SkyPix

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

Double Pileus Crowning Congestus

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Even though the supercell (unseen, right rear) was becoming elevated and dying, flanking congestus towers for the storm still shot into the sky with vigor and crisp definition.  I was fumbling around with something else when one of my storm intercept partners for the day (can't remember if it was Rich or Bryan) hollered across the road at me to shoot the pileus.  Fortunately, I managed to slap on … [Read more...]

Great Plains Towering Cumulus

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Deep convection was underway just east of the dryline, on windmill-festooned Great Plains of northern Kansas, soon to evolve into a late-developing supercell.  The towers' northeastward lean indicates the vertical wind shear that later would compel them to rotate. 2 N Webster KS (4 May 7) Looking E 39.4233, -99.4266 … [Read more...]

Striations

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On this fine northern Kansas afternoon, we had observed towering cumulus building gradually into a full fledged supercell.  Before the storm matured enough to produce large hail or heavy rain, we crossed beneath in order to get ahead of its projected path. During that trek, a ghostly set of cloud bands or striations streaked across the elongated base of this storm, a version of natural abstract … [Read more...]

Flashes over the Short Border

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Much like a nice blend of teas or herbs at the table, a variety of cloud-to-ground lightning forms renders a feast on the atmospheric smorgasbord more pleasing and palatable.  In this roughly 15-second exposure, two CGs were forked, one rather elegantly, while a third shyly but futilely tried to hide in-core.  These strokes danced around the shortest state border on the Great Plains:  that between … [Read more...]

Contrails over the Keys

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Here, several layers of cloud texturized the scene over the lower Florida Keys, the lowest being fractocumulus, lit orange in the setting sun's rays, then pale-orange tufts of altocumulus, then a few thin cirrus patches and these contrails:  highest and whitest, catching the rays least filtered by intervening atmosphere.  Back before flight-tracking smartphone apps, I only could guess the … [Read more...]

Solar-Powered Wind Power

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One of the facets of storm observing that I treasure most is the mystery of where the wind will deposit me at the end of the chase day.  Even with a good forecast, one only can guess the part of a state or region where the trip will finish, and even then, special surprises often await.  On this day, after a photographically bountiful jaunt through the Permian Basin and Big Country, the breezes … [Read more...]