This storm erupted near the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming, trekked across the Thunder Basin National Grassland, then plowed into the northwestern Black Hills. There, between Sundance and Newcastle, on the edge of the Great Plains, we intercepted the complex, often rain-wrapped supercell. The mesocyclone (distant right, with thick and knobby tail cloud) soon would produce a brief tornado, but the most amazing part of the storm was its strobing lightning. Dozens of CGs popped over the valley and ridges between us and the mesocyclone, but at a safe distance. We captured 20 or more in our hand-held photos, thanks to the outrageously long-lasting strobing of the strokes. Several times we each shot the same lightning strike using only a finger reaction to the first flash. But that’s not all. This particular strike kept flashing for so long that I shot two separate, all-manual photos of it! I’ve never done this before, nor heard of it being done. [Of course, the other one looks identical.] At times, the electrical show resembled a giant atmospheric discotheque.
6 WSW Buckhorn WY (9 Jun 6) Looking SW
44.1242, -104.2029Atmospheric Strobe
This storm erupted near the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming, trekked across the Thunder Basin National Grassland, then plowed into the northwestern Black Hills. There, between Sundance and Newcastle, on the edge of the Great Plains, we intercepted the complex, often rain-wrapped supercell. The mesocyclone (distant right, with thick and knobby tail cloud) soon would produce a brief tornado, but the most amazing part of the storm was its strobing lightning. Dozens of CGs popped over the valley and ridges between us and the mesocyclone, but at a safe distance. We captured 20 or more in our hand-held photos, thanks to the outrageously long-lasting strobing of the strokes. Several times we each shot the same lightning strike using only a finger reaction to the first flash. But that’s not all. This particular strike kept flashing for so long that I shot two separate, all-manual photos of it! I’ve never done this before, nor heard of it being done. [Of course, the other one looks identical.] At times, the electrical show resembled a giant atmospheric discotheque.
6 WSW Buckhorn WY (9 Jun 6) Looking SW
44.1242, -104.2029