storm watch: summer tempests

It's been a very violent summer, weather wise. wonder | wander | women love cloud gazing, and we are fanatic photographers of clouds in every mood, but Mother Nature has been especially photogenic this year. Photogenic and temperamental.

July was an especially hot month in both our adopted cities, and rain came as a welcome relief. But the weather didn't seem satisfied with a cool summer rain. The humid heat built until it was practically sitting on our heads, heavy with moisture - and then broke into some crazy thunderstorms.

Great minds think alike!

The sky looked like it was auditioning for a leading role in the next apocalyptic movie. We hope special effects teams and art directors paid attention! It's hard - and expensive - to fake this tempestuous atmosphere.

The dramatic thunderclouds set off the familiar buildings and well-loved skylines of our cities very well. The flood warnings were more of a nasty reality check; several homes were damaged in the wake of the sudden storms.

People stared out of their office windows and checked the news. Some construction and rooftop sites were evacuated - and yet, the busy city workday went on, storm warnings and all.

Strange flows and stripy patterns emerged on the surface of the Hudson as the drumming rain changed the texture of the river.

But as quickly as they rolled in, the storms moved on, leaving everything wet and maybe a little shellshocked - and ready to welcome the bright blue skies again.

It's a good reminder of how little control we have over the truly primal forces on this planet, even when our footprint lies so heavily on it. All we can do is prepare for the next storm - and pay our respects.