Stormy Weather
On Thursday, I checked Windy.com and saw that storms would be moving over the Crex Meadows State Wildlife Area in the afternoon. I headed for Crex after finishing the day's tasks - at about 2:30 PM. I arrived a bit too late; the storm had already arrived. I was soon in the center of the storm. Usually, I wouldn’t try to photograph in a thunderstorm, especially when the visibility is limited, lightning is cracking, and the wind is blowing. I don’t want to be a lightning rod.
I experimented with shooting out the car window; only possible through the leeward window. If I had opened the windward window, the car’s interior would have been immediately soaked. I took the first picture below from the driver’s (leeward) window.
I was about to head home when I saw the clouds breaking up on the western horizon. I stuck around. After the storm had moved off, there was a dramatic sky to the east—the dark clouds of the back of the storm were lit by the setting sun. An unusual orange color I’d not seen before. Then I turned 180° and saw a stunning western sky. I had to drive a few miles to a spot I knew would be good for shooting the western sky. The results are below along with one shot taken facing south.
