Posts in Category: Texas Weather
West Of Here: Chasing The Perseids Across Big Bend National Park
A meteor during the Perseids meteor shower viewed from Big Bend National Park near the Burro Mesa pouroff on August 12, 2016 around 4 a.m. Heavy clouds, part of a storm system from Mexico, made viewing difficult. However, at about 2 a.m., the skies cleared and debris from the Swift-Tuttle comet soared into the earth’s atmosphere. ©2016 Robert W. Hart
I sped out to Big Bend National Park, a mere nine hours west, on Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016, last week with two goals in mind. One: Photograph the Perseids Meteor shower in one of the darkest skies in North America and two: Photograph the desert storms that develop in and around the park in August. A pair of Mexican storm systems almost thwarted my meteorite plans by stalling directly over the park and surrounding area Thursday night. Fortunately, on Friday morning, the peak time for viewing the Perseids, the clouds cleared at about 2 a.m. and I was able to shoot till dawn.
Unfortunately, the wall of moisture-filled clouds up from Mexico threw a wrench in my plans for storm shooting but one does not despair when faced with the prospect of two full days working in BBNP. I made for Terlingua to stay at Villa Terlingua, the beautiful guesthouse owned by my friend Cynta De Narvaez. It’s my favorite place to stay when I’m not in a tent in the park. It’s in the ghost town but far enough away from the store and the Starlight to be quiet, even during the chili cookoffs. I shot the Perseids image with the Nikon D810 and an f/2.8 17-35mm lens at ISO 2000 and a 20-second exposure.
Villa Terlingua in Terlingua Ghost Town: My favorite place to stay in the Big Bend.
Waiting In The Rain
A young woman waits in the rain for an outdoor concert to begin in Fort Worth, Texas. ©2014 Robert W. Hart
Rain.
We miss it here in north Texas. We’ve had far too little for far too long.
I shot this photo as part of a DallasNews.com slideshow at the Most Good Music Festival in Fort Worth on September 6, 2014. Nobody, even devout concert-goers, was complaining about the rain. Jack Ingram and Stoney LaRue headlined and although several bands were rained out in the afternoon, Ingram and LaRue went on to perform in a constant drizzle.
I heard no whining.
West of Here: And The Drought Goes On
A sign encouraging passersby to pray for rain is attached to a ranch gate on Highway 1954 just south of Wichita Falls, Texas where the area is dealing with severe drought conditions. Measures are underway in Wichita Falls to convert waste water into drinking water. Some residents say they’ll pass on wastewater. ©2014 Robert W. Hart
West of Here: Texas Thunderstorms and Tornado Warnings
Montague, Texas was under a tornado warning when I arrived shortly before 7 p.m., today, May 20. This array of windmills is owned by Custom Water Company LLC. ©2013 Robert W. Hart
Dennis Mann, left, and his wife Deborah stand outside their storm cellar with neighbor Mathew Tettleton moments after tornado warning ended on Monday May 20, 2013, in Montague, Texas. When I asked Deborah if they had gone to the cellar she laughed and said, “I did, but Dennis stayed out here to make sure his truck didn’t blow away.”
©2013 Robert W. Hart
Enroute to Montague I stopped in Bowie to photograph the downtown area. Like Montague, Bowie too was under a tornado warning. ©2013 Robert W. Hart
Mammatus clouds northwest of Fort Worth, Texas on 5/20/2013 5:27 PM.
©2013 Robert W. Hart