My little chase-tunity

I was distracted by scrapbooking yesterday morning. Tired of the monotony, I protested my blog, the NWS, other blogs... I didn't check anything, didn't update, just went about my business... I guess you could say I was on strike. My friends came down, and we went to dinner, and I had a good weather-less time! On the way back is when I shot the above shot on the western horizon. I got home, and I was just about to settle down and enjoy some more scrapbooking when it happened. I heard rumbles of thunder. I rushed to my computer and pulled up GR, saw the cell just to my north and ran outside... there it was, pushing south right outside my door. Lightning was popping like crazy, and it was too close for me to stay there, but I did fire off a few shots of the sky to my southeast. The pinks and blues are true to what I remember them looking like. You can see my anemometer in the picture, but I thought that added character... lol. By this time, I figured that I had enough captures on radar to show a trend for direction by this time, so I was on my way. I was racing to get ahead of it, but it was fast approaching and lightning was firing all around me. Lots of close calls, so I didn't dare get out and shoot (be smart. live to chase another day... rule #3.) At a point, though, I did stop to snap some of the beautiful storm following me... With the sun setting, it lit up the structure beautifully... I posted that pic yesterday, but I just love it... and you can see how close the downpour was behind me. I was running out of daylight, so I snatched a shot at an intersection of the magnificent cell that I was desperately trying to get ahead of. So, please pardon the bug splatter on the windshield... I didn't have time to clean off the windows. So, I hop on the interstate, racing south to try to find a spot well ahead and with a great view. I couldn't ever get well ahead of it (doggone construction zones messed me up...). I did end up pulling off though, found me a dirt road between two fields (that I almost got stuck on... when the dark crept up on me, and I realized that the drop off on either side was steep and the banks were thick sand... scary moment, but I figured it out.) I set up the tripod on my lap and shot out my window, but I wasn't able to get anything... lightning-wise. Those are the breaks. I was there. I was shooting, just not too lucky. I did get to scope out the chase options to my south. I went to seek out a better spot, ended up at the air traffic control tower, where two firefighters stood right in front of my van looking at me like I was an alien, while I mised two awesome strikes. Good grief. Doesn't matter, I had fun, and hey, I caught a rainbow on Friday!!!

What do we have to look forward to?

CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY FROM YESTERDAY IS DIMINISHING WITH ONLY A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS AT THIS TIME...I WAS TEMPTED TO REMOVE POPS ENTIRELY UP NORTH...BUT I JUST CAN`T RULE OUT A STRAY SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM IN THE AFTERNOON... MONDAY... ALMOST A POP FREE DAY ACROSS THE REGION. WITH GOOD AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE NAM AND GFS THAT MONDAY SHOULD BE MAINLY DRY... ESPECIALLY IN GEORGIA...

No worries, Tuesday looks to be a better day... almost likely convection... but not quite. I love Kelly's AFDs.

Have a great day!
~Dewdrop