August 15, 2017 Storms

Nebraska

On the first day of the Tempest solar eclipse tour, we drove east to intercept some storms in Nebraska.  They produced a lot of outflow, moved over a previously flooded area, and weren't particularly photogenic, so we opted to abandon them and head back to Ogallala, Nebraska to spend the night.  When we arrived, another line of storms greeted us, so we headed to the McConaughey Lake dam to observe lightning.  The cloud-to-ground strikes got a little too close for my comfort, so I climbed back in the van and encouraged the guests to do the same.  I decided to try some hand-held shots from the driver's seat, pointing out the side window.  One bolt suddently struck in perfect view, but I hadn't opened the shutter yet.  My quick reaction was to press the shutter button in hope of a return stroke, but instead of a return stroke, another lightning strike occurred immedately behind us- probably less than 100 meters.  Some of the branches from this stroke appeared at the top of my frame, and the stroke itself brightly illuminated the foreground.  It wasn't that great of a shot overall, but it reveals that something dramatic happened.

Restaurants and hotels: lunch was a fast food stop at Fort Morgan, CO. Supper was snacks while chasing, if I remember correctly.

EV chasing on this trip? It would have been possible with Tesla Superchargers in Brush, CO and Ogallala, NE.

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Our approximate route for the day.

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