Charged Wind Farm

Lightning stabs from beneath the edge of a supercell in this view of the northeast sky along County Road D15 near the intersection of County Road N33 about 1.5 west of Knoke, Iowa around 9:42 PM, Saturday, April 9, 2011. Strong RFD winds made it difficult to keep the camera steady on its tripod. The storm system, which at this time was beginning to weaken, was continuing northeast after having wrought numerous tornadoes in the northwest part of the state. A moderate risk for tornadoes on this day by the SPC (Storm Prediction Center) escalated into a full-fledged outbreak. This was the last observation site for our two-vehicle chase group, finally calling it a weary but exhilarating evening of chase. Our vehicle would not return home to Cedar Rapids until 1:45 early the next morning, about 670 miles distance from our departure. The lights in the background of this image belong to a large wind farm.