SkyPix

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

M.U.N. Supercell

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The day before, we had observed well-structured supercells in messy terrain (the Hill Country of central Texas).  On this day, we hauled northwestward over six hours to track a messy supercell in easy terrain (of the northern Panhandle)!  I've grown respectfully, begrudgingly fond of heavy-precipitation supercells like this over the years, referring to them mainly by two nicknames:  "Stormzilla" … [Read more...]

Remnant Mesocyclone

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Sometimes, tracking storms in the field is far more indirect than expected.  Headed northwest from Dalhart, then west near the Oklahoma line for an intensifying supercell dropping SE from the Oklahoma Panhandle, we were moving toward ideal position to observe, but still in sun and barely too distant to see more than murky darkness under the anvil.  Cresting the hill of the heretofore good dirt … [Read more...]

Behind the Line

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This pleasant sunset scene in the Texas Panhandle was brought to you by a line of thunderstorms, whose tail end illuminated this shot with golden brilliance just a minute after sunset.  The convection also spawned a big outflow pool, whose northeast winds pivoted the wind turbines into the orientations seen.  While similarly aligned, wind turbines in the other direction silhouetted a strikingly … [Read more...]

Windy Sunset Scud

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Behind a line of severe thunderstorms, the active part of the chase day ending, we settled in for sunset scenes.  While shot from the same spot, the "two sunsets in one" were different as can be from one side of the sky to another.  In the western portion, legions of fractocumulus (scud) and ragged cumulus humilis clouds raced southwestward here, some conveniently blocking the near-setting sun to … [Read more...]

Front-Lit Backshear

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A visually breathtaking yet symbolic scene unfolded one fine evening as NSSL's research radar reflected a little of the sunset glow, in turn reflected from a strongly backsheared supercell over southern Oklahoma.  [This isn't the usual meaning of "radar reflectivity"!]  The storm launched an overshooting top that, with time (below) tilted slightly westward.  Some of the overshooting dome actually … [Read more...]

Tall Ragged Funnel

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The former Horse Creek supercell moved east of the Laramie Mountains and out onto the bluff-studded High Plains of southeastern Wyoming, catching up again to an excellent vantage I had secured northeast of Cheyenne.  Moving quickly eastward (toward the right), it developed a short-lived, slowly rotating, yet distinctive funnel cloud beneath an even more ragged wall cloud.  By this time, the storm … [Read more...]