Wyoming Lightning

[JimFox]

I left the Badlands of South Dakota yesterday as the forecast for last night was severe thunderstorms, so I headed back to Colorado. The storm caught up to me as I was driving, so I had to stop as I saw lightning flashing. I was in Wyoming at that point and a lot of flat prairie land. I drove for a few miles looking for a tree or an old barn, something.... but there was nothing so I just settled for this.

I spent about 10 minutes and got 2 bolts, and then the wind was really picking up, I had to hold my tripod with 2 hands to keep the camera steady. The lightning seemed to have stopped. I got back in my truck and started driving when I heard something slapping the side of my 4Runner and I looked towards the passenger side and saw something slapping the side of my truck. I pulled to the side of the highway and went to open my door to go see what was going on, and I couldn't get my door open more then 2 inches the wind was so bad. So I drove slowly on this back country highway road to a pullout for a farmers field I saw about a 1/4 mile ahead, and turned into it so the wind was hitting the side of my truck. I put on my rain jacket, got out and went to the other side and saw a 5 foot section of weatherstripping hanging down from the roof seam. It had wedged under my roof carrier, so I got it out and put it in the truck and got back in and started driving.

I had a couple more hours of some crazy stormy weather to get through, but it was worth it I think to be in a place to get this image.

All comments are welcome,

Jim

 

[AlanLichty]

I love seeing lightening like this. Not something we get to see often west of the Cascades.

How did the weatherstripping manage to come loose? Hopefully an easy fix?

 

[JimFox]

I love seeing lightening like this. Not something we get to see often west of the Cascades.

How did the weatherstripping manage to come loose? Hopefully an easy fix?

Thanks Alan! It was nice to catch. I haven't gotten much lightning so far this year, so I am happy to have gotten this.

The weather stripping looks to pop into the gutter and snap into it. I have no idea how it got pulled out or loose enough to have the wind catch. This is a good reminder for me to go out and look at it. I was thinking of laying down a strip of Silicone sealant in the gutter before snapping the weatherstripping back in.

 

[Jameel Hyder]

Nice lightning shot. This is one thing I haven't been able to capture yet. Not much lightning happens around here.

 

[JimFox]

Nice lightning shot. This is one thing I haven't been able to capture yet. Not much lightning happens around here.

Thanks Jameel!

Yeah, I never captured any lighting in SoCal either. It's only been since I have been spending a lot more time in Colorado and the states around it that I have been able to get lightning images.