Muskoka cottager and pilot Mark Nye was flying to his cottage in Gravenhurst at about 6:30 p.m. on July 30 when he noticed something in the distance that looked “almost like a big spaceship hovering in one spot.” Despite clear skies all around, it was a storm.
“As I was flying north around Barrie, I could see that cloud off in the distance and, instead of going straight to Gravenhurst, I veered a little bit more to the west,” Nye said. “That cloud was over top of Gloucester Pool near Honey Harbour.”
Nye approached the storm in his plane, climbing to around 3,800 feet. He flew within three miles of the clouds to take the video, which he shared online on Sept. 9, but he was careful to avoid getting too close due to the turbulence caused by the storm. Without any haze or mist blocking the view, Nye was able to capture a clear video of the towering clouds.
“What was unusual is that the cloud was extremely localized, clear air all around, and then just this huge towering cumulus or cumulonimbus cloud pretty much on its own with rain absolutely pouring out of the bottom of it in ribbons,” Nye said. “The grass and the trees were glistening in the sunlight from the rain, so where the rain was falling, you could really see the glistening of the water droplets on the branches and the leaves. It was quite beautiful.”
Watch the video of the localized storm over Gloucester Pool below, and click here to learn more about Nye’s flying adventures in his Cessna 185 Amphibian.
Sure looks flat to me.