Rolling by

Early this morning we were woken up several times by loud rolling thunder.  When I got up to try to record it, I also noticed flashes of lightning off to the southeast.

First, here's a very quick video clip of the lightning: 

 

And if you'd like to hear the associated thunder, here's a short audio clip.  (The thunder might be easier to hear with headphones.)

nhbh · thunder 2023.01.08

[Note: If you're reading this by e-mail and can't see the video or audio players, click on the title of the post to go directly to the NHBH website to access the clips.]

Morning light show

I'm guessing that many of you woke up this morning (16 August 2020) to the intense thunder and lightning storm across the Bay Area.  It was one of the most amazing lightning storms I've ever experienced.  It was so incredible that it was hard to do anything other than watch and listen, but Eric and I managed a couple of rough recordings.  

Eric captured these video clips with a point-and-shoot camera just outside our front door in Cotati.  The video is ~30 seconds long, so be sure to watch through the dark sections (there are lightning flashes at 1 second, 10 seconds, 18 seconds, and 28 seconds).  [If you can't see the video player in your e-mail, click on the title of the post above to go to the NHBH website.]

 

I recorded some audio examples of the thunder.  The lightning was really the show-stopper during this storm, and I realized later that I sometimes exclaimed during some of the recording.  Oh, well!  Perhaps it reveals the intensity of the storm.  

Three audio examples below.  Listen with headphones if you can.  You might need to turn up the volume of your speakers.  [If you can't see the audio files below, click on the title of this post to go to the NHBH website.]

Audio example 1 (includes two episodes of thunder):

nhbh · thunder1 sones 16aug2020

Audio example 2:

nhbh · thunder2 sones 16aug2020

Audio example 3:

nhbh · thunder3 sones 16aug2020

Morning and afternoon views

 

This morning a Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) rested at our water bath for a few minutes.  It was a good opportunity for a close view of the beautiful pale blue color around its eye.

This afternoon Eric looked out to the east and asked, "Why is it so dark outside?"

 

Then we heard the thunder, saw several lightning flashes, and watched as a long rainbow formed and paused over the inland mountains:

 

 

Here's to being hopeful during stressful times.

Stormwatcher

At around 10:30 a.m. this morning (28 March 2019), we could see some serious dark clouds to the northwest:

 

Later, I checked the radar and this is what the NWS Bay Area radar showed at ~10:50 a.m.:

 

What did that look like on the ground?

I had walked out to take a photo of some of the weather instruments with the squall in the background.  This photo is from ~10:53 a.m.:

 

And here's a close-up of those dramatic clouds soon after:

 

There were a few lightning strikes in the distance and some thunder.  I didn't get a great photo, but since lightning is rare in Bodega Bay, here's one still shot pulled from a video clip:

 

I didn't know it at the time, but Alex took a picture of me taking a picture of the approaching storm.  Fun!

 

It started raining soon after this.  We received ~0.8 inches of rain during the day, bringing the rainfall year total in Bodega Bay to ~40 inches (103 cm).

June thunderstorm

Late in the day, I looked up to see dark clouds on the eastern horizon:

 

Not too long after, a very loud clap of thunder rolled across the sky.  The thunder lasted for about 25-30 minutes, so I recorded a few examples.  The recordings are best heard with headphones, if you have them.  Otherwise, you might need to turn up the volume of your speakers.  [If you can't see the audio files below, click on the title of the post above to go to the website.]

It started to rain...and then the storm decided to add some pea-sized hail:

 

The thunderstorm moved off to the south, and the sky started to clear, but this wonderful storm ended with a grand finale:

 

 

Photos and recordings are from Cotati on 11 June 2017.

 

Hailman!

The forecast called for a chance of thunderstorms, and possible hail.  I was hopeful, but often these predictions fall short.  That was not the case today.

Around mid-day, we were treated to an amazing series of showers and thunderstorms, including lightning.  If you've been following the blog for a while, you know I can't resist recording thunder.  So here you go, two of the better thunder rolls from today.  Remember to turn your volume up.  If you have headphones, the listening experience is even better with them.  (There are a few birds calling, too — you'll hear Oak Titmice and American Crows.)





In the late afternoon we decided to go for a very short walk in Santa Rosa.  As we started down the trail, I was puzzled by what looked like ice among the grass.  When we looked closer, we realized it was hail!

 

We had only seen a tiny bit of hail at our house, but this was impressive.  In some areas, e.g., under shade and in low spots, the hail was so dense it looked like snow.  And then Eric had a brilliant idea:

 

A hailman!  For New Englanders who have been missing snowmen, this was the closest we've come to building one in Sonoma County since moving here 10 years ago.  I just wish the hailman didn't melt so quickly!  (And if we had known there had been so much hail, we certainly would have brought trays to try sledding.  Next time.)

Here are a few more pictures of the hail.  This was around 4-5 p.m.  I wish I had been there several hours earlier to see the new fallen hail.

Next to the trunk of a buckeye tree:

 

Surrounding stones next to a creek:

 

With ferns and moss:

 

The clouds associated with this thunder and hail were impressive.  Two examples after the storms had passed:

 

...thunder!

Okay, here you go...the audio file to match the lightning video. (If you can't see the audio file below, just click on the title of this post to access it on the website.)

Enjoy the thunder! 



P.S.  Since you were so patient, I've added a couple of bonus pictures.

It was still quite stormy this morning (3 December 2014), so I took a quick look at the ocean during a break in the rain.  Lots of seabirds were moving, including hundreds of Bonaparte's Gulls (first two images below) and small flocks of murrelets, with most appearing to be Ancient Murrelets (last two images below).

These pictures are a bit blurry because it was very windy at the time (~30 mph with gusts to 35) and the birds were pretty far out.  But I thought you'd still like to know about these "storm birds."

 

 

 

 

A visit from Thor

My family and friends on the East Coast might be surprised by this post, but we don't get thunderstorms here very often, so last night was a big deal.  The newspapers (Press Democrat, SF Chronicle) reported 400-500 lightning strikes in the North Bay area.

I had a funny experience with the thunder associated with this lightning.  For years I have been hoping to make an audio recording of thunder.  So when I awoke to hear the thunder early this morning, I thought to myself, "Now is your opportunity.  If the thunder comes closer, you should try to record it."  But my recorder was in the car.  Do I get out of bed and shuffle to the car in the dark to get the recorder or not?  

Well, thunder is rare enough here that I decided to go for it.  I got dressed, opened the door, took two steps outside, and the sky absolutely lit up as if it was daylight and the thunder crackled and roared like nothing I'd heard in years.  Okay, I said, the thunder is close enough to record!  And it's worth getting the recorder!

So here are a few recordings of thunder in our yard in Sebastopol at ~2:30 a.m. on 10 June 2013.  You may need to turn up your volume, as some of the rumblings are very low in pitch.  And remember to keep listening through the quieter moments.  One of the most dramatic things about thunder is not knowing when different sounds are going to form!  (If you have headphones available, I recommend listening with them.)


thunder1 by nhbh

thunder2 by nhbh

thunder3 by nhbh


P.S.  I read that in Norse mythology Thor is associated with thunder, hence the title of this post.