An Unexpected Storm

 Yesterday Tom and I drove out to my brothers at 1:30 pm to help him move a television. We stayed for some time and then stopped at Captain 9's on the way home for some breaded mushrooms (we each had only a single ear of corn for lunch). As we approached home - about 3 pm - I mentioned to Tom about how dark the sky was getting to our north. The original forecast showed no chance of rain.

 But soon thereafter we had a shower and by 4 pm we were surrounded by thunderstorms. Again we had very little rain here (just 0.03"). Tom was trying to use the computer and we lost power three times.

 About 4 pm as the storm was retreating to our south, I stood at the bedroom window and saw vivid lightning to my southeast (roughly towards Miamisburg). Germantown, I understand, had wind damage from this storm.

 I picked up the Canon and shot video towards the area where the lightning was greatest. Here's two views of the same lightning bolt, fractions of a second apart ...

 This initial stroke was almost "clean", just a jagged path to ground.

 But as the power ramped up and the air heated, tendrils of juice spit off to the sides of the main bolt.

 That was it ... just a quick summer thunderstorm built up by daytime heating. Unexpected and welcome at the same time.