Chris Kridler | Sky Diary Productions
  • books
    • Storm Seekers Series
    • Funnel Vision
    • Tornado Pinball
    • Zap Bang
    • interview with Chris Kridler
    • author photos and book covers
  • galleries
    • photography
    • video
    • Short documentary film ‘Hourglass’
    • Short documentary film ‘Chasing Reality’
    • Short animated film ‘The Chase: A Silly Storm Safari’
  • services
    • overview & contact
    • book editing & author services
    • privacy
  • bio
    • bio and credits
    • interview with Chris Kridler
    • author photos and book covers
  • blog
    • most recent posts
    • posts on writing
    • posts on storm chasing
  • storm chasing
    • Sky Diary Storm Chasing
    • Storm chasing reports
    • Sky Diary Kidstorm
    • Storm Stuff Store
    • YouTube channel
    • Chase data

A crazy week for Florida storms

Storm chasing|Florida, photography, storm chasing, weather|July 27, 2014
Home » blog » Storm chasing » A crazy week for Florida storms
The last gasp of lightning on July 24, as seen looking south from Rockledge, Florida. Photo by Chris Kridler, ChrisKridler.com, SkyDiary.com

The last gasp of lightning on July 24, as seen looking south from Rockledge, Florida. Photo by Chris Kridler, ChrisKridler.com, SkyDiary.com

One of the reasons I moved to Florida in 1999 was to enjoy the lightning storms. I was living in the mid-Atlantic and had gotten into chasing storms in Tornado Alley two years earlier. I looked into moving to Oklahoma, but career and geography conspired to bring me to Florida. The one thing I didn’t realize was that so few of the lightning storms in the Sunshine State are at night. Most happen during the day. And getting to a storm an hour away in Florida is not nearly as easy as getting to one in Tornado Alley. Why? It’s not just because of the traffic and road network. It’s because Florida storms tend to be short-lived; by the time you hit the road to catch that storm 45 miles away, it’s faded to a misty memory.

A shelf cloud as shot from Cocoa, Florida, on July 25, 2014. Photo by Chris Kridler, ChrisKridler.com, SkyDiary.com

A shelf cloud as shot from Cocoa, Florida, on July 25, 2014. Photo by Chris Kridler, ChrisKridler.com, SkyDiary.com

This past week was par for the course – and the one night a little lightning hung on after dark on the east coast, where I live, I didn’t get to it until it was nearly gone. But I’ve had a crazy smorgasbord of storms upon which to feast, yielding a nice photo or two almost every day. Florida has amazing striated shelf clouds, formed by cool air pushing out from thunderstorms. And boundary collisions tend to cause quick funnels and tornadoes; I was at a small get-together at a friend’s house when a funnel cloud (not a tornado, because it didn’t connect with the ground, at least that we saw) formed beyond their neighbors’ houses. My camera got soaking wet as I ran out in the rain in my bathing suit to try to shoot photos. What a week!

Meanwhile, I’ve been working late on revisions and editing of “Zap Bang,” the final novel in the Storm Seekers trilogy. I’m thrilled to be wrapping up the story and heartbroken to be leaving these characters. It’s coming very soon!

This funnel cloud formed in Viera on July 26. Photo by Chris Kridler, ChrisKridler.com, SkyDiary.com

This funnel cloud formed in Viera on July 26. Photo by Chris Kridler, ChrisKridler.com, SkyDiary.com

A note for e-mail subscribers: I am phasing out the Feedburner e-mail service, since Google no longer supports it and I can no longer access it. Please use the link to the right on my site to sign up for the new e-mail list; if you get two copies, please unsubscribe from the Feedburner e-mail. I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but I’m at the mercy of the vagaries of the mega-corporation.

July 27, 2014 Chris Kridler

Related Posts

  • 8 May 2022: Mystic moments of peace at Carhenge in NebraskaMay 8, 2022
  • 7 May 2022: Twine, trains and storms from Kansas to NebraskaMay 7, 2022
  • 6 May 2022: Two storm chasers on the road west with a plastic cowMay 6, 2022

Popular Posts

  • Storm chasers, media, public all had role in drama of El Reno tornadoJune 5, 2013
  • A cynic’s conversion to self-publishingJanuary 2, 2012
  • The Next Big Thing Blog Hop: ‘Tornado Pinball’February 6, 2013
← 14 July 2014: Shelf cloud from Cocoa to Cocoa Beach, Florida
9 August 2014: Beautiful shelf cloud in Brevard County, Florida →
Ads you see here help pay for this site. Thank you for visiting!
 

 

Storm-chasing tales

Chris's storm-chasing accounts from Sky Diary have a new home right here at ChrisKridler.com/SkyDiary.

Recent Posts

  • 8 May 2022: Mystic moments of peace at Carhenge in Nebraska
    8 May 2022: Mystic moments of peace at Carhenge in Nebraska
  • 7 May 2022: Twine, trains and storms from Kansas to Nebraska
    7 May 2022: Twine, trains and storms from Kansas to Nebraska
  • 6 May 2022: Two storm chasers on the road west with a plastic cow
    6 May 2022: Two storm chasers on the road west with a plastic cow
  • 4 May 2022: Waterspout in Cocoa, Florida
    4 May 2022: Waterspout in Cocoa, Florida
  • 30 April 2022: Nightfall at Port Canaveral – a magical timelapse video
    30 April 2022: Nightfall at Port Canaveral – a magical timelapse video
  • Giraffes, meerkats and rhinos, oh my! A fun morning at Brevard Zoo
    Giraffes, meerkats and rhinos, oh my! A fun morning at Brevard Zoo
  • Getting ready to hit the road – and looking back at 2021’s spectacular storm chase
    Getting ready to hit the road – and looking back at 2021’s spectacular storm chase
  • 3 April 2022: Bat break! Bats take flight in Rockledge, Florida
    3 April 2022: Bat break! Bats take flight in Rockledge, Florida

Subscribe on YouTube:

  YouTube channel

Like on Facebook:

  Funnel Vision severe weather
  Sky Diary Productions
  Subscribe to Chris's Facebook posts
Like this site:
Tweets by @ChrisKridler

blog tags

animals beach books cape canaveral chase reports cocktails Cocoa Colorado dogs events Florida food garden hail indie publishing Kansas launch lightning nature Nebraska New Mexico ocean Oklahoma photography Port Canaveral rainbow rocket launch severe storm shelf cloud space Space Coast spacex storm chasing supercell technology Texas timelapse tornado Tornado Alley travel tropical video waves weather writing

archive

Blogroll: Chasers

    Storm chasers I know from the road:
  • William T. Hark
  • Alethea Kontis
  • George Kourounis
  • Dave Lewison
  • Scott McPartland
  • Jason Persoff
  • Mark Robinson
  • Daniel Shaw
  • Stephen Sponsler
  • Dayna & Brad Rousseau
  • Peggy Willenberg & Melanie Metz

About the author

Chris Kridler is a writer, editor, photographer and storm chaser. Learn more in her bio, or check out her editing services, books, and photography.

Appearances

Chris Kridler is available for interviews, talks, conferences and book clubs and can discuss storm chasing, tornado and lightning safety, weather photography, topics relating to writing and self-publishing, and the Storm Seekers novels.

Contact

Click for services and contact information

Weather gifts

Shop for weather and storm chaser gifts and T-shirts

Storm Seekers

Thanks for your support!

  • > Contact
  • > Privacy policy

 

Tweets by ChrisKridler

Recent posts

  • 8 May 2022: Mystic moments of peace at Carhenge in Nebraska
  • 7 May 2022: Twine, trains and storms from Kansas to Nebraska
  • 6 May 2022: Two storm chasers on the road west with a plastic cow
  • 4 May 2022: Waterspout in Cocoa, Florida
  • 30 April 2022: Nightfall at Port Canaveral – a magical timelapse video

Get your weather gear!

Copyright © 2022 by Chris Kridler, ChrisKridler.com. All rights reserved. As an Amazon, Apple and Google Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases • Download all your favorite Chris Kridler books in ePub and mobi from your favorite retailer.