When more distant, the areas ahead of and behind this beautifully menacing, supercellular shelf cloud to the north had been fairly prolific lightning producers, but that temporarily stopped as I set up for the shoot, trying to catch a daytime blast in the waning moments before sunset. Even without such luck, the scene was marvelous, though I couldn’t stay to enjoy it for long. Fortunately, we all can appreciate it for as long as we like, under much less duress, from the relative comfort and safety of wherever we sit looking at a screen. Ironically, about 30 seconds after this shot, as I was packing gear into the vehicle, lightning struck an open field about half a mile behind me, where no precip was falling, a sure sign that it was time to depart. This storm would pound my vehicle with up to 1.75-inch-diameter hail north of Olustee, but also, yield a marvelous after-dusk light show.
3 WNW Olustee OK (8 May 19) Looking N
34.558, -99.474