SkyPix

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

Pinatubo Dust Glow over South Florida

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Early in the morning twilight, the eastern sky glowed with a peculiar copper tint, arching upward and outward from the future sunrise point in progressively darker hues, like an optical band shell.  Light from the predawn sun was refracting through a stratospheric ash layer courtesy of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption 17 months before, in the faraway Philippines.  The volcano had lofted enormous volumes … [Read more...]

Blizzard Streamers

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True blizzards don't happen very often in these parts; but on Christmas Eve of 2009, we had a historic one for central Oklahoma.  My only prior one was in March of 1989, with more snow but less wind and time duration, and much less willingness to get our amidst the maelstrom and shoot photos.  This time, I was out there in its full and frigid fury, fascinated by the fluid flows traced by streamers … [Read more...]

Twisting Tall in Twilight

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After displaying amazing daytime cloud structure and spinning forth the last of several tornadoes, the legendary Aurora supercell of 2009 slowly spun down and weakened while approaching York.  Citizens of York rejoiced, and justifiably so!  Still, they might have been spooked at least slightly by this menacingly beautiful twilight scene of the approaching storm column, twisted like visible … [Read more...]

Trail’s End

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The Yampa and Green Rivers meet next to Steamboat Rock, a striking landmark as viewed from water level.   The rivers have carved winding courses through the high plateau of northwestern Colorado, millions of years in the making, exposing sedimentary rocks that sometimes contains dinosaur bones and other fossils.  From those arose Dinosaur National Monument, and to this we journeyed to find … [Read more...]

Clepsydra Geyser

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The name of this geyser comes from the Greek word for "water clock", which is most appropriate both for its nearly continuous performance today and its remarkably regular 3-minute interval before the great Yellowstone quake of 1959.  On a cool morning, as most are even in the summer, the steam wafts far from the spouting 197-degree water plume and marks this geothermal delight's location from … [Read more...]

EF5 Wedge with Satellite Tornado

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Fortunately for us, the El Reno/Piedmont wedge tornado of 2011 took a slight leftward jog as we drove southward.  Shortly after we pulled safely off the road, the now-gigantic tornado started wrapping again in precipitation.  Its deep, carnal rumble unmistakably was heard and felt across the intervening 1-1/2 miles.  Even crouched low with one foot forward, I barely could stand in severe inflow … [Read more...]