sky." My neighbour in the window seat refused at first to open the shades but then succumbed to the euphoria inside the aircraft. The sight outside was spectacular.

It was a tornado brewing in an area of almost a quarter-mile radius. It was dark and dense, and the best part was that we viewed it along its periphery. We attributed this to the skilled pilot, who literally gave us a bird's-eye view. We couldn't hear the sounds of thunder inside the aircraft, but what we saw belied reality. A surreal experience, if you will.

Lightning currents flowed in every direction imaginable. There was not just one, but multiple. They lit the dark skies, and, by the way, the captain had requested that we switch off all cabin lights. With the brilliant light from the lightning strikes in the dark sky within the tornado, our faces were lit up. We could see faces that showed bewilderment, some that frowned, some clasping their eyes shut, some with jaws dropped to the floor—in essence, each one struck by a lightning strike!

I cannot ever forget this in my life, even to this day. Without a doubt, we all thanked our stars as the aircraft made a safe landing much later at Houston Airport. The spectacular fireworks were good as long as they lasted, but they sent everyone into jittery shivers as we disembarked the flight and chatted.

But we came away with stormy tales for a lifetime!