Recently, as a thunderstorm approached I was around to see how it developed. Of course, I had my camera to capture it. I live on a hill that overlooks the town and have taken a ton of photographs with the tag ‘view from my lounge’. I am so fortunate to have a stunning view which changes daily depending on the weather and light.

It was summer here in South Africa, and it was once again the season of thunderstorms – plenty of lightning, thunder, lowering skies and sometimes hail.

Anatomy of a Thunderstorm © Deborah Ann Stott 2016

1. The clouds began rolling over the mountain on the far side of the valley. Patches of sunlight play across the open spaces. A lone wind turbine stands like a sentinel, in the path of the advancing clouds.
2. Within a few minutes, the clouds had forged ahead like a hungry beast on the turbine, casting it in shadow.
3. The towering clouds engulfed the turbine and started their journey down the hill into the town, covering the remaining patches of sunlight as they pushed forward.
4. Before long, the darkness from the gigantic clouds overwhelmed the town and heavy rain began to fall in earnest.

As I sat watching this drama unfold, I was reminded that nature is unpredictable and powerful. And, as we now sit in a time of drought, I am praying for rain.