The photo was taken from a mountain just behind my house. The rain shower is in the location where most of our local weather comes from to the southwest.
Today we’re also having a little rain, the last that is forecast for at least the next week. I don’t relish the idea of hot, dry weather coming. On the news this morning a story reported that now Montana has more land on fire than anywhere in the US, over 200,000 acres.
I’m sorry that so much of your state is burning, but that’s interesting. I haven’t heard anything about fires in Montana here-all we hear on the news is about the Colorado and New Mexico fires. You would think they would have at least mentioned that 200,000 acres were burning in Montana!
So far the fires here, although very large, haven’t taken the toll on homes that the ones in Colorado, Utah, Nevada and New Mexico have. So far also they have been east of the Continental Divide, but our time here is coming I know. It’s very dry at the lower elevations. Today I was up over 7000 feet and it’s still nice and green up there, fortunately.
We have had lots of days with rain, but not a lot of volume right here. Other parts of northwest Montana had record rainfall for June. The downside is of course that after a wet spring a week or two of heat and a little wind create near-perfect fire weather.
I’m worried about that here, especially considering that with no fire season to speak of the last several years, everything is quite brushy. Fingers crossed for your neck of the woods and mine!
Especially when you are on mountain tops. Several times each summer I hike to a tall peak near here and many times I have been up there when small storms were floating around and I was able to see them from above.
It is so beautiful to see the rain at a distance like that. Hope it was enough rain to protect your area from wildfires … the west is experiencing way too many.
Just a few drops made it across the river from that little shower, but we did had a nice rain later that night. Every bit of rain helps, but when it gets hot and dry here for a few weeks, the fire conditions quickly become extreme.
A beautiful photo. When I lived in LIberia, we never could see weather coming – you only could feel the change, and then hear it. There’s nothing like it. I sometimes wondered from what distance we could hear the rain. When it’s pouring down on all that greenery, it makes quite a sound! (Last year, during the drought, I found an hour-long youtube that looped rain and thunderstorms. In the absence of the real thing, it was quite nice.)
When I saw this gorgeous photo of gentle rain I was overjoyed. The next thing I thought of was that I hoped there no lightning with it. But I’m sorry to hear you’ll have another heat wave with no rain… Each day we hope we all get through this summer with as little disaster as possible. This photo shows only too clearly what a treasure lies in the balance. Many thanks.
There was no lightning with this one. A few nights ago though we had a very nice thunderstorm and best of all it carried with it a heavy rain. Fire has always been a part of the forests and a very necessary part for some of the plants and animals. In the last twenty years or so though, the influx of people and their homes into forested areas has presented the opportunity for human tragedy and I feel very badly for those who are affected.
Thanks for this comment. It would be wonderful if people had more respect for the land. Right next door from me a neighbor build a garage into the bottom of a hill. Ever since it’s been flooded with each rain. If we could only use some common sense …
Thanks! My home and surroundings are relatively fire safe but there are many not too far away that are always at risk, and they will be especially so this summer I’m afraid. At the present time there are over 300 square miles on fire in Montana and many more fires are expected as the weather heats up.
I see Colorado was finally getting a forest watering today… a bit too late for some, but welcomed by others I’m sure. There is peace in that photograph!
Yes, the rain will help the situations in Colorado. I hope it will continue!
Yes, those mountains are peaceful places. At least once each summer I walk a trail that winds along on that high ridge behind the rain storm and just enjoy the wild forest. It’s a wonderful place to be!
Thanks Finn. Nature’s cycles are amazing and fascinating. Sadly though, I think it may take a longer lifetime than we have to fully understand and appreciate them.
That does have a cool look to it, doesn’t it. On my way back down the mountain just a little of that rain reached me and it felt so good I left my poncho in my pack and just enjoyed the rain.
That is across the river from where I live. That range of mountains gets quite a bit of rain and even though it is only a few miles away, much more than here.
Well, now we’re into the heat of summer and it is getting very dry. There was a small wildfire just a couple of miles west of us this afternoon and it’s likely there will be many more. The clouds that have come this way from the monsoons to the south are high and contain some lightning, but any rain that they contain falls as virga.
Pretty scene, isn’t it! I climbed up the mountain behind my house just to look around and this was what appeared to the south. I love these Montana mountains!
Beautiful clouds and lighting effects. I love the mountain scenery.
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Comment by Jo Woolf — July 3, 2012 @ 12:42 am
The photo was taken from a mountain just behind my house. The rain shower is in the location where most of our local weather comes from to the southwest.
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Comment by montucky — July 3, 2012 @ 8:29 am
What a beautiful vista… ♥
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Comment by FeyGirl — July 3, 2012 @ 5:22 am
I can’t resist taking a shot of a rain shower!
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Comment by montucky — July 3, 2012 @ 8:30 am
They can be so hard to capture… This shot came out beautifully!
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Comment by FeyGirl — July 3, 2012 @ 8:32 am
Thanks. Yes, the light conditions that make that so pretty are very fragile and elusive.
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Comment by montucky — July 3, 2012 @ 8:41 am
I like this dramatic light in this beautiful landscape.
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Comment by bentehaarstad — July 3, 2012 @ 5:34 am
Yes, on a cloudy day with a few windows for the sun, the light can do wonderful things!
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Comment by montucky — July 3, 2012 @ 8:32 am
Beautiful view. I’m glad you’re finally getting some much needed rain!
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Comment by New Hampshire Gardener — July 3, 2012 @ 6:00 am
Today we’re also having a little rain, the last that is forecast for at least the next week. I don’t relish the idea of hot, dry weather coming. On the news this morning a story reported that now Montana has more land on fire than anywhere in the US, over 200,000 acres.
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Comment by montucky — July 3, 2012 @ 8:35 am
I’m sorry that so much of your state is burning, but that’s interesting. I haven’t heard anything about fires in Montana here-all we hear on the news is about the Colorado and New Mexico fires. You would think they would have at least mentioned that 200,000 acres were burning in Montana!
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Comment by New Hampshire Gardener — July 5, 2012 @ 6:40 am
So far the fires here, although very large, haven’t taken the toll on homes that the ones in Colorado, Utah, Nevada and New Mexico have. So far also they have been east of the Continental Divide, but our time here is coming I know. It’s very dry at the lower elevations. Today I was up over 7000 feet and it’s still nice and green up there, fortunately.
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Comment by montucky — July 5, 2012 @ 9:07 pm
It’s always fun to watch the rain move across the land.
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Comment by Homestead Ramblings — July 3, 2012 @ 6:57 am
I love seeing it too. Seeing showers like that in that area is very common but I never tire of seeing them.
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Comment by montucky — July 3, 2012 @ 8:37 am
Mother Nature has been quite zealous about watering her gardens this spring, at least in eastern Washington! Has it been the same for you?
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Comment by aarontheisen — July 3, 2012 @ 7:04 am
We have had lots of days with rain, but not a lot of volume right here. Other parts of northwest Montana had record rainfall for June. The downside is of course that after a wet spring a week or two of heat and a little wind create near-perfect fire weather.
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Comment by montucky — July 3, 2012 @ 8:39 am
I’m worried about that here, especially considering that with no fire season to speak of the last several years, everything is quite brushy. Fingers crossed for your neck of the woods and mine!
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Comment by aarontheisen — July 3, 2012 @ 3:56 pm
Very pretty, Montucky.
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Comment by seekraz — July 3, 2012 @ 10:27 am
Thanks Scott.
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Comment by montucky — July 3, 2012 @ 9:11 pm
Very welcome.
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Comment by seekraz — July 3, 2012 @ 9:56 pm
This is what I love about the west. Weather patterns can be seen for miles! Superb image!!!
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Comment by dhphotosite — July 3, 2012 @ 11:05 am
Especially when you are on mountain tops. Several times each summer I hike to a tall peak near here and many times I have been up there when small storms were floating around and I was able to see them from above.
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Comment by montucky — July 3, 2012 @ 9:13 pm
Wow that must be the coolest!!!
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Comment by dhphotosite — July 4, 2012 @ 7:33 am
It’s wonderful!
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Comment by montucky — July 5, 2012 @ 8:57 pm
It is so beautiful to see the rain at a distance like that. Hope it was enough rain to protect your area from wildfires … the west is experiencing way too many.
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Comment by bearyweather — July 3, 2012 @ 12:33 pm
Just a few drops made it across the river from that little shower, but we did had a nice rain later that night. Every bit of rain helps, but when it gets hot and dry here for a few weeks, the fire conditions quickly become extreme.
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Comment by montucky — July 3, 2012 @ 9:15 pm
Such a neat picture! I love watching rain move in, but I’ve never tried taking pictures of it.
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Comment by Mama's Empty Nest — July 3, 2012 @ 1:18 pm
That was just a nice combination of a small storm and a little sunlight through the clouds. You have to be fast on the shutter!
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Comment by montucky — July 3, 2012 @ 9:17 pm
A beautiful photo. When I lived in LIberia, we never could see weather coming – you only could feel the change, and then hear it. There’s nothing like it. I sometimes wondered from what distance we could hear the rain. When it’s pouring down on all that greenery, it makes quite a sound! (Last year, during the drought, I found an hour-long youtube that looped rain and thunderstorms. In the absence of the real thing, it was quite nice.)
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Comment by shoreacres — July 3, 2012 @ 2:17 pm
I love the sound of a rain storm sweeping across the forest. Sometimes it will come over the ridges in waves. Warm summer rains are marvelous things!
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Comment by montucky — July 3, 2012 @ 9:37 pm
Hi Montucky, Wonderful shot of the rainstorm! Beautiful! Have a fine evening and a really nice Fourth of July tomorrow!
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Comment by wildlifewatcher — July 3, 2012 @ 2:43 pm
Thank you! I hope you have an enjoyable Independence day!
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Comment by montucky — July 3, 2012 @ 9:38 pm
This is a wonderful shot! The trees and bits of color in the foreground offset the mountains so well.
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Comment by sandy — July 3, 2012 @ 3:02 pm
That’s why I love to be in the mountains. I could never leave this place of scenes like that.
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Comment by montucky — July 3, 2012 @ 9:40 pm
That view doesn’t even look real. So beautiful. Thanks for sharing the bit of heaven!
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Comment by Patty — July 3, 2012 @ 6:21 pm
I know what you mean. This country can be overwhelming in its beauty.
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Comment by montucky — July 3, 2012 @ 9:42 pm
When I saw this gorgeous photo of gentle rain I was overjoyed. The next thing I thought of was that I hoped there no lightning with it. But I’m sorry to hear you’ll have another heat wave with no rain… Each day we hope we all get through this summer with as little disaster as possible. This photo shows only too clearly what a treasure lies in the balance. Many thanks.
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Comment by snowbirdpress — July 3, 2012 @ 7:28 pm
There was no lightning with this one. A few nights ago though we had a very nice thunderstorm and best of all it carried with it a heavy rain. Fire has always been a part of the forests and a very necessary part for some of the plants and animals. In the last twenty years or so though, the influx of people and their homes into forested areas has presented the opportunity for human tragedy and I feel very badly for those who are affected.
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Comment by montucky — July 3, 2012 @ 9:50 pm
Thanks for this comment. It would be wonderful if people had more respect for the land. Right next door from me a neighbor build a garage into the bottom of a hill. Ever since it’s been flooded with each rain. If we could only use some common sense …
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Comment by snowbirdpress — July 4, 2012 @ 2:49 pm
Sadly, common sense is at a low ebb, as is the general understanding of the natural world.
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Comment by montucky — July 5, 2012 @ 9:09 pm
I pray you and your vistas are safe from the fires this year.
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Comment by jomegat — July 3, 2012 @ 8:22 pm
Thanks! My home and surroundings are relatively fire safe but there are many not too far away that are always at risk, and they will be especially so this summer I’m afraid. At the present time there are over 300 square miles on fire in Montana and many more fires are expected as the weather heats up.
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Comment by montucky — July 3, 2012 @ 9:54 pm
I see Colorado was finally getting a forest watering today… a bit too late for some, but welcomed by others I’m sure. There is peace in that photograph!
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Comment by kcjewel — July 3, 2012 @ 9:54 pm
Yes, the rain will help the situations in Colorado. I hope it will continue!
Yes, those mountains are peaceful places. At least once each summer I walk a trail that winds along on that high ridge behind the rain storm and just enjoy the wild forest. It’s a wonderful place to be!
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Comment by montucky — July 3, 2012 @ 10:00 pm
Kinda looks like “mist” back in those hills. I’m sure it wasn’t… to be seen that far away. But I like the illusion! ;o)
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Comment by Stacey Dawn — July 3, 2012 @ 11:54 pm
Yes, but a heavy mist, the kind that feels so good on a hot summer day!
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Comment by montucky — July 4, 2012 @ 12:17 am
A near-perfect landscape. (The photo is nice, too!)
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Comment by Kim — July 4, 2012 @ 7:55 am
Thanks Kim. I can see that mountainside from my driveway and so I ge o see similar sights quite often. Always love it!
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Comment by montucky — July 5, 2012 @ 8:59 pm
Wonderful capture Terry, love all the different elements you were able to share in this, well done !!
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Comment by Bernie Kasper — July 4, 2012 @ 1:25 pm
That’s one of many reason why I spend a lot of time outdoors. Scenes like this are addictive.
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Comment by montucky — July 5, 2012 @ 9:01 pm
The fire, then the water. The cycle of nature turns inexorably. There’s so much going on in your photograph, great shot!
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Comment by Finn Holding — July 5, 2012 @ 1:20 am
Thanks Finn. Nature’s cycles are amazing and fascinating. Sadly though, I think it may take a longer lifetime than we have to fully understand and appreciate them.
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Comment by montucky — July 5, 2012 @ 9:02 pm
Stunning! Another great desktop pic to help me feel cool.
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Comment by Candace — July 5, 2012 @ 7:09 pm
That does have a cool look to it, doesn’t it. On my way back down the mountain just a little of that rain reached me and it felt so good I left my poncho in my pack and just enjoyed the rain.
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Comment by montucky — July 5, 2012 @ 9:04 pm
What a great shot. Clouds and sunrays are so special in this photo giving the mood to this picture.
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Comment by Sartenada — July 5, 2012 @ 10:39 pm
That is across the river from where I live. That range of mountains gets quite a bit of rain and even though it is only a few miles away, much more than here.
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Comment by Montucky — July 6, 2012 @ 8:38 pm
That’s more than she is doing in other parts of the country. Looks like you are being spared the drought south of you.
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Comment by Scott Thomas Photography — July 10, 2012 @ 2:13 pm
Well, now we’re into the heat of summer and it is getting very dry. There was a small wildfire just a couple of miles west of us this afternoon and it’s likely there will be many more. The clouds that have come this way from the monsoons to the south are high and contain some lightning, but any rain that they contain falls as virga.
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Comment by montucky — July 10, 2012 @ 11:08 pm
One of my favourites of your photos, this is! 🙂 Love the rays of light.
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Comment by Val — July 11, 2012 @ 3:35 pm
Pretty scene, isn’t it! I climbed up the mountain behind my house just to look around and this was what appeared to the south. I love these Montana mountains!
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Comment by montucky — July 11, 2012 @ 8:47 pm
Oh heck, Terry. I know I live in a beautiful area, but yours is just breathtaking!
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Comment by Val — July 13, 2012 @ 4:15 pm
It sure can be at times, Val.
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Comment by montucky — July 13, 2012 @ 6:58 pm