Olite

Tough choice between staying in France or going to Spain for the August 15 storms. The drier, storm-favorable air and more visible lightning strikes in Spain finally convinced me to go there.

 

Our first stop was above Pamplona, where we saw some beautiful cumulus congestus forming in the glow of the sunset. We had to make a decision: either stay here or intercept the emerging cells to the south of Pamplona. The 2nd option seems the most judicious... We set off towards Olite, where the beautiful scenery should help us to cope with the storm, but we had no idea that when we reached the town of Taffala a police roadblock would block us for around 30 mins, forcing us to let the storm pass further east.

 

We arrive in Olite, and big drops start to fall, and big flashes of light indicate that a thunderstorm is exploding above us! We quickly find a spot to the west of the village, and watch the storm as it heads northeast. The image here is a composite of 2 images of lightning striking behind a line of wind turbines.

 

Olite - Spain - 15.08.2023

 

© Mathieu Goalard Photographies 2023

Done