SkyPix

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

Backshear Catching Rays

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A lone and young supercell, vigorous convection propelling a backshearing cloud mass westward, dominated the southern sky.  On a day with strong capping and questionable storm development potential, this sunset special was the only daylight storm to form in a 400 mile long swath of dryline between central Oklahoma and south Texas.  This storm would last just long enough to cause a few reports of … [Read more...]

Sunset Light through Wavy Supercell

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Some supercellular scenes on the Great Plains simply take one's breath away, rendering a primal sense of simultaneous smallness and awe in the face of the Creator's artistic fluidity.   Even as I could explain most of this scientifically, that left-brain logic took nothing away from the deeply appreciative, immersive wonderment of the moment on the other side.  Shortly after sunset, variably … [Read more...]

Three-State Supercell

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The unquestioned highlight of my 2020 storm observing jaunt across the north-central Plains was this mind-bending supercell, on what I thought would be a relative “down day”.   Doesn't it go to show that "down" time can be a magnificent time?  This mothership-like storm formed as a junky multicell north of Douglas, WY.  After a few hours, it turned rightward and evolved into this astonishing … [Read more...]

Derecho across the Badlands

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[Part 1 of 2]  Aside from being set in wondrously scenic geology, this image now stands as a piece of major weather history.  Earlier in the afternoon, I had been positioned in western South Dakota, north of Sturgis, in the event any supercells could develop ahead of a line of thunderstorms that yielded severe wind in the central Rockies for hours.  A 110-mph gust report buzzed off the weather … [Read more...]

Blue Hour in the Badlands

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The wavy band of severe storms that caused the Great Western Derecho of 2020 receded toward the northeastern horizon, leaving behind a rain-quenched, windblown Badlands scene that sparkled with occasional lightning in the distance.  Twilight's "blue hour" imparted a somber, thoughtful mood, combining with the moisture for natural tonal saturation of the already rich clay colors.   Flash floods … [Read more...]

Prairie Lake Reflections

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Sources of night light abound here:  a vehicle's headlights passing across the right far side of the lake, a bright complex of grain elevators in the distant left, and of course...atmospheric electricity! Car camping was my preferred mode of "social distancing" and avoiding people and their bodily residue, as part of strategic storm-observing travel during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.  This … [Read more...]