I love when Mother Nature gets all fired up and frisky. When that happens it usually makes for some impressive weather.
Tonight at the trailer by Lake Ontario I enjoyed quite the light show as a massive thunderstorm worked its way down the lake and to the south towards the New York State.
Storms like this are amazing to watch and safe to enjoy as they're quite a distance away yet easily visible across the open water.
The storm didn't produce a lot of visible lightning strikes however. The flashes in the sky were almost non-stop and took in the entire horizon however sightings of actual bolts were few and far between.
This didn't stop me from grabbing my camera and tripod in the hopes of capturing an interesting lightning image. I knew the odds of surpassing past lightning success would be slim with the storm being so far away but I had spotted a sailboat anchored on the lake earlier in the evening and could faintly see it through the darkness.
It was my hope to get a shot of a bolt of lightning coming down into the water near the boat or at the very least within the area I was focused on.
As luck would have it, after taking only a couple of images, I opened my shutter on about the fourth try and down came a bolt of light. It wasn't until after I had the image on my computer that I realized there were actually three lightning bolts striking the water with a couple more fingers in the sky.
As I was editing the image I decided that the final photo would look more dramatic and interesting in black and white. Admittedly, I'm a sucker for B&W photos so any chance I have to make one I usually go for it.
Not only was I pleased with the lightning but considering the image was a long exposure, to see the boat as sharp as it is without any blur from rocking in the waves was a bonus.
I'm still hoping that one day I'll get another chance to capture lightning much closer and more dramatic, as long as it isn't too close and I haven't been electrified in the process.
NOTE: You can click on the image to see it larger.
Showing posts with label Lightning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lightning. Show all posts
Monday, September 02, 2013
Saturday, July 20, 2013
The Sky Went Black
Earlier this week I had the fortune of having another birthday. Number 45 to be exact. It happened during the week so there wasn't any celebration not that I really need any pomp and circumstance.
But as we usually do in the summer, several of my aunts and I gathered at my parents trailer located at Presqu'ile Provincial Park along the shores of Lake Ontario.
So as it turns out, there was a bit of a celebration planned in my honour. Nothing too over the top. Just a few gifts and some cake. It was actually quite nice and certainly appreciated.
Up until the completion of supper it had been a very windy and warm day. We spent the entire afternoon sitting in lawn chairs chatting and enjoying the company and the great view of the water. Sailboats and cabin cruisers passed by in the distance. It was ideal after having dealt with stifling heat and humidity for the entire week.
We knew there had been storms elsewhere in the province and the threat of severe weather had been predicted to make its way into our area early in the evening but we were of course hoping it would miss us. It didn't.
No sooner had we finished our supper, the sky turned black. The clouds were rolling in from the Northwest and It looked rather menacing. Although my parents have a trailer, we were all in the dining tent where there was more room.
We stepped outside to watch as the clouds moved over us an eventually over the lake. The wind changed direction and the gusts started to toss stuff around and whip up the dirt on the roads. This was about to get ugly.
Back into the tent we went to gather up the dishes to take into the trailer to be washed but before we could make the move the storm hit.
High winds, heavy rain and almost non-stop lightning hammered us for well over an hour. As the tent started to fill up with water I decided during one lull in the rain to get everyone out and into the trailer where it would be a bit safer.
The move went well and we could watch the lightning coming down all around us. At one point I had to make a dash out to the tent. The rain was coming down so hard the room couldn't handle it and it was fill up up instead of running off. The weight of the rain could destroy the tent so I got soaked once again after running out to dump the water as the lightning continued to crackle in the air around me. I usually enjoy lightning but this was too close for comfort.
Eventually the rain let up enough that my aunts could leave. There was no way we were going to have campfire tonight so we cancelled it until Sunday.
It was a crazy weather event but luckily nobody was hurt and I don't think anyone in the park suffered any damage from falling limbs, trees or lightning. It was a memorable birthday to say the least.
Above you can see one photo I took of the leading edge of the storm as it moved overhead and out to the lake.
But as we usually do in the summer, several of my aunts and I gathered at my parents trailer located at Presqu'ile Provincial Park along the shores of Lake Ontario.
So as it turns out, there was a bit of a celebration planned in my honour. Nothing too over the top. Just a few gifts and some cake. It was actually quite nice and certainly appreciated.
Up until the completion of supper it had been a very windy and warm day. We spent the entire afternoon sitting in lawn chairs chatting and enjoying the company and the great view of the water. Sailboats and cabin cruisers passed by in the distance. It was ideal after having dealt with stifling heat and humidity for the entire week.
We knew there had been storms elsewhere in the province and the threat of severe weather had been predicted to make its way into our area early in the evening but we were of course hoping it would miss us. It didn't.
No sooner had we finished our supper, the sky turned black. The clouds were rolling in from the Northwest and It looked rather menacing. Although my parents have a trailer, we were all in the dining tent where there was more room.
We stepped outside to watch as the clouds moved over us an eventually over the lake. The wind changed direction and the gusts started to toss stuff around and whip up the dirt on the roads. This was about to get ugly.
Back into the tent we went to gather up the dishes to take into the trailer to be washed but before we could make the move the storm hit.
High winds, heavy rain and almost non-stop lightning hammered us for well over an hour. As the tent started to fill up with water I decided during one lull in the rain to get everyone out and into the trailer where it would be a bit safer.
The move went well and we could watch the lightning coming down all around us. At one point I had to make a dash out to the tent. The rain was coming down so hard the room couldn't handle it and it was fill up up instead of running off. The weight of the rain could destroy the tent so I got soaked once again after running out to dump the water as the lightning continued to crackle in the air around me. I usually enjoy lightning but this was too close for comfort.
Eventually the rain let up enough that my aunts could leave. There was no way we were going to have campfire tonight so we cancelled it until Sunday.
It was a crazy weather event but luckily nobody was hurt and I don't think anyone in the park suffered any damage from falling limbs, trees or lightning. It was a memorable birthday to say the least.
Above you can see one photo I took of the leading edge of the storm as it moved overhead and out to the lake.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Stormy Day in Ontario
Yesterday we had some nasty weather roll across the Province of Ontario which produced some devastating storms in some communities. The rest of us were lucky enough to only deal with the numerous warnings and some intense active weather.
While four confirmed tornadoes hit some areas and caused one death and millions in damage, we dodged a bullet. There were tornado warnings and watches for our area which had us on edge a little as the evening progressed.
In the end, we were dealt some nasty thunderstorms with non-stop lightning, strong winds and heavy rain but the trailer I was in with my parents remained firmly planted on the ground.
Prior to the worst of the storm arriving I managed to take some photos of the impressive cumulus clouds on the leading edge reaching high into the sky. Quite often clouds like these are a good warning sign that trouble is on the way...and as it turns out, they were right again.
Copyright © All rights reserved.
Copyright © All rights reserved.
While four confirmed tornadoes hit some areas and caused one death and millions in damage, we dodged a bullet. There were tornado warnings and watches for our area which had us on edge a little as the evening progressed.
In the end, we were dealt some nasty thunderstorms with non-stop lightning, strong winds and heavy rain but the trailer I was in with my parents remained firmly planted on the ground.
Prior to the worst of the storm arriving I managed to take some photos of the impressive cumulus clouds on the leading edge reaching high into the sky. Quite often clouds like these are a good warning sign that trouble is on the way...and as it turns out, they were right again.
Copyright © All rights reserved.
Copyright © All rights reserved.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Sun, Fun, Family and Whales
Will someone please explain to me how it’s possible for time to go by so much faster while you’re on vacation, yet when you’re sitting at work, it seems to take forever for eight hours to tick away?
Oh well, at least I was able to enjoy some time off and help recharge my internal batteries for the last month or so of winter. Not to mention I’d only taken a week’s holidays in the last 12 months so I was feeling quite lethargic to say the least and needed to change things up for a bit.
As it turned out the vacation went very well and I was able to relax. Everyone asks me, “What did you do on vacation” and when I tell them I went to Florida and spent a lot of time doing nothing they can’t figure out why I wasn’t going non-stop all the time.
I was quite content to sit outside in a lawn chair with a magazine, a beverage, my iPod and the warm Florida sunshine shinning down on me. I didn’t need to be on the road every day going all over the State.
That’s not to say I didn’t do a little travelling around or have some fun days away from my lawn chair.
First off I was able to spend some quality time with not only my brother and his wife but I had a chance to see my nephew for the very first time. It’s hard to believe anyone could be cuter than me but this kid might just take away my title.
I hadn’t seen my brother and sister-in-law in over a year and it was nice to spend some time with them. Even at this age I miss not having my brother around sometimes. It would be nice to just call him up and say I’m coming over to have a beer and watch some TV with you but that’s just not possible.
But we did get to spend some time together. We drove up to Tampa one night, ate too much Italian food at Buca di Beppo restaurant. Then it was off to the NHL game at the St. Pete Times Forum with the Tampa Bay Lightning hosting the Montreal Canadiens. Unfortunately the Habs played horrible and lost but the seats were great and the game was entertaining. I always enjoy going to a hockey game in my shorts.
The one thing I always do when I go to Florida is buy clothing. As a big guy, the selection of clothing around home is less than spectacular and I always make it a point to stop by Casual Male in Sarasota where I can drop $200 in no time at all.
Aside from shopping, relaxing and making a couple of visits to the beach, the only other real excursion was to Sea World in Orland. I’d never been there before and I enjoyed it. The admission price was a little steep but I figure it’s something I likely won’t ever do again so why not spend the cash.
I enjoyed the water shows. In particular the Killer Whale (Shamu) and the Dolphin shows were very impressive. I enjoyed getting up close to some of the sharks, stingrays, dolphins and turtles that I normally wouldn’t get a chance to see. It was quite interesting and different from going to Disney or Universal Studios.
Of course the photographer in me had to get out to take some photos so we went down to Myakka River State Park one day. This is my favourite spot to find alligators in the wild. As it turned out it was a good day for them as we saw eight gators in one location and two more in another. They are scary looking creatures. I managed to get pretty close to some of them...probably closer than I should have been. But I managed to get a few good photos.
In the end the vacation was a success. I spent time with family, tanned my gelatinous body and was able to unwind and relax for three weeks. I just hope my next vacation gets here a bit sooner next time.
Oh well, at least I was able to enjoy some time off and help recharge my internal batteries for the last month or so of winter. Not to mention I’d only taken a week’s holidays in the last 12 months so I was feeling quite lethargic to say the least and needed to change things up for a bit.
As it turned out the vacation went very well and I was able to relax. Everyone asks me, “What did you do on vacation” and when I tell them I went to Florida and spent a lot of time doing nothing they can’t figure out why I wasn’t going non-stop all the time.
I was quite content to sit outside in a lawn chair with a magazine, a beverage, my iPod and the warm Florida sunshine shinning down on me. I didn’t need to be on the road every day going all over the State.
That’s not to say I didn’t do a little travelling around or have some fun days away from my lawn chair.
First off I was able to spend some quality time with not only my brother and his wife but I had a chance to see my nephew for the very first time. It’s hard to believe anyone could be cuter than me but this kid might just take away my title.
But we did get to spend some time together. We drove up to Tampa one night, ate too much Italian food at Buca di Beppo restaurant. Then it was off to the NHL game at the St. Pete Times Forum with the Tampa Bay Lightning hosting the Montreal Canadiens. Unfortunately the Habs played horrible and lost but the seats were great and the game was entertaining. I always enjoy going to a hockey game in my shorts.
The one thing I always do when I go to Florida is buy clothing. As a big guy, the selection of clothing around home is less than spectacular and I always make it a point to stop by Casual Male in Sarasota where I can drop $200 in no time at all.
Aside from shopping, relaxing and making a couple of visits to the beach, the only other real excursion was to Sea World in Orland. I’d never been there before and I enjoyed it. The admission price was a little steep but I figure it’s something I likely won’t ever do again so why not spend the cash.
I enjoyed the water shows. In particular the Killer Whale (Shamu) and the Dolphin shows were very impressive. I enjoyed getting up close to some of the sharks, stingrays, dolphins and turtles that I normally wouldn’t get a chance to see. It was quite interesting and different from going to Disney or Universal Studios.
Of course the photographer in me had to get out to take some photos so we went down to Myakka River State Park one day. This is my favourite spot to find alligators in the wild. As it turned out it was a good day for them as we saw eight gators in one location and two more in another. They are scary looking creatures. I managed to get pretty close to some of them...probably closer than I should have been. But I managed to get a few good photos.
In the end the vacation was a success. I spent time with family, tanned my gelatinous body and was able to unwind and relax for three weeks. I just hope my next vacation gets here a bit sooner next time.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Habs Game Fun
On January 27, 2009 while on vacation in Florida, my brother, sister-in-law, Uncle and I drove up I-75 to Tampa for the night to enjoy some NHL action at the St. Pete Times Forum.
The Montreal Canadiens (my favourite team) were in town to battle the Tampa Bay Lightning. Sadly, my team lost but it was still a fun time with great seats and an enjoyable night.
Here's a video I shot during the pre-game warm-up from our seats. Aside from the hockey players and crowd, the video also shows my brother Scott, sis-in-law Erin and Uncle Mel getting ready to cheer on the Habs. To be honest, Mel is a Maple Leafs fan but we let him cheer for a good team for a change.
The Montreal Canadiens (my favourite team) were in town to battle the Tampa Bay Lightning. Sadly, my team lost but it was still a fun time with great seats and an enjoyable night.
Here's a video I shot during the pre-game warm-up from our seats. Aside from the hockey players and crowd, the video also shows my brother Scott, sis-in-law Erin and Uncle Mel getting ready to cheer on the Habs. To be honest, Mel is a Maple Leafs fan but we let him cheer for a good team for a change.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Intense Summer Storms
I feel sorry for those people dealing with hurricane season down south but they aren't the only one's dealing with some crazy weather this summer.
The summer of 2008 in my neck of the woods will go down as being one of the wettest summers ever.
Add to that the fact that we've had more intense thunderstorms than I can ever recall, it has been one wild summer season.
On average I'd say we might see two or three strong storms each summer with intense lightning. This year it seems almost every time we've had a storm roll though, which has been very frequent, it has brought intense lightning and heavy rain.
The storms we've had here in Ontario remind me of the type that blow in off the Gulf of Mexico when I'm visiting my brother and sister-in-law in Florida. The only difference is the storms down there don't last long. The thunderstorms here have lasted anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours.
One night I was at work and I sat and watched intense lightning striking the ground in all directions. Needless to say it was a tad unsettling.
The good news though is that the summer is almost over and the storms should be gone soon. Actually, I'd rather keep summer around and let the storms go on their own.
The downside to all of the rain we've had is I've never had to cut the lawn so much in my life and if the precipitation continues once the cold weather arrives....it could make for a very snowy winter.
Does anyone have a snow blower I could borrow?
The summer of 2008 in my neck of the woods will go down as being one of the wettest summers ever.
Add to that the fact that we've had more intense thunderstorms than I can ever recall, it has been one wild summer season.
On average I'd say we might see two or three strong storms each summer with intense lightning. This year it seems almost every time we've had a storm roll though, which has been very frequent, it has brought intense lightning and heavy rain.
The storms we've had here in Ontario remind me of the type that blow in off the Gulf of Mexico when I'm visiting my brother and sister-in-law in Florida. The only difference is the storms down there don't last long. The thunderstorms here have lasted anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours.
One night I was at work and I sat and watched intense lightning striking the ground in all directions. Needless to say it was a tad unsettling.
The good news though is that the summer is almost over and the storms should be gone soon. Actually, I'd rather keep summer around and let the storms go on their own.
The downside to all of the rain we've had is I've never had to cut the lawn so much in my life and if the precipitation continues once the cold weather arrives....it could make for a very snowy winter.
Does anyone have a snow blower I could borrow?
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Stormy Weather
Cold fronts clashing with warm fronts, global warming or whatever is causing it, I wish the stormy weather we’ve been having this spring would give it a rest.
After one of our worst winters on record, the spring hasn’t proven to be much better as Mother Nature appears to be angry with us still.
I can only speak in regards to North America but it would seem we’re on pace to set a record (if we haven’t already) for the most tornados ever. Here in Ontario tornados do occur but not as frequently as they do in the infamous Tornado Alley in the U.S. We’ve had several already in this Province and the summer hasn’t even started yet.
Of course tornados are only one issue. The severe thunderstorms we’ve been seeing have produced extremely dangerous lightning and plenty of flooding all over the continent resulting in many lives being lost.
Just recently I was at work one night and I witnessed one of the worst lightning storms I can ever recall seeing in this part of the world. Normally I don’t mind lightning but this storm was so intense, it even had me on edge.
The lightning strikes were happening all around me and they were continual. As if the fear of being struck by a bolt wasn’t bad enough, the high winds and pelting rain had me not only running for cover but scanning the night sky for signs of a funnel cloud. It just had that feel about it. Luckily no tornadoes arrived.
I did have a brush with a tornado as a child. The year was 1973 and on July 13th my dad, mom, brother and I were heading to my grandparents house in Colborne, Ont. We were just passing through Brighton and were almost at the outskirts of town when the car was literally pushed all over the road by the force of the wind. Dad struggled but managed to keep the car under control and we carried on.
Luck was on our side that day. Had we looked out the back window of the car, we would have seen the tornado going through the town leaving a path of destruction. If we’d been just a minute later, we would have taken a direct hit. As it was, several buildings were destroyed and there was plenty of damage. If you'd like to read more about the tornado in Brighton, just click here.
As I’m typing this another thunderstorm has just passed through but luckily it wasn’t too severe but I’m sure we’ll have plenty of opportunities this summer to witness more of nature’s forces at work. Lets just hope we all make it through unscathed so we can enjoy another winter of freezing temperatures and a whole heap of snow.
After one of our worst winters on record, the spring hasn’t proven to be much better as Mother Nature appears to be angry with us still.
I can only speak in regards to North America but it would seem we’re on pace to set a record (if we haven’t already) for the most tornados ever. Here in Ontario tornados do occur but not as frequently as they do in the infamous Tornado Alley in the U.S. We’ve had several already in this Province and the summer hasn’t even started yet.
Of course tornados are only one issue. The severe thunderstorms we’ve been seeing have produced extremely dangerous lightning and plenty of flooding all over the continent resulting in many lives being lost.Just recently I was at work one night and I witnessed one of the worst lightning storms I can ever recall seeing in this part of the world. Normally I don’t mind lightning but this storm was so intense, it even had me on edge.
The lightning strikes were happening all around me and they were continual. As if the fear of being struck by a bolt wasn’t bad enough, the high winds and pelting rain had me not only running for cover but scanning the night sky for signs of a funnel cloud. It just had that feel about it. Luckily no tornadoes arrived.
I did have a brush with a tornado as a child. The year was 1973 and on July 13th my dad, mom, brother and I were heading to my grandparents house in Colborne, Ont. We were just passing through Brighton and were almost at the outskirts of town when the car was literally pushed all over the road by the force of the wind. Dad struggled but managed to keep the car under control and we carried on.
Luck was on our side that day. Had we looked out the back window of the car, we would have seen the tornado going through the town leaving a path of destruction. If we’d been just a minute later, we would have taken a direct hit. As it was, several buildings were destroyed and there was plenty of damage. If you'd like to read more about the tornado in Brighton, just click here.
As I’m typing this another thunderstorm has just passed through but luckily it wasn’t too severe but I’m sure we’ll have plenty of opportunities this summer to witness more of nature’s forces at work. Lets just hope we all make it through unscathed so we can enjoy another winter of freezing temperatures and a whole heap of snow.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Tower Of Terror
I can recall as a young boy going to a baseball game in Toronto at the old Exhibition Stadium.
I don't recall who the Blue Jays were playing that day but my most vivid memory is of dad and I sitting in our seats just up from third base enjoying the game and hoping they'd get it in before an approaching storm arrived.
We sat there and soon the game became secondary as we had a perfect view of the CN Tower and watched intently as numerous bolts of lightning struck the top of the tower over and over again. It was quite amazing to watch.
I don't think the game was called and they were able to complete it but for most fans in attendance, the light show to the East was much more entertaining.
As and example of what we saw, here's a video of a different storm with similar results as the lightning was drawn to the top of the tower.
I don't recall who the Blue Jays were playing that day but my most vivid memory is of dad and I sitting in our seats just up from third base enjoying the game and hoping they'd get it in before an approaching storm arrived.
We sat there and soon the game became secondary as we had a perfect view of the CN Tower and watched intently as numerous bolts of lightning struck the top of the tower over and over again. It was quite amazing to watch.
I don't think the game was called and they were able to complete it but for most fans in attendance, the light show to the East was much more entertaining.
As and example of what we saw, here's a video of a different storm with similar results as the lightning was drawn to the top of the tower.
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