The Birth Of A Thunderstorm

There was a cold front that was expected to move over the area yesterday, and with the temperatures hot and the air very humid, thunderstorms were expected. As the clouds began to bubble up in the afternoon, we decided to drive to the nearby Mentor Headlands Beach to watch the storm roll in. We had to wait about an hour and a half for the front to come in, but it was well worth it. We were able to see the storm from its early stages of thickening clouds and crepuscular rays to a full blown, massive thunderstorm. As the storm moved in off Lake Erie, the wind picked up considerably, blowing sand which stung our skin. The clouds and winds dropped in at the eastern edge of the beach, over the Fairport Harbor West lighthouse, causing the gulls lounging there to quickly scatter. As we were on the western side of the beach, this was the perfect signal to run for cover. We easily made it to our car before the full force of the wind and rain hit.


Here are some photos and a very short video that I am sure cloud and storm lovers will enjoy! (Click on any image for a larger view.)

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Fall Colors Fade

The rainy weather finally cleared and left us with a huge blanket of soaking wet leaves. The light fog this morning kept things damp, but also provided some nice crepuscular rays as the sunlight streamed through the trees.

Here are a few more fall photos. Included is a photo of a jet that was flying high, the light from the sunrise giving it a strange fiery glow. There is also a photo of a section of a large flock of birds flying overhead. Every fall we get huge flocks of birds – I think many are starlings, red winged blackbirds, grackles, etc. that collect in or near the Mentor Marsh. They fly out in the morning and back in the evening, collecting more birds in their group each day, eventually creating huge streams of birds that look like they number in the hundreds of thousands. While I was out this morning, I caught a group of maybe only a thousand or so flying overhead, but with each day, their numbers build so that by the time they leave for the winter, they leave in massive numbers, sometimes taking 30 minutes or more as the stream flies overhead. I’ve included an old video that I took several years ago from one of these events, and I am keeping my eyes open so I can try to film them again this year.

Crepuscular Rays

Japanese Maple Leaves Feature Beautiful Colors

One Lone Maple Leaf in a Sea Of Oak Leaves

Water Droplets on the Japanese Maple

High Flying Jet at Sunrise

A Small Group from a Large Flock of Birds

A Squirrel Snacks on an Apple from Our Apple Tree

Mentor Ohio Bird Migration





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Light Fog Brings Crepuscular Rays

The nights have been cool and the humidity up, which brought some light fog this morning. As the sun began to shine through the trees, it created some beautiful crepuscular rays. Steam also floated off the roof as the sun reached it and looked quite hypnotic as it trailed off the house.

Crepuscular rays

Steam drifting off the roof

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Pop Up Thunderstorms Bring Crepuscular Rays

It’s been hot here the last few days – in the 90s – and on Sunday, we had two very localized thunderstorms with heavy rain pop up and move through the area. Between storms, I stepped outside to see the clouds bubbling up, and caught a few pictures of crepuscular rays as the sun shone between them.








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Clouds and Crepuscular Rays

The humidity – which we haven’t had much of this summer – returned yesterday, and along with it some scattered thunderstorms. As the clouds bubbled up in the late afternoon, it made for some great cloud pictures. The sun peeked through some darkening clouds, and I caught a few interesting shots of crepuscular rays. Here are a few pictures of the high points.

All Content © Chris A. Zimmer and chriszimmer.blogspot.com


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