Preparing for landing - stock photo

What a surprise! 19.07.2015 just North of Alzey (Rhineland-Palatinate). I stayed all night long on a field in the middle of nowhere and monitored a weak rain cluster near Paris. And every time I looked on a weather radar I wanted to turn back and go home. But some weather models indicated good conditions in Germany, so it was possible that the cluster will become more intense here. After the cluster crossed the German border the activity strengthened and the system began to shear eastward - all good signs which validated the weather model calculations. Shortly after 5 AM the south flank of the system arrived at my spot. Here is how it looked like shortly before sunrise - a very photogenic updraft and lightnings, which made the moment more special.