Nocturnal Florida Atlantic Lightning Timelapse Hunt

Cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning strike at sunset earlier this month over the Florida Kissimmee Prairies.

Update: 5:37am ET - Sunrise about an hour away, and all the convection has been well to the east over the Bahamas with only isolated showers over the Gulf Stream. Packing it up and will try the evening storms moving offshore later tonight for the lightning sequence.

Hunting For Ocean Nocturnal Lightning Before Season Ends For Timelapse

I’m on a mission the next two overnights and pre-dawn hours for nocturnal lightning storms to film a few HD video timelapses. Yesterday was the first day of Fall, and the Florida wet season will be coming to an end real soon as we move into October. The last few days have been active with afternoon seabreeze thunderstorms, and nocturnal storms just off the Atlantic and Gulf coast waters.

There is a trough moving into the Southeast United States and northern Florida the next 24-48 hours, and another weak trough currently over the Bahamas. Both of these features, including elevated moisture levels, are helping to enhance the showers and thunderstorms each day and overnight. I fear the end of the  rainy season is near, and I have yet to capture one of the timelapse sequences that I planned earlier this summer. I have shot over two dozen storm timelapses this summer and very pleased with the results, but I still need to capture that vivid long-exposure lighting storm convection off the Atlantic waters that I seek prior to dawn.

I’m hoping early this morning will pay off with the land breeze boundary setting up offshore and giving me some storms to work with before the sun breaks the horizon. I’ll give it another go early tomorrow morning (Sunday) even if I’m successful today as long as it looks to be active offshore between St. Lucie County southward to Miami-Dade County. I’ll let you know how it goes…wish me luck!