A thunderstorm is a very grand sight to watch;
though the loud thunder-claps and the vivid lightning flashes make some
people nervous, and even frightened.
When the thunderstorm hits the earth people go for shelter or confine
themselves in the rooms.
In Pakistan thunderstorms come at the beginning and
at the end of the monsoon. Before the monsoon breaks, the weather is very hot,
the ground is hard and dry, and the wind is like blast of a furnace. It is a
welcome sight, therefor, to see black clouds forming in the south-west and darkening
the sky; for we then know the monsoon is about to break in be waiting nervously
the bursting of the storm. The black clouds, hang like a low dark arch across
the sky, come nearer; and every now and then one can hear the rumbling of
distant thunder, and see the lightning flashing from the dark clouds. Then a
cool wind begins to blow -- the wind that is bringing the storm -- which smells
of rain. The roll of thunder becomes louder, and the flashes of lightning more
vivid.
At last the sky overhead is dark with clouds; the
wind rises to a gale and is yellows with dust. A blinding flash of lightning
followed at once by a tremendous crash of thunder -- and then the rain pours
down and drenches everything. For perhaps twenty minutes or half-an-hour the thunder
crashes and rolls, the lightning flashes, the heavy rainiest down and the wind
blows with fury And then it blackens, and the storm passes away. The blue sky
is seen, the sun comes out again, and the wind dies down to a gentle breeze.
Streams and rivers are full of flushing water; the earth is wet and soft; the
grass and trees are green and fresh; and the air is cool and clean.
As a rule, thunderstorms do a lot of good by
cleaning the air and bringing rain; but sometimes they do a lot of damage. The
lightning may kill people, damage buildings and strike trees, setting forests
on fire; and the heavy rain and wind often destroy standing crops.
Thunderstorms cause a lot problem for the poor.
Sometimes, their huts are blown away. The mud houses collapse and the people
are left homeless. In this way, instead of being a blessing, it becomes a great
trouble for the poor. If they are not fierce, the can welcomed but if
thunderstorms are heavy, no one can welcome.