SkyPix

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

Elevated or Not?

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Yes, this isn't the most photogenic scene; in fact, part of it is downright ugly (more below).  Yet this was one of the most fascinating supercell processes I've seen in some time.  Supercell?  Absolutely!  Even though the visible part of the cloud base is rather fuzzy and ragged, and the usual bands and tails ill-defined at best, there was a supercell updraft with strong low- to middle-level … [Read more...]

First North Platte “Spout”

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One of a pair of multicells, that we had been observing south through southwest of North Platte, became dominant with a large updraft base, and started to produce nonmesocyclonic "landspout" tornadoes.  This was the first of several, exactly how many being uncertain due to distance, continuity and the diffuse character of some of them.  Crucial question:  "Did a new one form in the same area, or … [Read more...]

Eastern Mammatus

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Opposite the sky of interest, sometimes comes a sky of interest.  If too fixated on the updraft region of the two large multicells that made this anvil (one of which soon would produce "landspouts" and later become supercellular), one might miss a show like this over the fabled Lincoln Highway.  Even when nontornadic, it's wise to keep one's head on a swivel, not only for safety and awareness … [Read more...]

Dream Sky

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Out of dreams and into the sky swirled the supercell of the decade so far, and one of the most fundamentally joyous, deeply astonishing scenes I've ever witnessed in any context.  This storm already had splendid structure, which just kept getting better until forming a vaporous stack of upside-down, offset bowls, splashed within and without by layers of filtered sunset and precipitation colors … [Read more...]

PV Cone

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A nearly ideal and isolated supercell in my conception for potentially becoming tornadic, finally did, though just once, with this modest and rain-wrapped cone, in an environment that seemed favorable for so much more.  The folks around Pauls Valley (PV as known locally, instead of "potential vorticity" as we meteorologists use) were glad that it produced no more.  Note the classical … [Read more...]

Another Hereford Mothership

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Slightly less than two years after observing a wildly structured, daytime supercell over Hereford (moving ESE), came another, moving SSE in twilight, and crossing the previous storm's path right over town.  Though Hereford probably is tired of these, thanks to the lightning, severe wind and hail, we observers were not, because of their power and beauty.  The small stir of dust near ground, just to … [Read more...]