Storms

I would like to emphasize a climatological fact. The area the War is held in is part of the Great Plains weather pattern. This means the area is subject to disturbances at the leading edge of a cold front (a 15 to 40 degree temperature drop). Friends of mine from the East (and West) Kingdom have variously referred to these as "monsoons", "typhoons" and "Storms of Great Ferocity and Note." Those of us who grew up in the Midwest call them thunder showers, except for some folks I know from Kansas who call it mild rain (no twister and it did not flatten the crops). These thunder storm cells are 15 minutes to three hours of high winds (sometimes 50 plus miles per hour), heavy rain, and spectacular lightning. A storm may be followed by several hours of rain. The fronts seem to roll through every six to nine days in August. I advise all to expect at least one storm.

The people who grew up with the weather do not ignore the storms, these folks respect and plan for the weather. It is unpleasant, but need not be a disaster. Some things to remember:

• Do not panic. If you are truly terrified, tell someone so they can keep an eye on you, keep busy so you will not have time to panic until the camp is secured, and then find company and cuddle or sing or give back rubs or whatever it takes to get through the storm (this can make storms fun).

   

• Storms usually come from the west. Avoid setting up your tent with the door facing due west. A slight cant to the north or south will keep things drier and lessen the chance of having the tent blow down or tear.

   

• Make sure that your tent is set up with all of its pegs and tie downs (dome tents may need extra guy lines; once they start rolling, they are hard to catch). If you do this in the first place, you will spend less time in the rain doing it after the storm hits.

   

• If you are camped on an incline (probable), then you might consider a small drainage ditch on the uphill side of the tent. This channels water around rather than through your tent.

   

• Do not use heroic measures to save a dining fly or awning. Some things were not meant to stand high winds. A flapping piece of plastic with a pole attached to it can do a lot of damage, both to people and to property. If the wind gets high and the fly starts to take off, drop it down over what you want covered and weight the edges.