Castle Rock Weather (Aurora, Fort Collins, Boulder: for sale, motel, houses)

[Swampy101]

Thanks COBound.

We've been having thunderstorms all week, but not that strong yet. Here's a shot from yesterday.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by Swampy101

Thanks COBound.

We've been having thunderstorms all week, but not that strong yet. Here's a shot from yesterday.

Should be on the photo forum, but how do you take a picture like that? Is the shutter speed like several seconds? Amazing.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by Charles

Should be on the photo forum, but how do you take a picture like that? Is the shutter speed like several seconds? Amazing.

I was wondering the same thing and found this: Photography techniques: How to photograph lightning

Its amazing what you'll find in a search. Sorry, Charles. Couldn't resist.

[SheridanL]

I could do my whole home in lightning pics! I LOVE them!!

Nature is amazing..when someone is smart enough to capture it!

My personal fave!! Thanks!

[Swampy101]

Thanks Charles and Sharidan.

EscapeCalifornia brings up a webpage that I saw a number of years ago. It's an outdated webpage, but his theories still hold true. He talks about film cameras which most people don't use anymore.

I use digital and that shot above was a "daytime" shot. I use a triggering device for my daytime shots and even though his webpage says you won't, I have captured branches during the day.

It's tricky, and like his page says, further off lightning isn't worth photographing unless it's a dry storm and the air is clear between you and the storm and you have a long enough lens to get it.

Other than that, nighttime shots are easy to do even if you have a point and shoot camera, as long as you have a long shutter setting or preferably a bulb setting. Although a lot of point and shoot cameras won't handle the long exposures very well, you'll have something at least.

I moved out here to be in some good storms, as well as the wildlife and will be opening a gallery up in Denver next month finally. I'll be holding group and one on one classes for shooting lightning, hummingbirds, birds in flight, macro and a lot of other things, so I won't be posting a whole lot of info on how I do things.

Sheridan - if you every really want to decorate with all lightning, let me know!

[SheridanL]

I AM YOUR BIGGEST FAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YES I AM!!!!!!!!!!

PM me...I would LOVE to have some of your work!! TRULY I WOULD!!!!!!!!

[COBound6]

Swampy, I too am a photographer and have not done anything with shooting Lightning, but am very interested. When I get settled, I may send you a PM if that's alright...

[jazzlover]

I posted this line elsewhere, but read this:

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/Image/pub/lt...climo_5sep.pdf

From that document:

This study analyzed the CG activity over the State of Colorado over a 16 year period. The mean annual flash density map showed most of the CG activity occurs over the Pikes Peak/Palmer Divide region . . .

About the most thunderstorm-prone spot in Colorado is Palmer Lake/Monument. Castle Rock is a little less, but still pretty active. One of the most amazing lightning displays I've ever witnessed was in Palmer Lake. I was just a kid, but I can remember it like it was yesterday.

People also tend to forget that violent thunderstorm events can cause catastrophic flooding. Plum Creek pretty much wiped everything out from Castle Rock to Sedalia in June, 1965 when a succession of slow-moving thunderstorms parked over the area. The South Platte wiped out a good chunk in Denver that same night. That's why Chatfield Reservoir was built on the South Platte, but no dam protects Castle Rock from Plum Creek. One of these days . . .

PS--Though I was a kid, I was an eyewitness to those events. Another thing a person just doesn't forget.

[Swampy101]

Sheridan - Thanks!

Cobound - sure, feel free to send me a PM anytime.

Jazz - I'll agree with you about the Palmer Divide area. I've only been here 2 years and I just thought the Palmer Divide was a short East/West stretch that crosses I25 over Monument Hill, but it actually stretches out towards the plains pretty far.

Last year, I witnessed some of the most spectacular lightning shows I've ever seen in my life beating even fake TV storms. I've watched strobes of lightning strikes for extended periods of time where there were flashes happening 1-3 every second for 30 minutes at a time. I've watched strikes hitting close enough to measure the distance in yards occuring less than minutes apart from each other. I've even watched a couple of spectacular odd lightning storms where it was flashing left and right fairly close, but there was no thunder and no precipitation falling. Understand that fairly close to me is 5-10 miles, close is 1-2 and really close is yards away.

I won't post anymore pictures, but I'll post a few links with explainations.

This is one that was really close, we had 10-12 strikes this close that afternoon and this is the day our UPS guy stopped here without anything to deliver, just to take shelter. This strike hit a few feet off the road he was one just 4 minutes after he came in.
Weather Related Images - Image 207 of 254

I watched this storm for about 30 minutes as it popped lightning off left and right with no thunder, then went down to my pond to take some pictures. Erie feeling. No wind, dead quiet out, really dark and this lightning was popping off. Felt like someone or some monster was going to come out of the brush and get me. haha.
Weather Related Images - Image 166 of 254

This is one showing a heavy strike storm. Think about this, this image only shows a very small area around me and the strikes were happening completely around me.
Weather Related Images - Image 138 of 254

I've watched a storm pick a single Butte out and "attack it".
Weather Related Images - Image 83 of 254 (broken link)

All in all, I'd have to say the storms seem to really strengthen up after leaving Castle Rock (if it's coming from the north/northwest) and compresses up against Monument Hill/Palmer Divide which then gets squeezed out to the eastern plains like Kiowa (where they also have some really severe weather).

I was watching this one storm with a weather chaser friend of mine (chatting with him online) and was also chatting with a meteorologist from Fox Denver at the same time. Watched the storm, which was doing hardly anything in Denver, slide down south, across Castle Rock where it started to strengthen. I started to get heavy lightning and rain and that's when we turned our friend out to Kiowa. Him and his wife drove out there as fast as they could and sure enough, the Palmer Divide focused all the energy out that way and dropped golfball sized hail and some heavy lightning. He caught a lightning strike hitting the road right in front of his car on video too!

[COBound6]

Amazing photos Swampy! The more I read these posts and see your pictures, the more excited I am to get out there. I have been a weather fanatic for years, but stuck in L.A. with no exciting weather to speak of. I will be out next friday for a few days for house hunting, then June 21 for good...can't wait!