This is the third in an extremely rare series of images I captured of a predawn storm over the downtown El Paso, Texas skyline on November 6, 2019.

6:46 a.m. El Paso, Texas, USA

Most thunderstorms in the desert southwest of the United States happen during the late afternoon and evening. However this early November morning I found myself awake and sensing a storm was moving towards the city just before sunrise. After dashing up towards this overlook in El Paso, I witnessed a gorgeous storm move north from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico into the United States. The downtown skyline of El Paso set the perfect backdrop for this storm, and my goal for capturing lightning at this vista was achieved. This image captures an electric transformer in Mexico exploding after being struck by the bolt.

Camera settings: 1/10 sec, f/7.1, 24mm, ISO100, Canon 5DMarkIII