Wind In The Sand

by Selçuk PERIN

Winter north of the artic cycle is dark. With very short daytime, the see saw between warm and cold built more wind and more, and more. It was growing to become a winter storm. One that will pack its winds and cold air and move clock wise on the top of the world, gathering more cold air and humidity and move southwards.


In its passage it will move across parallels and gather more humidity, dump some snow, pack more wind and make the pressure lower wherever it passed over. It had become a mighty winter storm moving down from Siberia to Canada and it was packing more and more might now to plunge across the wind tunnel of northern Canada. Parts of it will move towards the northern plains, dump a lot of snow and reach the Gulf of Mexico.

As it branched over continental North America it picked up humidity and dumped more snow as it moved the mountains of Pennsylvania dumping a lot of snow it is wake. It reached the North Atlantic with howling winds reaching 80 miles an hour and dumping rain.

Here daylight is longer. So it picked up a lot of humidity and grew to a real winter storm. It was now moving a lot of clouds from west to east, constantly moving on to the lower parallels.

The swells grew with its passage. They were reaching 10 - 12 meters. It was now a typical January Winter storm. There were breaks in the cloud cover to allow the timid rays of winter sun to pierce down its passage, Greenland, Iceland, and south to Ireland and the tip of English isles.

Arriving to the British Isles, the Gulf Stream started to warm it. You may say as much as you want once you cross the Gulf Stream, you're bound to warm up. Yet behind it massive front it was packed with a lot of wind and humidity. The rising warm air could only add to its might and humidity.

South it turned to the Dutch coast. But it's front was so large that it covered from Norway to Brittany. Reaching the Belgian cost it was preceded by cold but clear skies. It's wind reached the coastline first to surprise the Sunday folk taking a stroll on the wind swept beaches.


The first ripples of dry sand first moved slowly and picked up momentum to move faster and faster on the beaches. The areas where the low tide had uncovered were too wet to join this ritual dance of whirlwinds on the beaches. Yet it was early hours of the tide. They would join shortly. As soon as the water content of the sand particles had drained off and allowed them to move with the wind.

But dry sand was already moving west to North East. Dancing, moving to the whim of the wind, creating small tornadoes which lifted more and more particles that danced to the tune of the North Westerly wind. A low-pressure area moves counter clockwise. Did you forget that? The first clouds of the oncoming winter storm are visible over the channel. They are racing each other to hit the coast.

Wind is picking up. Temperature is dropping. Walkers are disappearing one by one into the coffee houses that are open this winter Sunday. Well if you did not know, the Belgian coast can be beautiful on a sunny, cold winter Sunday. It will bring several walkers to the beaches. The kids in their yellow windbreakers, their heads covered with colored muts and hats. Dogs, unleashed by their owners running up and down the sand, horseman and woman riding their mounts to their whim. And others that are there only to enjoy the clean air.

Here I look down. What do I see? The wind has carved some angel towers in the sand. They are so delicate, so fragile yet so robust. How could that be? In the valleys the wind is moving those dry sand particles at such a speed that it is almost like watching a fast forward movie. Yet it is so gracious so beautiful.

 
That's the story of the wind in the sand. 

Soon the clouds will reach the coast and the sea will pack its force to batter the beaches. There will be no time to stand and watch those angle towers anymore.

The weather will move inland and southwards. It will dump rain, snow and sleet in its passage to where ever it can. Before it rejoins the vast open land of central Russian steps. One branch will reach the Mediterranean and move on. The main body will return to its starting blocks to dump whatever it has harvested in its world tour. To start again, and again, and again.