"So," Elias said, gesturing at the sky. "It's always like this? Every day?"

Hank spat into the grass. "You’re in it now, son. May through October. The buildup starts in the morning. The sea breezes collide, the atmosphere gets angry, and boom—thunderstorms. It’s nature’s rinse cycle."

The afternoon thunderstorms, which Elias had finally begun to predict, vanished. In their place came a sluggish, gray beast. The sky didn't turn purple; it turned white. A solid sheet of clouds sat over the state for days.

Rainy season in Florida runs from late May through October. Most of the state sees the heaviest, most consistent rainfall between June and September .