Storm brewing

We've had a couple of hot, humid days (31C/88F) which exceeded the forecasted highs of 27C/80F and 23C/73F. The sky had become progressively cloudy during the day but nothing that looked threatening. However, during the news after dinner, the weatherman said our area was under a thunderstorm warning. While some thunderheads were visible to the north and south of us, we were still blessed under a patch of blue.

That didn't last long, however, as storm clouds gathered in the west. I grabbed the camera and tripod and shot some of the cloud formations. At one point, large drops of rain started to fall, and you`ll see a few drops on my lens on the last shot. Then, suddenly, the sun burst out of a hole in the clouds, bathed the front yard in brilliant sunshine, and produced a rainbow that lasted less than 30 seconds. As quick as the sun appeared it was covered with dark clouds again, allowing me just enough time to get a few shots.

Shortly thereafter the clouds burst open - but I had already sought shelter indoors. We received a deluge for a good 15 minutes - sans lightning and thunder - and then it was all over.

(first shot made with 70-200mm lens, last 3 shots made with a 10-22mm lens - all at f11 and ISO200, with shutter speeds of 1/500, 1/2, 1/4, and 1/20 sec respectively)

click on photos to enlarge