SkyPix

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

Contrail Shadows

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Jetliners crisscross the upper-tropospheric sky often here in "Flyover Country", hence the nickname (or epithet, depending). As such, in the right conditions of humidity and wind up there, we often witness contrails. What we do not see commonly are their shadows, so plainly cast on clouds below them, as in this slightly lower-level (but still high aloft!) thin cirrus deck. A faint 22-degree … [Read more...]

Elevated Turbulence

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A long line of storms, extending from Kansas to western Oklahoma, offered mostly outflow and high bases along its Okie segment for much of the late afternoon. Still, while awaiting something more intercept-worthy in the region, it was fun to find a high vantage and observe an ever-evolving, chaotic and dynamic sky in every direction. This storm base, elevated over outflow from another's … [Read more...]

Western Oklahoma in Springtime

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Fortunately for us, this high-stakes sparking extravaganza was shifting away from our hilltop promontory, for we could appreciate the electrical spectacle from afar without hastening to evacuate. At this time, no supercells had formed yet (that would happen later); but we were content nonetheless. Overhead and all around, the fluid sky offered wonders to behold, even in a turbulent, elevated … [Read more...]

Electrical Curve

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Shortly after the "Two-Spark Twilight", more sparks flew forth from a high-based, elevated storm riding atop extinct convection's outflow. Thunder from this and other discharges rumbled sharply across the wide-open landscape, despite its distance. They're not possible that often, perhaps a time or two per chase vacation, but post-supper short chases such as this, based from nearby lodging … [Read more...]

Menace after Merger

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Complicated things happen in supercells! After the original (and most substantial) tornado of this storm finally dissipated, a newer storm formed to its southwest and merged with the original, rendering the whole thing a mess with little visual storm structure. However, the tornado work wasn't finished. As we relocated southward through town to seek another high vantage, in response to the … [Read more...]

Congestus and Pileus

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A mass of deep towering cumulus clouds, so large as to make the desert mountains of far west Texas whose lift spawned it look puny, here began its transition to a short-lived supercell thunderstorm. The tallest convective battlement at left, a tilted wall of congestus, shot upward through a layer of pileus that formed just above it, seconds before. Vertical motions in this cloud cluster were … [Read more...]