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STORM FILE · Stormchasing
A dark cloud edge moves into view above the meadows near Culemborg. Above it sit layers of blue-grey clouds; below, the sky grows darker towards the horizon. This is exactly why I am in the Netherlands today: to watch thunderstorms, capture their structures and see how the forecast situation develops.
01 / FIELD NOTE
Approaching from the southwest
At the start of the trip, I am focused on a thunderstorm cell over Belgium heading towards Antwerp. It is moving from southwest to northeast. I set off early to position myself along its track.
I intercept the storm near Culemborg. The open landscape offers a clear view of the approaching shelf cloud, with lightning on the horizon. The pronounced cloud edge above the fields is the main subject of this trip — a shelf cloud, not a supercell.
02 / FIELD NOTE
Between cloud structures and lightning photography
The camera is ready. The sky changes in front of me as I try to capture lightning as well as clouds. The remaining daylight makes it difficult: it is still quite bright for photographing lightning.
The video also captures a very different moment: saying goodnight to my son. Between radar checks, camera work and watching the storm comes his request that I take care of myself. A brief, personal pause in the middle of the chase.
As the guests at the nearby café leave, I keep my attention on the sky. The layered clouds become the main subject. The photograph with the camera in the foreground captures that moment: my small setup beneath an enormous blanket of cloud.
03 / FIELD NOTE
When the storm reaches Culemborg
The distinctive shelf cloud approaches and eventually passes over my position. Strong gusts, heavy rain and small hail follow. Observing cloud structures becomes a direct encounter with the storm.
04 / FIELD NOTE
Following the front
After the storm passes over me, I continue northeast. Lightning is still visible. In the video, I mention heading towards Arnhem. There, a practical limit to further observation becomes clear: woodland blocks the view of the weather.
The front continues north-northeast. For me, the chase eventually ends with the drive home. What remains is the distinctive shelf cloud, the lightning and its passage with strong gusts, heavy rain and small hail, captured in my photographs and video.