A squall in the dark

I saw this story on The Star’s online portal last night, about a violent squall that had hit Penang early yesterday morning, bringing sudden bursts of strong wind with heavy rain. A squall’s brief but intense. According to the paper, weather apps with satellite imagery had tracked the storm as it blew in from the Straits of Malacca, hitting Balik Pulau on the island’s western side around 4am before spreading across the island and then onto the mainland. Winds topped 50km/h.

What made me take notice was that I’d had trouble sleeping yesterday morning, even though I was very tired after returning from Kuala Lumpur. I woke around 2.45am, tossed and turned, and then had to deal with a pesky mosquito that somehow found its way into the bedroom.

Then at 4.25am, I heard the wind pick up. No lightning, just faint thunder and a slow build-up of wind that suddenly turned strong. I usually leave the window slightly ajar for fresh air, but all at once the wind forced its way through the gap and flung it wide open. I rushed to shut it, but the wind pushed back. Had to shut it again and this time made sure it was properly fastened.

And then came the rain. It started off gently but turned into a proper downpour in seconds. I was just settling in again when, at 4.40am, my phone—which was charging—suddenly lit up and then went dead. The whole room plunged into darkness. I couldn’t even make out the shapes of the furniture. Complete power failure.

I crept to the window and, yes, the entire street was blacked out except for one house farther away, which I knew had a backup power supply. Oh shit, I muttered, when’s the power coming back? But I didn’t have to wait long. Right at 5am, everything came back on.

So I crawled back into bed again and this time, finally managed to get some sleep until I woke at seven to the sound of dying raindrops.