Calvinia has changed its path towards south-east yesterday, away from the island, after having been more or less stably positioned at the south-east and later southern coast of Mauritius. Around noon, the rain showers became less frequent, and in the evening they had stopped. Alas, around midnight, no rain, so everyone and their aunt fired their stupid fireworks, scaring my dogs, and probably each and every dog on the island. I kept them inside, and they tried to find the darkest, most hidden corners. Poor beasts.
What is really impressing, or annoying, depending on your point of view and mood, is the humidity piling up during a cyclone. I am not really sure what causes this, as it does not seem to happen with heavy rains, but sans the cyclonic winds. It might very simply be the combination of the rainfall and strong winds that are relentless, going on and on and on. You see clouds of water spray everywhere, especially blown up from roofs.
After a day of cyclone, everything is humid, indoors, outside, everywhere. The towel used after the shower in the morning is still completely wet in the evening, even at close to 30 degrees C air temperature. I don’t have a hygrometer, but I suspect the air is 100% saturated, or close thereto.
Now, today, the sky is clear and the sun’s beating down, additionally evaporating all that humidity accumulated in the earth, the buildings, the streets’ asphalt, and so on, and it feels friggin’ hot. It’s like living in a tropical rain forest.
- Image: Tamarin Bay, 1 Jan 2020