Thursday, August 2, 2012

Stormy Skies


After weeks of no rain this summer, Ma Nature decided to make up for it over the past couple of weeks. Unfortunately, it hasn't been just nice, steady rainfall. Every storm we've had has brought high winds and lots of lightning. Tragically, during this storm that I photographed, a woman and her son were working on a water line on her farm when she was struck and killed by lightning. The lightning has also caused barn and house fires. While we're grateful for the rain, the rest we could do without. Nature plays no favorites, though.







Right in the middle of the storm, I happened to look up and saw this. The opening lasted less than a minute and was gone.


37 comments:

renae said...

o my goooooodnesssss! your work is magnificent! my husband and granddaughters always gasps at your captures of beauty and nature! o my goooooodnesssss!

Sivinden said...

Very dramatic - and beautiful!

Nancy J said...

Stunning photos, and the contrast with nature, and man made pylons make the photo.Cheers, Jean

Anonymous said...

Incredible photos. So sad about the woman's death.

Sharon Whitley said...

So sad about the lady's death, you're right about nature, it can be unforgiving - I vow to no longer complain about the dull weather we're having here, you've had real extremes of weather there, amazing photos, take care

Linda said...

Such dramatic photos! Glad you got some rain - we did too - but sorry for all the rest that goes along with it. We have had many waterspouts here this past week - so far, no damage from them. That shot with the moon in the opening is beautiful!

Buttons Thoughts said...

Oh Brian these photos are beautiful. I am so sorry about the woman and her son. That is horrible.
We have not had very much rain here yet. B

Elizabeth Edwards said...

beautiful shots. i love that moon shot. awesome catch. perfect. (:

Heather said...

wow! these pictures are aweomse! nice job!

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

Wow, incredible storm pics! So sad about the lightening strikes. My great great grandmother was struck in her foot - she was sitting by the fireplace and the lightening came through the chimney. Her foot never fully healed after that.

Sharon M said...

We've had these types of storms lately too. They make for great lighting.

Nancy said...

Unfortunately, all the heat brews up these powerful storms. Powerful images, Brian. xo

Candy C. said...

I love seeing the storm clouds but hate the consequences of the lightning. How awful about the lady and the fires. Love the shot of the moon through the opening in the clouds!

Anonymous said...

What awesome, stormy skies you have captured so well!
We've had those same storm patterns in southern Ohio, with lots of wind and lightning damage.

Beth said...

The stark reality of the storm is captured perfectly! Great series of shots!

Sonya @ Under the Desert Sky said...

Beautiful and ominous!

TexWisGirl said...

beautiful, powerful skies. having the electrical towers in the shots just brings the threat of lightning closer to the viewer (and, i assume, the photographer, too!)

Jan n Jer said...

Great capture of Mother natures wrath Brian. Sometimes I wonder what did we do to make her so angry with us!

Mary said...

Those are great pictures of a grand clouds, hopefully full of rain. Did it rain? Great set of clouds, thanks.

Liz said...

Nature is so incredibly beautiful but can be so incredibly destructive! I am always intrigued by storms and would love one day to capture lightning.
I love that little blue window amongst the storm clouds.
The addition of power towers really add to the mood of your shots Brian!

Leenie said...

I love scary storm clouds! And you caught some good ones.

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

Awesome shots Brian! I took some too last night as the rain moved in. They will be nothing like yours. Love the one with the moon peeking through. So sorry to hear about the death of the woman and the fires caused by the storms.

Gillian Olson said...

Fantastic pictures of stormy skies, so beautiful but so powerful, and sadly sometimes so tradgic.

Gail Dixon said...

Those are some menacing skies. Wow. You captured it well. So sorry for the loss of life. One never knows what is in store from moment to moment.

Anne Payne said...

Whoa! These are formidable and frightening looking clouds, but terrific shots as usual. Very sorry to hear about the loss of life. It's true that nature is not discriminatory.

Anonymous said...

Incredible photos! I'm sorry to hear about the lady who was struck by ligtning and the fires. High winds and lightning terrifies me, but I love to see storm clouds and feel the warm breeze that comes right before a storm.

barbara l. hale said...

Such a dramatic sky! So sorry to hear about the woman who was struck by lightning. One can't take Mother Nature for granted. I love that last pic. What great timing!

An Apel a Day said...

Some scary things happened among the blessing of rain. We still haven't gotten any rain. I live in Omaha, Nebraska. There has been rain around us, but not over us. It's in the forecast. We'll see.

http://theapels.blogspot.com/2012/08/kung-fu-panda-party-in-works.html

Liam said...

The second photo is stunning! Really nice job! :) :)

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Oh that is so sad about the fires and the death caused by this storm. Such dramatic photos Brian- they are all stunning!

A Colorful World said...

Wonderful skies! So dramatic! I love that deep blue!

Andee said...

Oh that is so sad about the people that died. Lightning struck a woman by us too. She didn't get off the beach fast enough as a storm quickly approached. So sad. But your images of the clouds are so amazing.

Amy Burzese said...

Great storm shots. The second one is stunning. Lightning is not something to take lightly. So sorry for the death.

Lisa Sall - Sall's Country Life said...

Awesome, Brian! These pictures are off the grid!!

Debbie said...

how sad that such a wonderful storm had such a tragic outcome.

the images are beautiful! the hubs always drags me inside when storms are comming, he's a fraidy cat!!

Spare Parts and Pics said...

I love these dramatic skies you captured. A couple of the photos look like paintings, excellent job!

Stewart M said...

Really great set of pictures. I know what you mean about the way it rains after a period of drought - we had 10 years with well below average rain - some places were limited to use of water inside the house only with 2 -3 % of capacity in the dams. When it started to rain it did so in a way that took lives and washed away peoples homes. Strange how this sort of thing happens so often.

I think I like the yellow earth mover in the first set of pictures - but I'm going to have to think about it!

Stewart M