civilized ku # 2729 - 2733 / ku # 1277 ~ impressive weather event wherein I abandon the square format
Saturday, May 31, 2014 at 02:51PM 
rainbow ~ Jay, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
storm front ~ near Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
storm sky ~ near Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
storm sky / variation 1 ~ near Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
storm sky / cows ~ near Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggen
funnel wannabe ~ near Au Sable Forks, NY - in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggenLast evening as I was driving home from Hugo's baseball game in Saranac Lake, I notice a rainbow in the sky. The location for a picture wasn't right so I moved on to a more appropriate one. Even though that location was only a very short distance away, by the time I arrived the rainbow had shrunk to a rather small presentation. Nevertheless, I made the picture.
Moving on down the road, I noticed that the rainbow was returning to its former glory and I decided to proceed to another location. However, upon arrival, the rainbow had vacated the sky and was replaced by an approaching storm front which stretched across the NE-NW sky. The presentation was impressive, to say the least.
As I stood transfixed in a field watching and picturing the event, numerous mini-events were occurring all along the front. Sheet lighting and thunder was making its presence known and, other than that light and sound, the landscape was eerily quite and still. Goosebumps and standing hair on the back of my neck were also a part of the order of events.
After 15-20 minutes, I then noticed a light/cloud event happening just a short distance away - I got in the car and drove the short 3/4 mile (approximate) distance on a winding road where my view of things was obstructed by trees. That visual obstruction made the appearance of the next event all the more stunning when, after rounding a bend in the road, there it was - for all appearance to my untrained meteorological eye and brain, what seemed to a funnel cloud in the making.
After making a picture of the phenomenon, I didn't stay around to see what might transpire, as in, better safe than sorry. That written, I must assume nothing dramatic came to pass inasmuch I would have heard or read about it, news wise, this AM.
FYI, while I made a fair number of pictures, I was totally in the moment of the actual event. Except for the 4 frame panoramic picture, all of my other pictures were dictated and made by what was unfolding in front of me with no thoughts other than quick reactionary / reflexive point, frame and shoot responses.
I also consider myself lucky to have witnessed this display - a true f8-and-be-there if ever there was one.
Reader Comments (3)
Some impressive skies.
Awesome.
Wonderful skies - and certainly threatening when standing in the midst of such a cloud brewery. Your regression to a "normal" landscape format works very well here - probably the solid and compact and therefore quieter square would have taken away from the drama.