While I have done my fair share of whining about the overall feel of the 2026 chasing season, one of the brighter themes to this year has been the over-achieving of the lower-end, marginal days. Yesterday was another tickmark in that tradition with another visually stunning storm that I was able to stay with for several hours. This year is definitely gonna be the year of the shelf cloud, and yesterday’s structure didn’t disappoint. I’ll be the first to say that once you’ve seen ten shelf clouds, you’ll see ten more, but they never fail to make for good pictures. I always have said I wasn’t a structure guy, but it’s something that grows on me a bit more and more. Maybe not to the point where I go out of my way for it, but on days I go into with a very low bar, having multiple opportunities to document good structure definitely makes for a good day. Add in some hail and some hurricane-force gusts and you have a full day. But… wait, there’s more!
One thing I NEVER EVER EVER tire of shooting… LIGHTNING! And I got a treat out of last night. I called my chase early evening after my storms got to I-76 northeast of Sterling and began to weaken substantially. Given gas prices are cheaper in Nebraska, I basically gave those storms til Ogallala to shape up, and it was there I dinnered up and fueled up ($3.79 for 87 verses $4+ in Colorado). On my way back, some garden variety storms had developed along and south of I-76 in far northeast Colorado. As I approached I-76 in Nebraska, I could see flashes, which would reveal some low-end anvil crawlers as I got closer. Occasionally, I would see something that COULD be good, but nothing blowing my socks off. Once I passed Julesburg, I would see the frequency of flashes increase, and while still low end, there were more hints that it COULD be worth a stop. After one or two “ooo, that was good” crawlers, I decided to stop at the next exit after Julesburg, which was Ovid, and camp out on a hill a couple miles south of I-76. From there, I gave my 14-24mm lens its biggest workout of the year, and for about 45 minutes, I captured a solid handful of keepers. As usual with a good lightning shoot, I was pretty elated! The results were great, and the crawlers gave way to some CG action, which was an added bonus. I shot there til about 10pm or so, rolling to Brush for a bathroom stop before finishing the drive home, rolling in about 12:30am.
Another awesome, low-end day to add to the list. Today, while not as juicy as yesterday, offers another opportunity for some fun, this time along I-70. I’ll probably depart here about lunchtime and head down to Bennett to start, following storms out I-70. Friday is also a low-end day, but looks even less than today, so I’m not as sold on Friday. I also have the burning desire to start my Football season, as Washington plays Miami in their first pre-season game of 2026. Ideally I would do that on my couch, but if there is enough to warrant a play on Friday, then I could be convinced to stream that from the road instead.
That said, great day yesterday with awesome structure, and fantastic lightning, which continues to grow a collection that was sorely lacking heading into the summer months and is now becoming a major highlight of this season.