SkyPix

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

Pray for Rain

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A common and oft-justified sentiment in southwestern Oklahoma, this sign manifest authentic desperation following the drought of 2012, which lasted through wintertime and into spring 2013 here.   Alas, this high-based storm's heavy-precip core would miss this spot and the city of Altus, just to the south, leaving a narrow swath of mud and puddles amidst the otherwise still-parched landscape.  … [Read more...]

Barely Tornadic Bowl

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After its impressive debut (especially for a high-based storm that hadn't threatened to produce for a long time beforehand), this surprise tornado continued to churn along at slow forward speeds across the high tablelands of northeastern New Mexico, for more than 10 minutes.  Very faint, occasional wisps of rotating dust occasionally rose off the ground during this final stage, when a … [Read more...]

Dynamic Beachfront

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Wild, remote beaches of the Olympic National Park's seacoast invite amazement and respect at the power of the ocean to effect change through its relentless action.  In some indefinite number of years, these rocks will be pounded down to sand, the log moved up and down the coast and carved into fragments of driftwood, destinations unclear and likely widespread. 2 NNW La Push WA (22 Aug 16) … [Read more...]

Old Duke Wall Cloud

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The young wall cloud quickly aged as precipitation from the rear of the hook began wrapping into the adjoining occlusion-downdraft surge, shooting stable air into a western and southern crescent of this circulation's inflow and eroding the wall cloud. In fact, a more ancient occlusion—manifest as a rain-wrapped wall cloud farther west (background), outlasted its successor.  A mesocyclone never … [Read more...]

Young Duke Wall Cloud

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Along a persistent, east-northeast/west-southwest-oriented convergence axis, the youngest occlusion of a cyclic, somewhat wet, classic supercell spun forth a small but vigorous mesocyclone, part of which manifest visually in the form of this wall cloud.   Although it displayed strong convergence and rising motions, only weak to moderate rotation appeared—never strong or tight enough for me to be … [Read more...]

Elm Springs Blast 2

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The Elm Springs storm continued to surge eastward, surfing its own outflow down those lowest reaches of the Belle Fourche River valley before reaching the Cheyenne River. All the while, it occasionally smacked the countryside with a really big spark, two of which I was able to capture in still photography.  Soon after this shot, we left our post because of the storm's passing north of us into a … [Read more...]