I have experienced typhoons in Japan, hurricanes in Texas and lightning in a snow storm in New Jersey, but nothing like the electrical storm we had this week in Bacalar, Mexico. This was a doozy.
The evening started with quiet flashes and increased breezes coming from the north. Only because we had just installed hurricane curtains on our screened-in porch, did we close up the house and head to bed. Might as well give these puppies a go. Lord were we in for a night!
An example of some of the storms that roll across the Laguna.
It wasn’t long before the storm hit. Blinding flashes exploded one after another followed immediately by ear splitting sonic booms which told me that the storm was stalled right over us. My father had taught me to count, one-thousand one, one-thousand two, between lightning and thunder claps to track the storm’s movement. It was right on us and I was glad for the concrete bunker that we live in and our newly installed protection.
Just in time.
I badly wanted to go up on the roof to watch the storm, but frankly I was scared. Mexico leads the world in death from lightning (National Lightning Safety Institute) and I wasn’t about to be stupid. The lack of grounding wire in many homes in Mexico is likely the culprit, not to mention the spaghetti bowl of dangling wire that can be seen all over most cities.
I checked on the dogs who seemed to be doing quite well considering, battened down the hatches some more and climbed into bed. I fell asleep counting one-thousand one, one-thousand two, as the storm slowly moved away.
NOT taken during the storm.
The next morning our yard looked like it had been through a spin cycle. Two banana trees came down with their top-heavy load of green bananas, lots of leaves, and a few big branches was all. We had gotten a much needed drenching and overall faired pretty well. It took a few days but all is back in order. Next time I will take pictures.
DOS TORTAS
the adventures of dos tortas 
Oh my – I’m so happy you are all ok. A good reminder to build our place with good protection like you have. Love to all three of you (and doggies…)
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I’ve never seen anything like it.
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You need a litttle observatory atop your house! Head up through an inside stairway to stormwatch.
I have always loved watching storms. As a child of maybe eight, I dragged my bed in front of the window, toes to the window, so I could lie in bed and watch those plentiful Midwest storms. Now in Arizona, I have broad windows east and west and still love stormwatching.
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I’m with you Em. Trouble is, no one has ever seen anything like this before. We’ve been here five years and have seen one lightening display away on the horizon.
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Wow!
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I spoke to friends who got to view the storm from a safer distance. It was quite the show.
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