Early morning thunderstorm, early May

I awoke to the sound of thunder, shortly before five. The sky looked particularly threatening, so I grabbed my camera and rushed outside to capture the impending storm (below). It had been a hot night up to now, but the temperature suddenly plunged.

The dawn had approached, the sun was rising behind me and the sky was no longer dark, it would be difficult to photograph lightning as the necessary exposure time (at 100 ISO, f22) was short - a mere three seconds, not the 30+ seconds you can do at night. So - would I be lucky enough to capture a flash while the shutter was open at random?

Well, the storm was so intense - I did - below. Perfect! Open shutter - one, two, FLASH, three, shutter closes. On a tripod, of course.

Below: and again! Open shutter, one, FLASH, two, three, shutter closes. Digital photography allows you to validate the result immediately after taking the shot, a boon to the weather photographer who can alter settings accordingly.

The storm was accompanied by a short burst of hail, drumming on the roof and temporarily carpeting the lawn. The hail had done for the beautiful blossom on the fruit trees; after it had passed on the blossom was lying sodden and lifeless under the trees. Within quarter of an hour the storm had moved on; the sun rose, the day looked to be set fair. Soon clouds gathered from the west, however, changeable was the final outcome.

This time last year:
Men at work

This time two years ago:
What's the Polish for 'to bully'?

This time three years ago:
Making plans for Jeziorki: Hołubcowa bis

This time four years ago:
The stirring sight of sunset

This time five years ago:
Blessed rain - after two dry weeks