SkyPix

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

Stubble Trouble

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The pounded remains of the prior year's corn stubble also made a fine metaphor for this scenic but weatherbeaten-looking storm. Previously a high-based but heavy-precipitation supercell, its near-forward flank region was hammered by a merging left-mover about an hour before. This, combined with the storm's own outflow, cut off any warm, moist, surface-based inflow air, rendering what was … [Read more...]

Golden Altocumulus and Surf

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Another Olympic Peninsula day eased toward an end with golden reflections in surf of golden diffractions in sky. With all the scales and forms of fluid motion at work here, a photographer is guaranteed to capture a unique image with every click of the shutter. Sky scenes change by the minute on the Washington coast, affirmed by a fantastic redder sunset that soon followed. 1 W Mora WA (14 … [Read more...]

Floodgates Open

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The third 100-year flood since 1947 sent Lake Texoma over its spillway, at the same time these separate floodgates were opened full throttle. This moving water was deeper than a four-story building and loud, emitting a heavy, thunderous rumble that could be heard in the air and felt in the ground below for hundreds of feet around. Enough water blasted through the dam to fill more than three … [Read more...]

Ramrod Twilight Deep Zoom

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Distant bands of thick cirrus shone brilliantly for just a minute, maybe less, as the over-horizon sun imparted its final kiss of light to grateful observers all across the lower Keys. This was the fleeting finale of a glow show that eased its way through the sky, with laid-back Margaritaville fashion, on a tranquil tropical evening. Ramrod Key FL (19 Nov 15) Looking WSW24.6599, -81.4227 … [Read more...]

Fort Floor Stalagmite

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Upon disembarking at Fort Jefferson, in the Dry Tortugas, the last thing I expected to photograph was a stalagmite. Yet here it was: on the floor of the interior arched hallway, wet with the dripping of calcium-rich water from above. The drops fell from seam in the ceiling masonry, with several shallow stalactites (mostly an inch or less tall) dropping water onto this mound, which formed in the … [Read more...]

Backbuilder

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This tornado caught us somewhat by surprise. Instead of being spawned by a supercell of some sort, it developed near what was then the tail end of a squall line, as the line was "backbuilding" southwestward through constant formation of new cells. This process is called discrete propagation, and if the environment is just right (rich in boundary-layer cyclonic vorticity), can spawn such … [Read more...]