Words/images COPYRIGHT © 2021 by Chris Kridler. All rights reserved. Do not use Sky Diary photos on other Web sites. Personal use as computer wallpaper is permitted, but do not distribute photos. Write for information about purchasing video, photographs or articles. | Frequently asked questions

To see a larger version of a photo, just click on its thumbnail image below. Then, to get back to this page, hit the "back" button on your browser. Photos noted as taken from video were shot with a digital video camera.

September 4, 2000: A Labor Day storm produces branchy lightning west of Cocoa, Florida. Image from slide.	The hurricane season for Florida was almost unbelievably quiet. I was determined to chase Hurricane Gordon on September 17, but it turned out to be quite pathetic. Image from video.

My drive from the east coast of Florida to the west was unencumbered by tornadic activity, despite morning tornado warnings that got me out of bed in the first place. At this point, in late afternoon, Gordon was declared a tropical storm. Image from video.	As I neared Cedar Key, after being turned away from the coast by Yankeetown police, there was no rain, and sunlight even showed through the clouds. Image from video.

I got on the road leading out to Cedar Key and stopped by this church, where giant mosquitoes were buzzing around the car. The most fascinating thing about the sky was the clouds racing in different directions at different altitudes above my head, but the wind wasn't even strong enough to bend the palm trees. Image from slide.	I decided to bag the chase within a few miles of Cedar Key as darkness was falling. I deemed the tropical-storm waves not worth more sleep deprivation. I was treated to these ominous clouds before darkness and the long drive home. Image from video.

Some lightning on September 26 helped redeem the disheartening Gordon experience. Here distant bolts are seen from Satellite Beach, looking north over the Atlantic coast. Image from slide.	At Port Canaveral, the bolts were as pretty as the lights on the water. Image from slide.

Links to 2000 chase images:

• April 15-16: Storms and lightning spark the skies over the Space Coast in Florida
• May 9-11: The Plains chase begins, and a beast of a storm produces damaging tornadoes in Iowa
• May 12-13: Mushy storms in Illinois are heavy with warnings and hot with lightning; plus an eerie sunset
• May 16: A storm in eastern Wyoming produces picturesque funnels and a quick tornado
• May 17-24: A smorgasbord of storms, including a beautiful little bomb in Arkansas
• May 25-27: Panhandle lightning, a shear funnel, and an amazing white funnel in Texas that really wanted to be a tornado
• May 29-June 2: A gorgeous, weird storm in Nebraska and a dust storm that blew away a greenhouse in Goodland, Kansas
• June 24-July 29: Spectacular lightning storms and gust fronts sweep through Florida
• August 5-20: An ocean rainbow and a trip to the Florida Keys for a waterspout and glorious skies
• August 25: A night of brilliant lightning in three different locations
• August 26: A chase across Florida, from Vero Beach to Sarasota, through lots of hot bolts
• September 4-26: Nifty lightning and a chase of marginal Hurricane Gordon