SkyPix

A digital photographic storybook of clouds, weather and water by Roger Edwards.

Least Resistance

By

On this magical night between Tucson and Phoenix, a train of mountain-initiated thunderstorms blowing their way across the desert floor would offer numerous CG lightning flashes in astounding variety, sometimes in single-photo multiples up to seven, sometimes in cores or dust or on the immediate edge of both, sometimes profusely forked, and sometimes, as in this instance, off by itself, away from … [Read more...]

Second Conlen Cone Cruising

By

Second of three similarly conical tornadoes spawned by this warm-frontal supercell, the "Conlen-2" tornado was the longest-lasting and most visually rapidly rotating of the three.  Scud raced around the top half of the visible condensation cone from a persistent inward current established on a core/updraft interface at right rear (perhaps, a streamwise-vorticity current?).  Alas, no mobile-radar … [Read more...]

Fried in the Frye Fire

By

Four years after the "Fry Fire" in the Pinaleno Mountains rendered these trees as externally charred skeletons, bark was sloughing off to reveal unburned core wood beneath.  Nonetheless, the fire clearly burned hot enough, long enough, to kill the living pipeline under the bark that takes water and nutrients up the trees.  As this is a dry climate, with only enough winter snow to sustain a forest … [Read more...]

Sunset Dust Plume

By

A growing, sheared-over dust plume rose and arched over the highway from its roots a minute earlier as a "Desert Dust Bomb."  Its particles reddened both by internal iron oxide and the filtered sunset light, the dust cloud presented a striking and peculiar sight to motorists on this stretch of highway.  It was but the frontal lobe of an extensive haboob that had dusted Tucson and vicinity densely, … [Read more...]

Close, Bright Boom

By

A formerly very dusty Colorado High Plains supercell and its expansive forward-flank core crept closer, losing structure but gaining electrical production.  The storm already had blasted a bright one a few miles away, but with rain and small hail starting, this much closer and louder discharge would compel my exit from the spot! 6 W Cheyenne Wells CO (8 Jun 24) Looking SE 38.8126, … [Read more...]

Supercell South Side

By

While a tornado was well underway in the main mesocyclone region (off screen to right), the south rim of the Midland/Odessa supercell offered a stunning wall of plated cloud structure.  In fact, this part of the large and complex storm later separated from the original, tornadic area, and itself became a nontornadic right-mover.  Even with an ongoing tornado that demanded close attention, it was … [Read more...]