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Monday, April 11, 2011 - 1:45AM CDT

Close lightning at Moscow Mills, MO - April 10

By DAN ROBINSON

Editor/Photographer

Today's long-shot tornado chase strategy was to watch storms race one-by-one at 70mph across Highway 61 south of Hannibal after dark. Lightning was generally anemic, infrequent and inside the clouds - which made this sudden 5-minute barrage of close cloud-to-ground strikes along Highway U near Moscow Mills surprising. I scrambled to a spot along the road with a view and grabbed a few shots, complete with my chase truck.

A few hundred yards away, just out of frame to the left with branches reaching over the road:

A little storm structure to the southwest:

Finished the night at the Prairie State power plant in Marissa, IL:

wow, those were amazing! wern't you a bit nervous outside your vehicle with them coming down so close?
- Posted by Michael Thompson

Thanks Michael, I probably should have been more nervous - but I did get back in the truck when the closest one hit!
- Posted by Dan R. from New Baden, IL

Amazing pictures! What kind of equipment are you using?
- Posted by Ryan

I would have called that 5th photo a wall cloud with funnel! Nice catch!
- Posted by Jim Duncan from Warrensburg, MO

Thanks! Ryan, I'm using a Rebel XSi with an 18-55 lens. Jim, I did a double-take when I first saw that feature, but the lightning was frequent enough that I could tell there was no motion in it. It was all pushing east on the edge of the outflow. Nonetheless, it was the most dramatic feature I saw all night.
- Posted by Dan R. from New Baden, IL

I love the effect in the third photo.
- Posted by steven

I love my XSi! I have had alot of fun with it. Can't wait for some good lightning. We were close this weekend but all the good stuff passed south and east of my area. I am gonna start bugging the local storm chasers and see if they will take me with them lol!
- Posted by Michael Thompson from minneapolis

Excellent work, Dan.
- Posted by Dann Cianca from Grand Junction, CO