[Part 1 of 2] Dark-sky, bright-ground scenes long have enthralled me, and this was no different. A former supercell merged with an outflow-dominant cluster of storms that had formed in the Laramie Range, and the entire blended mass migrated southeastward onto the adjoining High Plains, unleashing a torrent of cold outflow in the process. That normally would be a cue to head to the night's … [Read more...]
Frozen Zinnia
The last flowers of summer didn't finish blooming before an early ice storm finished them off. This one developed icicles more delicate than the flower. Soon, ice and plants both would be gone. Zinnias are native to southwestern North America and parts of Central and South America, including a few Great Plains varieties. They have been cultivated and bred worldwide for their bright variety of … [Read more...]
Electric Ray
No, this isn't electric ray, the fish. Instead it's a literally true, English-language representation of the Spanish word commonly used for a cloud-to-ground lightning stroke: rayo (ray). A single, non-forked lightning discharge—much resembling the stereotypical energy ray of science fiction—blasted past the edge of a supercell's forward-flank core, with mesocyclone region mostly unseen off the … [Read more...]
Change of Direction
Icicles, dangling off the limb end in the form of a comb, didn't develop sideways. Instead, the branch hosting them had been horizontal, 90 degrees to the right, until the cumulative weight of ice broke it off the tree trunk. Slight curvature in the prongs, before the sudden turn downward following the breakage, signals the gradual lowering of the branch before it failed. This was a destructive … [Read more...]
Surf into Devil’s Punch Bowl
Devil's Punch Bowl is a churning cauldron of turbulent surf, especially at high tide and when cool-season, storm-generated swells batter the headland holding the hole. The formation is in young (15-million-year-old) marine sandstone, formerly a couple of closely spaced sea caves whose walls and roof weakened and collapsed, later to be busted back into boulders, stones, and ultimately sand again, … [Read more...]
Tail Lightning
Metaphors abound for this title, as we see red tail lights in front of one of the final visible lightning strikes in the storm's lifespan, and on its back end. A long-lived supercell, that had been tornadic briefly before sunset, was being absorbed by a line of thunderstorms; and the entire complex was losing organization. This was a beautiful farewell and grand finale for a fine chase day in … [Read more...]
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