California Storm Becomes Rubber Slicker Soaker in Northeast

[joe]

The storms that buffeted California in mid-January and were the cause of several mudslides, crossed the country and entered the northeastern United States on Monday January 25, 2010 with temperatures rising into the mid-fifties with high winds from the southeast. Much of the snow and ice in the region melted rapidly, but best of all, of course, were buffeting and whipping heavy rains that were gifted to us from the West Coast. Both the milder temperatures and the forecasted driving rains brought a great variety of raincoats and raingear out of closets. I went to work dressed in a black single-breasted belted raincoat, some really good serviceable waterproof fleece-lined leather boots from LL Bean and my black rain hat. Given my activities, I was well-dressed for the weather.

As the day drew to a close, the temperatures continued rising and the winds were working up to tropical storm force along with the beginning of a driving rain. As night fell, it was time to go home and I was able to anticipate changing my outerwear: retaining my trusty lambswool lined waterproof boots, but upon reaching home and the coming of darkness putting on my black rubber Weather-Rite raincoat with the brass clasp closures and a yellow rubber adult-size helmet hood.

I had the rare opportunity in the midst of a cold New England winter to dress like a schoolboy for an extreme slicker soaking storm and to pretend I was out in the weather taking a long walk home with the rain coming at my helmet hood and fastened raincoat in the manner of what has been called in this region "a line storm."

I was outside for an hour and a half in a storm that produced 1.60 inches of rain and winds that I estimated were gusting up to 40-45 miles per hour during the time that I was out. The rain was falling at around an inch per hour. Becauses the winds were so high, I kept my back to the wind as much as I could and the rain literally whipped relentlessly at the back of my slicker. The exterior of my rubber coat took on the glossy appearance of completely wet rubber and the relentless waves of rain tried to impale the cape-like folds of the helmet hood. I thought of what a group of students walking from school might have looked like in this typical school rainwear for such a storm in the 1950's, 60's and into the mid - 1970's. I thought of how these students might have been bracing their backs and legs against furious winds and buffeting driving rain feeling their good dress trousers get wet where the rain could find its way in despite the generous length of the slickers and weatherproof boots. I was glad even though some parts of me were getting wet in precisely this way that I had made one concession to modernity - comfortably insulated Gore-Tex gloves that were keeping my hands warm and dry.

The total storm which endured for four or five hours brought 2.40 inches of rain. A splendid gift: this wind and wet weather from California and a truly wonderful opportunity, yet again, to recreate what it was like to walk home in a severe winter rainstorm, dressed in the best of the vintage school rainwear available, that mothers and any parent would have outfitted their sons (and probably even some of their daughters in) in an effort to keep them dry in a slicker-soaking deluge of 35 to 60 years ago. What a treasure to experience it all again for real!

[lovesbr]

Joe: I had a very similar experience here in Northern California. The storm that Joe refers to came ashore here from the Pacific ocean and dropped in some regions over 4 inches of rain. The first morning the storm began as a light rain and during the day it intensified with the wind picking up and the rain starting to come down in sheets and some times horizontally. I decided I wanted to go out and experience the downpour, so I put on my Uniroyal knee boots and my black Uniroyal Raynster and my Black Diamond sou'wester and stepped out into the maelstrom. What a felling of exhilaration with the wind driving the heavy rain against my raincoat and trying to blow my sou'wester of my head. I walked for about ten blocks from my house and with the wind blowing the rain almost horizontally, i had to walk part of the way back home backing up to keep the rain from coming in the front closure of my raincoat. By the next day the rain had subsided into a teeming rain that lasted most of the day. By the third day it was just showers off and on. That episode brought back many memories of being in my rubber rain gear in storms past, such as the 1966 Hurricane on Long Island NY, with me in my heavy yellow Uniroyal two piece rain suit out clearing drains so as not to flood the house. More later

Lovesbr

[David]

would love to hear more about those episodes. nothing i love better then being out in my favorite gear in a massive storm be it hurricane or otherwise ( the one reason i wish I still lived in Florida odd as it may seem but i do miss there * out of nowhere storms * )

[latexstorm]

I like being able to get outside in my raingear just before a storm breaks. The more sudden, and the more intense the storm, the better.

At least a couple of times a year, I'll have enough advance warning to pull on a pair of rubber waders and a rainsuit, along with a rubber mack, sou'wester, and gloves, and head out before a drop of rain has fallen. At first, the sun might even be out. But a few minutes later, the dark clouds will roll in, the wind will pick up, and I can listen to those first few huge, cold raindrops splatter against the rubber.

The rain will be coming down in sheets soon. Sometimes it will even hail. People who weren't expecting the storm -- or who weren't prepared -- will run soaked to their cars or to the nearest building. I probably got a few strange looks wearing all of that rubber raingear when the sun was still shining, but now I'm completely protected, watching the rain pound against the rubber and run in streams onto the tops of my boots.

Very satisfying. I have no idea why, but very satisfying!