We were on the tarmac for 3 and half hours awaiting bay 9. Throughout the entire time if we could not see lighting in front of us we could certainly see storm clouds with heavy rain behind us.
On each occasion when it seemed to be clearing another cell would commence it's light show.
We kept passengers well informed with regular updates, let them use their mobiles, ran a limited cabin service free of charge and surprise surprise most passengers thanked us as they eventually got off the aircraft. This for me reinforces the notion that if people know and understand why things are happening the way they are, they can empathise and cut you some slack.