Thunderstorm rolling in over Bde Maka Ska in Minneapolis on July 27, 2025.

A large thunderstorm rolling in over Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis in July 2025.

Large thunderstorms move in during a weather warning over Lake of the Isles. Downtown Minneapolis visible.

Dark storm clouds roll over downtown Minneapolis in this view from Loring Park, where the skyline’s mix of glass towers and historic brick buildings rises beyond the park’s quiet pond and reeds. The IDS Center, Capella Tower, and other high-rises dominate the horizon, their reflections muted in the pre-storm light. Taken during early spring, the trees remain bare while the surrounding grass begins to green, creating a striking contrast between nature’s seasonal transition and the geometric permanence of the city skyline.

Sailboats on Bde Maka Ska in Minneapolis during sunset. Lake of the Isles seen in the distance.

Caught some real funky clouds behind downtown Minneapolis.

Storm clouds rolling into Taconite Harbor and Lake Superior. The storm didn't last long but provided some incredible clouds.

Evening light breaks through heavy clouds to illuminate the Needles, a cluster of towering granite spires rising above dense pine forest in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The sharp pinnacles, part of Custer State Park’s Cathedral Spires formation, are composed of eroded granite that dates back more than a billion years, sculpted by time and weather into their distinctive vertical forms. This region, accessible by the winding Needles Highway, is both a geological marvel and a spiritual landscape—its rugged skyline long revered by the Lakota Sioux and later celebrated by photographers, climbers, and travelers drawn to the surreal beauty of South Dakota’s mountain heartland.

Low clouds sweep across the granite pinnacles of the Cathedral Spires in the Black Hills of South Dakota, wrapping the rugged landscape in drifting fog just after dawn. These towering formations—some rising more than 5,000 feet above sea level—are part of the Needles range within Custer State Park, a region shaped by millions of years of erosion and uplift. The rock spires, composed primarily of Harney Peak granite, are a hallmark of the park’s dramatic geology and a favorite destination for climbers and photographers. On mornings like this, the fog often settles in the valleys below, creating a fleeting illusion of islands floating above the forest, while the peaks catch the first light breaking through the storm-heavy sky.

A mist-laden trail winds through the ponderosa pine forest near the summit of Black Elk Peak in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The fog softens the rugged terrain, reducing the visibility of distant ridges and creating a quiet, atmospheric stillness in the morning air. This area, once known as Harney Peak, stands as the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains and is a sacred place to the Lakota Sioux, where natural beauty and cultural heritage converge in the clouds.

Amazing storm clouds rolling into Interior, South Dakota at our camp site near the Badlands National Park. It seems every year we get at least one really great thunderstorm when camping.

A lone wooden shed stands among fields of wild grasses and yellow blooms as storm clouds gather near Interior, South Dakota, on the outskirts of Badlands National Park. The layered sky hints at an incoming summer storm sweeping across the plains, with the rugged formations of the Badlands visible on the horizon. The muted colors and boarded windows evoke both isolation and endurance, capturing the tension between human settlement and the vast, unpredictable prairie environment.

An approaching storm looms over the rolling grasslands near Interior, South Dakota, at the edge of Badlands National Park. The layered clouds form dramatic bands above the wetland and open prairie, where a small structure and fence line mark the human presence in this otherwise vast and untamed landscape. From this vantage point near the White River, the eroded formations of the Badlands rise faintly in the distance, emphasizing the contrast between the lush foreground and the arid, sculpted terrain beyond.

A dirt road cuts through the rolling prairie of Indian Creek Drive in the western reaches of Badlands National Park, near the small town of Scenic, South Dakota. Storm clouds build over the mixed-grass plains, casting dramatic light on the green hills and wildflower fields typical of the park’s early summer landscape. This remote section of the Badlands, less traveled than the main loop road, reveals the quieter beauty of the park—where erosion-carved ridges and open grasslands merge under a vast and changeable sky.

BNSF train goes through intersection at Harrison Sreet in Northeast Minneapolis during sunset.

A winding stretch of Bear Creek cuts through farmland near Roland, Iowa, beneath a brooding Midwestern sky. The narrow gravel road parallels the stream, leading the viewer’s eye toward the horizon where dark storm clouds gather. Early spring growth is visible along the banks, with fields just beginning to emerge from winter dormancy. This rural scene captures the quiet tension between stillness and the coming weather typical of Iowa’s open countryside.

A walking path in a Monteverde cloud forest.

Monteverde Costa Rica Sunset from Hidden Canopy treehouses.

The sun sets behind the Arenal Volcano from La Fortuna in Costa Rica.

Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica with shadows from the clouds.