Strong Storms Over the Olympic Mountains

June 01, 2021

 

T Storm Olympics

Photographer: Joe LaCour 

Summary Authors: Joe LaCour; Jim Foster

I captured this amazing cumulonimbus cloud formation looking south from my home near Dungeness, Washington. Though thunderstorms aren’t common in the Pacific Northwest, on occasion, convective activity above the Olympic Mountains during the late spring and summer promotes instability in the lower atmosphere. With sufficient lift and wind shear, strong updrafts and downdrafts may form, one of the hallmarks of severe thunderstorms. Note that in order to show the delicate detail that wasn’t visible on the original un-processed color image, this photo, taken on June 7, 2020, has been processed with DxO PhotoLab 3.

Photo details: Leica M9 camera; 35mm Summicron lens; f2; ISO; 160 sec. exposure; f/11.