This is a beautiful example of a typical gulf coast sunset, as seen from Captiva Island, Florida. Summer afternoon storms in Florida are intense and dramatic, filled with convective power. Florida is the lightning capital of the United States, with about 25 strikes per square mile per year. That's about 25% more than second place (Louisiana). But these storms are also short lived. They tend to lose power right around sunset time, and they often leave behind really cool remnants. These storm remnants are what makes gulf coast sunsets so cool. (Well, it happens all across Florida, but only on the gulf coast do see the sunset over water). The small cloud in the front of the sky is just a small afternoon shower. But behind it is a huge towering behemoth of a storm that moved through earlier in the day. This type of storm is the foundation for a cool sunset, but you also need a tiny crack for the sunshine to sneak through. When that happens, like here, the whole sky turns into a beautiful canvas.

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