Thunderstorm Overtakes the Eastfield Mall
by Bill Dusty
The other day while driving around the city, I looked up to see a thunderstorm coming in from the west. I decided to pull into the parking lot at the Eastfield Mall and take some opportune photos. (New! For larger versions of selected photos, click here.)
A thunderstorm approaches from the west.
As I mounted my Canon Rebel XS on a tripod and got ready to take a few snaps, little did I know what I was in for. This would be one of the more dramatic thunder-boomers I’ve witnessed, and I was able to take about sixty photos, overall, of the event. Unfortunately, two things are glaringly missing from the following little photo essay: The rapturous sound of thunder that shook the earth as the storm approached and – much more frustratingly – my failure to capture a single lightning bolt during the entire episode. Even with my shutter on “continuous” mode as I snapped away (the reason I ended up with about sixty photos) I was still unable to get so much as one shot of lightning. It gave me a new appreciation of how difficult it must be for professional photographers (and how patient they must be) to get that “just right” shot.
Drummers from a marching band practice in preparation for 4th of July festivities.
In this snapshot, students (in background) are practicing their flag twirling skills as the storm draws near. Unbeknownst to me at the time, an entire marching band was practicing their cadence on the other side of the building.
click on the “Play” button, below, to listen to some thunder.
Here it comes…
To the north, light gives way to shadow.
To the south, the contrast was even more compelling.
The storm closes in.
Above is a closeup of the previous photo. See that little wift of dark cloud? The storm’s updraft was actually carrying it upward into the cloud deck above it.
(image is actual size)
Meanwhile, the view to the north was getting interesting.
At this point, the air was noticeably cooler, and the wind was picking up quite a bit.
It was at about this time that I checked my car’s door to make sure it was open in case of any sudden downpour. The kids practicing their marching routines also began to seek shelter.
Meanwhile, the view to the north was awesome…
As the rain began to come down, I retreated into my car. Reaching over the passenger seat with my camera, I snapped this photo mere seconds before the deluge.
The deluge.
I actually wanted to lower my driverside window to get a shot of the downpour without the glare of the windshield, but the storm was just too intense. The wind was literally rocking my Jeep Cherokee at this point.
After about seven or eight minutes of crushing rain, the dark clouds began to clear as the thunderstorm moved on.
The view to the north.
After the thunderstorm passed, the students came back out and continued on with their preparation for the 4th of July. With the exception of the drenched parking lot, there was little evidence of what Mother Nature had just unleashed. Only later on would I learn from Masslive that the storm had dumped hail on the Sixteen Acres neighborhood.
(CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE)
(Warming filter added to this image.)
PDF 9 Responses for “Thunderstorm Overtakes the Eastfield Mall”
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Awesome pictures ….thanks
Wow, cool shots…Thanks for posting them.
Great photos.
Great cloud shots to the north. You must have traded up that Kodak you had for the Canon..?
Hi Tony.
I still have the Kodak – and I still like it a lot, actually. It takes great photos for what I do, and it can also take video, so I use it when I want to travel light and not lug around the “big gear” (camcorder and dslr).
Great photos!!! Keep em coming.
I actually got stuck in the hail storm outside my house in 16 acres. I remeber thinking, with ice hail there is usally a funnel cloud that follows.
As I looked up I could see what you saw, possible funnel cloud
Bill,
Great shots! I was doing some yard work at the time and I jumped into my van to enjoy the storm. We got quite a bit of hail in Pine Point also.
Great shots, Bill. A little late with my comment, but as the saying goes, better late than never, huh? That would have scared me though. Especially if my car started “rocking”. lol