Stormy Sky Over Dallas, Texas

Photographer: Barbara J. Williams
Summary Author: Barbara J. Williams; Jim Foster

The photo above showing a stormy, apricot sky was taken just before sunset near Dallas, Texas on June 10, 2009. I was vacationing in the Dallas area when a powerful storm developed during the late afternoon. A local television weatherman mentioned that it was the worst storm he had seen in all of his 33 years as a forecaster. Over 1,200 lightning strikes were recorded in 5 minutes! It was terrifying. I live in California and had never witnessed anything like this. Though the intensity of the storm had subsided when this picture was snapped, the sky seems to retain a residue from the numerous electrical discharges. The presence of droopy mammatus clouds magnifies the menacing sky. See also the Earth Science Picture of the Day for August 7, 2009.