Omaha intense heat wave 8/8-8/13 and lightning pics

So, I've decided to keep posting on my blog, even though i'm not chasing anymore this year. I am going to try and post "interesting" weather events that happen, even if I don't chase them or involve severe weather and tornadoes. This past week Omaha, and most of the midwest experienced an extreme heat wave that lasted most of 6 days. Here in omaha we were under an excessive heat warning from Sunday 8/8 to Friday 8/13. This type of warning is issued when daytime heat indexes are forecast to be over 105, and nighttime heat indexes are not supposed to drop below 80 degrees. This was one of the hotter, and most humid streaks I've experienced in a while. What's interesting is that even though it was so hot, highs never went above 100 here in Omaha. This was because since it was so humid, the air couldn't warm up as much as drier air. Several evenings at 10 o'clock during the week, the air temperature was still near 90, and the heat index was between 105 and 110 degrees, still at 10 o'clock at night!! I've posted the temps and a link from this past week highlighting the heat and humidity.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/images/oax/news/OAXHI080810.png
** note some heat index values were 119 degrees up to 122 degrees in southwest iowa. it's normally always more humid there due to the transporation of moisture from the thick corn crops!!

Sunday- Low 76 High 96, max heat index= 117
Monday-Low 73 High 95, max dewpoint= 81 max heat index= 115
Tuesday- Low 78 High 95, max dewpoint= 80 max heat index= 108
Wednesday- Low 74 High 99, max dewpoint= 75 max heat index= 107
Thursday- Low 76 High 97, max dewpoint= 79 max heat index= 113, temp at 10 pm 89 heat index 104, temp at 11 pm 87, heat index 97
Friday- High 94, low Friday morning was 81!! max dewpoint=75 max heat index= 104

on tuesday night there was a severe tstorm that developed in southeast nebraska, and moved northeast towards omaha. it ended up going south of town and through the suburb of bellevue, nebraska where it produced 74 mph winds and knocked down some trees and branches. i went out on our back deck and took some pics. i had a perfect view between the trees in our backyard of the lone thunderstorm. it was cool to see surrounded by the stars, and this huge thunderhead lit up with nearly constant lightning. i only got a couple of pics though before some low clouds from the storm blew out and eventually blocked my view of the lightning in the storm.