Shasta Valley Storms

Posted by Stephen Phillips (San Francisco, United States) on 14 June 2009 in Plant & Nature and Portfolio.

My Portland trip was made more dramatic from a week-long series of storms which started in the southern Sierras of California. These violent squalls then proceeded north through the Cascade Range of Oregon into Washington State.

One 14 year old boy was seriously injured in a lightning strike near the site of yesterday's photograph - and three tornadoes were reported in Oregon near Mill City and around Salem. Naturally - this was the route I chose for my return home.

While in the Portland area - I stayed at my brother's home in Tigard. We were like teenagers watching the lightning bolts dance across the sky and then counting the seconds before the thunder would shake the world (or so it seemed)...

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Comments (13)

yz from Budapest, Hungary

great stormy mood, love the light and colors

14 Jun 2009 7:43am

Marie LC from Voiron, France

Cette photo me fait penser au parc national de Tsavo au Kenya. Il y pousse la même végétation en apparence et les couleurs y font également penser

14 Jun 2009 8:00am

Mirko Herzner from Mühlheim am Main, Germany

I love the dramatic mood in this shot, Stephen. The muted colors add even more of the same...

14 Jun 2009 10:24am

Susan from Fort Lauderdale, FL, United States

Wonderful shot Stephen......sounds like you guys had fun in the lightening storm....I do a very similar thing when the constant summer storms crop up here...sit on the balcony, and watch the lightening......and much more dramatic when it happens at night....the closer and louder it is, the better I like it!!! (as long as i'm under cover!!)

14 Jun 2009 3:41pm

observing from North West, United Kingdom

Super shot Stephen, take care with the lightning, very strange weather in these times..!

14 Jun 2009 4:18pm

Alun from cheshire, United Kingdom

great shot, love the dramatic weather

14 Jun 2009 7:19pm

Liang from San Francisco, United States

that must have been some adventure though, driving through the pacific northwest. But to photograph extreme weather is very difficult, I can understand. this shot's framing is superb, dramatic clouds and great color usage.

14 Jun 2009 8:14pm

dj.tigersprout from New York City, United States

this is truly gorgeous Stephen!! beautiful light and what a landscape!

14 Jun 2009 11:51pm

grant from kansas city, United States

love it - the land is interesting, and i like the detailed foreground. and then that sky!

15 Jun 2009 2:19am

sherri from Little Rock, Arkansas, United States

It's a shame storms are so beautiful. You never know when you've captured something that later did a great deal of damage.

15 Jun 2009 5:18am

Lesley from Lincoln, United States

Awesome shot you have here. I love the dramatic feeling of those clouds!
Three tornadoes near Salem?! That's quite unusual for Oregon. We're used to them here. Well, as used to natural disasters as one can get.

15 Jun 2009 10:49am