An Early 4th of July: Charleston, WV, Handley, WV & Smithers, WV- June 2, 2000 - 8:30-10:30 PM
You've probably heard the old clichè that the message of Christ is the 'Good News'. Clichè or not, it's 'Good News' because it's good news - really. It's good news because it's the answer to a deadly problem - our sin (intentional wrongdoing). God says in the Bible that everyone is headed for punishment that lasts forever because of our sins against Him. It's a highly serious and very real problem. But, the 'good news' is that there is a surprisingly simple way to be forgiven. Take a minute to read the message that can make a difference in your life, both now and forever.
Exactly two years after a memorable storm, Charleston gets some spectacular twilight lightning.
 On June 2, 1998, an unusually large thunderstorm made the top headlines after it cut through Charleston- dropping a small tornado along Chappel Hollow in Kanawha City, denting thousands of automobiles with golfball-sized hail, and causing heavy, widespread damage that left the city awestruck. This year's storms (radar at left) weren't as destructive, but gave downtown Charleston an unmatchable fireworks display in the fading twilight of the West Virginia sky (first 4 photos at right).
The squall line moved into town around 8:30, with most of the electrical activity in a strong cell to the north. A smaller storm cell passed to the south, leaving the downtown area with only a brief heavy shower.
 After taking some shots from the South Side bridge, I headed east and caught up with the tail end of the northern storm in Handley at about 9:15 pm (radar at right). I stopped and took several shots from the railroad footbridge at the London Locks in west Handley (5th and 6th photos at right).
The storm was still producing vivid lightning as it moved on southeast, so I continued east through Montgomery to try and play 'catch up' again. But when I finally reached the storm's core near Deepwater, the storm had decided to call it a night- not another flash of lightning.
I turned around at Deepwater and headed toward home, only to meet another dying storm producing classic anvil crawlers across the horizon. I crossed the river and stopped east of Smithers along Route 60 at 10:00pm just in time to catch the last lightning flash this storm could muster (7th photo at right).
In the last photo, the P.A. Denny sternwheeler moves west on the Kanawha River as the setting sun and the storm illuminate downtown Charleston.
Camera/Lens/Film: 35mm Pentax K1000 SLR, 28mm lens, Kodak 100 ASA.
Exposure: 5 to 15 seconds @ F8 |
