Hail

We had a little hail storm last evening. It took place while the sun was shining, which made for a great photo by Taciturn:

It is a bit blurry but I think that shows the hail better. Some nice fall color in the photo as well.

"Lightning Striking Agaaaain..."

(Apologies to Lou Christie!)

With a thunderstorm approaching, I stood out on the 7th story deck of my friend's condo (pretty dumb, actually) and shot a bunch of photos of the clouds, trying to get a photo of a lightning bolt.

I did not anticipate turning my camera away from a hillside just as a lightning bolt struck and started a fire.

(One of the things I did not miss about western South Dakota--the ever present threat of wildfire. Dry lightning in the summer is the number one cause.)

I ran back inside and called 911; someone else already had called and there were trucks on the way. I took photo after photo as the area grew larger and larger. I also prayed.

And then, the rain--and the quarter sized hail.

An hour later, the fire was over, with only smoke arising from a scorched area to tell the tale. Could have been MUCH worse.

Meant to blog about some other things but this kinda took center stage. Not too often you see lightning really strike!