MONROE — Creedence Clearwater Revival asked its listeners if they had ever seen the rain coming down on a sunny day. Anyone awake in Monroe around 7:30-8 p.m. on May 7 could say “Yes” with confidence. They could also add that they saw a rainbow. Some might have even seen a double rainbow, while others with quick eyes saw lightning streak across the sky at the same time.

Nine-year-old William Lowe of rural Monroe was lucky enough to snap a magical, once-in-a-lifetime photo of cloud-to-cloud lightning that crossed the paths of the twin rainbows. The Parkside third-grader used a 9th Generation iPad to capture the shot from his home on County N north of Monroe.

A late series of pop-up storms came through the area in the early evening. As the storms passed through, the sun began its descent on the horizon, allowing for Green County residents to see clear sunlight while a heavy rain poured down. Once the rain moved to the east, the setting sun perfectly refracted off the airborne water droplets, which displayed a thick, bright rainbow across the eastern sky, followed near the end by a second rainbow. The storms continued to produce thunder and lightning during the brief 15-20 minute stretch of time.

“We did take a lot of pictures that night,” his mother, Natasha Blevins told the Times. “He originally got some of the lightning but I could see more when I flipped though the pics. I went in and looked at the frames and there was the full beauty.”

She said young William began taking pictures a few years ago and has fallen in love with the craft. 

Does he want to be a photographer someday?

“His career ambitions are to become an inventor. Of what exactly he has no idea,” his mother said.