The spring-like February thunderstorm that swept through the Lehigh Valley late Saturday afternoon left a mess of fallen trees and downed wires in its wake.

But the unusual day also held a strange, surreal beauty, captured by freelance photographer Chris Post in a time-lapse video, who observed the storm’s approach from a backyard in Northampton.

February thunderstorm leaves a mess

In the video, chimes sway gently in the breeze as clouds pass by overhead — until the unmistakable storm cloud arrives with a gust of wind and torrential downpour. After the time-lapse, the video records the howling winds and flashes of lightning as the front moves on.

Behind the storm will be more seasonable temperatures in the 50s rather than the record-breaking 60s and 70s of the last few days. The storm provided a memorable finale to a winterless February week.

Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.

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