As most of the island slept soundly through the first September storm, a few hearty adventurers packed up their cameras and set out to meet it face to face.

Known as storm chasers, people who take part in the activity generally pursue any severe weather conditions, mostly for pleasure but sometimes for curiosity or scientific investigation.

Malta is not known for frequent extreme weather but a niche community of storm chasers exists regardless – and are often able to capture some of the more fantastic elements of Malta’s wild side.

“I do storm chasing because I love it,” says Steve Cutajar. “I love everything about nature and storms, the dynamics, the motions, everything that brews within a storm. Every storm is different than the previous one. Combine that with photography and it makes a good recipe for going out to chase.”

A baker by profession, Mr Cutajar says his interest was sparked at a young age when he witnessed an airplane being hit by lightning. Intrigued by the event, it spurred him to do further research.

He took up geography and eventually meteorology, turning it into a full-blown obsession with weather patterns.

Armed with a small camera and a healthy amount of determination, Mr Cutajar remembers facing his first storm in 2001 at Għajn Tuffieħa.

“I would say my favourite is a super-cellular storm, which is the mother of all storms,” Mr Cutajar says.

“But then again a single cell, while producing a much smaller storm, can still give us beautiful lightning structures.”

In the early hours of Monday, Mr Cutajar and his fellow chasers headed out to the Red Tower in Mellieħa, where they captured spectacular images of lightning and recorded data. They moved with the weather until they reached the cliff in Aħrax, where the heavy rain prevented them from further advance, so they sought shelter in a nearby chapel.

“It’s a bit of craziness, a lot of passion and big love for Mother Nature,” Mr Cutajar says.

Despite the potential risks and dangers, Mr Cutajar and his companions keep each other in check so that they do not overstep their limits.

“Nature is nature. We’re always a little bit afraid, not of going out, but of what can happen out of control. So we respect our surroundings and we respect that moment in time when we have to say that’s enough.

“There are times where we keep pushing to get the shot,” he says. “That’s when we get a real taste of a strong storm, but we try to avoid these moments as everyone should be wary of being outside in heavy storms.”