Lightning Striking Four Peaks

Click the pic for a bigger view

Lightning is such an awesome force of nature.  This shot of lightning striking Four Peaks highlights the true beauty of Mother Nature’s electrical side. 

Lightning Striking Four Peaks Lights the Night Sky

A few weeks back I tracked this storm as it came down from the north east. It showed a lot of potential on radar but this summer has been a bust for storms actually making it into the Phoenix area. I decided to wait on it before logging another fruitless road trip. As it approached the Four Peaks mountains the lightning started to show up on the radar. It was looking promising.

I grabbed my gear and headed northeast hoping to intercept it before it passed completely over Four Peaks. I was really wanting to get a shot of lightning striking Four Peaks. As I made my way up highway 87 I could see a never ending light show just on the other side of the mountains. This was looking more than promising. It could be epic.

Of course one natural enemy that all storm chasers face is rain. It can stop the most epic storm chase in its tracks. You are always hoping to get ahead of the rain or hope the lightning will lead it to give you enough time for your shots. This night I would have very little time to get my shots. Curse you rain!

As I pushed along the highway I hit the rain earlier than I hoped. This stretch of highway I have no cell phone service which meant I had no radar updates. I turned around and headed back down the highway hoping I could find a dry spot for a few minutes.  Fortune smiled as I was able to find an exit and setup for the shot you see above.  At this point I was back in cell phone coverage and could see that the lightning was beginning to fade. I managed a few keepers from my position before the rain overtook me once again. Always a race with the rain.

Nonetheless I was able to get a few shots, so this road trip turned out ok. I was only 30 minutes from home which was a bonus for the drive back. Much better than the 200 mile treks of recent trips.

Until next time…

Purchase this print in my online gallery