Maine Drone Pictures of Dramatic Storm Clouds

A dark and stormy Sunday night made for some amazing pictures for one drone operator in Old Town.

Maine Had Heavy Thundershowers in Some Areas on Sunday

It was a weird weather night in Maine. In Orrington, I heard rumbles of thunder off in the distance and rushed outside to move things under cover before the rain came. The sky was dark and the wind had picked up.

I almost felt like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. (Wicked?)

Maine Skies Were Dramatic With Large Shelf Clouds Preceding the Storm

But the weird thing was, while we had the edges of storm clouds over our front lawn, there were puffy white clouds over the backyard. We were on the very edge of a large shelf cloud that preceded rain, thunder, and lightning to some areas.

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We got none of that. No rain. No thunder or lightning.

Drone Photos of Maine's Storm Skies Show Dark, Cotton Candy-like Clouds

My son, Josh, lives in Old Town and experienced something similar, except they did get a quick rainstorm. The sky was so dramatic, he decided to launch his drone and take some pictures before it arrived.

The result, over the Stillwater River, was some amazing photos of a storm that, at times, almost looked like a tornado forming. Of course, it wasn't. (Don't call Todd Simcox and tell him I told you that it was)

Shelf clouds are a type of arcus cloud which are often seen before thunderstorms. There's a lot of weather-speak that I won't try to pretend to understand but it has to do with cold downdrafts and warm, moist air. All those things we know typically precede big thunderstorms.

If you ever see clouds like these coming at you, get inside and watch the light and sound show that will follow.