SkyPix

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

Montana Sparkle

By

Out on the northern High Plains, there's little to divert one's attention from the "Big Sky" as befitting Montana's moniker.  When big storms course across that big land with big strokes of lightning, they may be noticed by only a few, but those few definitely notice.  A stark, palpable sense of isolation and vulnerability pervade this place, compelling respect for that vast sky and its fickle … [Read more...]

Hail-Hurling Hook around Sulphur Tornado

By

Once the vegetation-filled part of the "atmospheric blender" largely had passed, the precipitation hook surrounding the Sulphur tornado got more dense for a time, including the cluster of hailstones being flung across the right-hand side of the shot.   [Click on the image to see the larger version and a better look at the centrifuged and falling hailstones.]  Meanwhile the tremendous roar of the … [Read more...]

Atmospheric Blender

By

As the Sulphur tornado neared Highway 177, its circulation became more rain-wrapped, roaring loudly while an intense rear-flank downdraft slammed across the scene.   These winds just outside the tornado contained a blend of heavy rain, small hail, and assorted tree debris, from leaves to small twigs, flying past at highway speeds.  It was hard to tell what of this debris was caused by the … [Read more...]

Tornadic Funnel Tip

By

A relative gap in the near-ground precipitation curtains certainly was convenient for continued monitoring of the Slapout tornado's surface whereabouts.  Its condensation form began to look rather tubular, its visible form stretched vertically and still bending with height back into the mid-level mesocyclone, as the moat of occlusion-downdraft scouring of surrounding clouds continued.  Make all … [Read more...]

Ultimate Generator

By

The second supercell to roll eastward past us that dreamy night was nearly as structurally alluring as the first, and even more electrically active! Strands and loops of lightning flashed for miles and miles across intracloud chasms of clear air, overcoming incredible resistance to conductivity, and doing so many times per minute over a span of half an hour or more.  This is but a minuscule … [Read more...]

Latrine in the Lake

By

Months of above-average rainfall, capped by several spectacular heavy-rain events in its immediate watershed, sent Lake Texoma over its floodway, upon which this latrine and other park facilities reside.  I hope it had been cleaned before the water rose into the stalls within! 5 NNW Denison TX (8 Jul 7) Looking W 33.8164, -96.5735 … [Read more...]