Wild Weather by the Mayflower II

The Mayflower II celebrates its 54th anniversary Sunday. The old gal has been subject to decades of weather while docked at the State Pier or in its winter berth, from scorching heat to frigid cold, wind, snow, hail, hurricanes and thunderstorms.

Thursday night the ship's starboard rail was struck by lightning. Passer-byers say the strike and the fire and called the Fire Department. The ship is OK, just missing a portion of the railing where the strike occurred and firefighters laid their hose. Plimoth Plantation's Jennifer Monac said the ship will be whole again for Sunday's celebration.

A neighbor who lives across Water Street from the harbor shot these photos of the weird weather Plymouth has experienced in the past couple of weeks, including last week's wild thunderstorms, a rainbow and a strange funnel cloud.