Most people hear a national weather alert and rush to close their windows, check their travel plans, or frown at drenched sneakers. But what if we paused for a moment, not to worry, but to wonder? Across cultures, torrential storms and peals of thunder have always carried more than just rain—they’ve shaken up imagination, storytelling, and even social rituals.

Did you know that in some parts of Taiwan, it was once believed that the first thunderstorm of the year could chase away evil spirits? Or that in ancient Rome, thunder was the voice of Jupiter himself, signaling both warning and favor? When cities like Kaohsiung are struck by ‘an hour of thunderous downpour,’ what ancient meanings might echo beneath the static of the next rain alert?

As climate change supercharges our weather, urban thunderstorms have become both more disruptive and more bizarre: purple lightning, hailstorms in summer, rivers running yellow with runoff. What new myths might emerge from this era of extreme weather alerts? Will the children of tomorrow spin tales of Rain Giants wrestling overheated skies?

Next time the clouds gather and your phone blares an emergency warning, take a moment to listen not only for the sound of raindrops, but for the stories—old and new—that swirl in their wake.