Brentwood storm chaser captures frightening lightning strikes
Hanningfield Reservoir, Chelmsford. Picture: Peter Scott - Credit: Archant
A passionate storm chaser braved winds and heavy rain to capture photographs of the lightning storm that hit southern England.
Stansted airport. Picture: Peter Scott - Credit: Archant
Peter Scott, 45, of Brentwood, who has been chasing storms and photographing lightning strikes for 13 years, went out during last week’s major thunderstorm.
It saw more than 3,000 lightning strikes which woke many in the early hours of last Friday.
Mr Scott has followed many storms and tornados in America and maintains that last week’s lightning strikes were a rare event for the UK.
He said: “Because the storms here are very short-lived, they are not dramatic enough. There’s no ‘wow’ factor with our storms.”
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On this occasion however, the lightning-loving cameraman was able to capture some stunning shots of Stansted Airport and the Hanningfield Reservoir, Chelmsford.
Mr Scott, who said the storm was caused by a Spanish flume – a large, moist air mass from Spain, added: “I was fixated by the weather as a kid. Many nights were spent pressed up against a window. As I grew up it was something that I really wanted to do.”
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The thrill-seeker, who works for a telecommunications company, flies out to America every spring to come face to face with storms, putting himself in “deadly danger” to pursue his hobby.
“There are moments where there is a lot of grief. I have seen some very nasty storms in my time,” he said.
“I can’t express what I get out of it. There’s a great deal of satisfaction.”
Mr Scott, who believes that the pastime is “something that should be on everyone’s bucket list” insisted that people interested in chasing storms should only go out with trained tour guides.
“My family think I’m a bit crazy but they understand what my passion is.”
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Romford pictures: Lightning strikes over Havering and Redbridge
