SkyPix

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

Oklahoma City Arcus

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In this scan from the era's somewhat grainy Ektachrome film (I was lucky to afford that as a college student!), a large, thick arcus thrusts eastward from the forward-flank gust front of an HP (heavy-precip) supercell.  Note greenish tint in the notch between the top of the arcus and the cloud base above it.  The funnel-like horizontal cloud filament on the leading edge of the arcus was rotating, … [Read more...]

Taos Sundown

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As the setting sun painted horizontal cirrus bands in gold and orange, a little cascade of cirrus fibratus, high overhead, jutted downward from the shadows and into the waning rays.  The view is across the southern end of the San Luis Valley in New Mexico (which contains the Rio Grande Gorge); the San Juan Mountains begin on the horizon.  The moment was one-of-a-kind. 5 NNW Taos NM (6 Jun 3) … [Read more...]

Storm Tails

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Tail clouds are appendages at least loosely resembling tails attached to thunderstorms, and are not rotating and not tornadic.  They can move rapidly horizontally and/or vertically, however.  Tail clouds also can occur at all levels, but usually in low to lower/middle parts, such as those seen here as the "Black Hills supercell" as the storm crawled south-southeastward across the southern fringes … [Read more...]

Cirrus Uncinus, Large

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A strikingly large and outstanding specimen of uncinus (mare's tail cirrus) sweeps across the Pacific offshore from the west coast of the Olympic Peninsula, framed by chunks of cirrus fibratus and some old beach logs.  This cloud seemed to scream, adamantly and irresistibly, for a photo.  It was distinctly different from any uncinus I had seen before, not only in its size and delicate beauty but … [Read more...]

Canadian (Texas) Rope-Out

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Mercifully for those menaced, the gradually narrowing Canadian tornado finally dissipated with this last ropy cloud stage, no more debris evident hereafter.  A new wall cloud and associated mesocyclone, partially seen developing to the right, would rotate for a spell but produce no tornadoes.  A separate storm later merged with the slowly ENE-moving Canadian supercell, the combined updraft region … [Read more...]

Black Hills Supercell

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Rising up to about 4,000 ft above the base elevation at Rapid City, the Black Hills actually are a low mountain range that initiates thunderstorms regularly in the spring and summer before the surrounding High Plains.  This happens in two main ways: 1.  Upslope lift of a moist boundary layer, especially in an east or northeast wind (which also lengthens shear vectors to favor supercells under any … [Read more...]