I love storms…especially one that puts on a good light show.
And I shall also emphasise straight away that I always hope that no-one is injured or worse during a wild weather event…I am well aware of the dangers that storms create.
But I can’t deny that I feel so alive when the thunder is booming and the lightning crackling through the sky….that smell…that sound…
My parents used to tell me as a child that it was all because G’Nan was playing bowls up in heaven…it must have worked because I have never been frightened of them, and neither has my brother…the wilder and noisier the better!
I love waking up to a day of potential storms, and last weekend was the first one in what seems like a very long time!
So it was with great excitement…and a little wariness…that I heard thunder when we were outside taking the furkids for their morning walk…even saw a lightning bolt seemingly nearly hit a ship that was heading up the bay.
And in case you are interested…neither dog turned a hair at the thunder!
It was all short lived but hopefully it was a hint of what will lay ahead for our storm season.
So what do I use to watch out for and monitor storms?
Firstly, I refer to the good old BOM radar…ie the Bureau of Meteorology…I either use their website, or one of the many apps that link into their system.
If things are looking potentially interesting, I will pop over to the Australian Weather Forum…if there is a storm event immanent, the discussions will fire up and I find out so much more about whats going on where!
Once a storm looks like heading our way, I will then turn on my SkyScan lightning detector…I bought this off eBay years ago and it is still one of my favourite gadgets.
It lights up when lightning is detected and tells you approx how far away it is…I have to admit I have never seen the Severe Thunderstorm alert come on…I guess if it does, run for cover!!
I then get my iPhone ready…I am already to use the newer iLightningCam 2 – The Second Generation app to take photos this season…want to give it a good workout.
If the storm is at night, I will also set up one of my cameras on a long exposure to see if I can capture that elusive perfect shot.
And with all of the above organised, I then sit back and watch the show….safely!
Sadly, the best storms seem to know where I am and totally avoid me…I don’t know how many times I have been away, and there has been a good storm at home…or I just leave a place and a storm arrives.
And here is exhibit A…this occurred last weekend not far from home…where I wasn’t…taken using the original Lightning Cam app…
So it’s been a few years since I have experienced a humdinger of a storm…Christmas Eve about 5 or so years ago to be exact!
Fingers crossed Mother Nature will be kind enough to put on some good shows right where I can see them…bring it on!
Do storms scare you or are you a storm lover like me? Do you have a good storm story…please share in the comments below…
I love storms too Sarah, always have!