Afternoon thunder-showers

June 17.

Quite a fog this morning.

About 1 P.M., notice thunder-clouds in west and hear the muttering. As yesterday, it splits at sight of Concord and goes south and north. Nevertheless about 3 P. M. begins a steady gentle rain here for several hours, and in the night again, the thunder, as yesterday, mostly forerunning or superficial to the shower.

This the third day of thunder-showers in afternoon, though the 14th it did not rain here.

Carex flava out, possibly a week.


H. D. Thoreau, Journal, June 17, 1860

The thunder, as yesterday, mostly forerunning or superficial to the shower. See June 17, 1852 ("A small thunder-shower comes up . . . We see the increasing outline of the slate-colored falling rain from the black cloud. It passes mainly to the south. We feel only the wind of it at first, but after it appears to back up and we get some rain.”)  See also  June 15, 1860 (“A thunder-shower in the north goes down the Merrimack.”); June 16, 1860 ("Thunder-showers show themselves about 2 P.M. in the west, but split at sight of Concord and go east on each side.”);  June 16, 1854 ("Three days in succession, — the 13th, 14th, and 15th, — thunder-clouds, with thunder and lightning, have risen high in the east, threatening instant rain, and yet each time it has failed to reach us.”);