SkyPix

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

Scorpion Tail Tornado

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Cold outflow was undercutting the Lake McClellan mesocyclone and moving the bottom of the barely tornadic vortex toward the SSW (from left to right) with respect to the top.   As it elongated horizontally, this remained a very weak tornado, with only a few brief wisps of condensation on the ground beneath the "stinger" tail.  Visibly, the rotation was obvious but very sluggish.  The cool air … [Read more...]

Little Torch Light

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Witnessed across the placid waters of a Florida Keys channel:  persistent convective turrets stabbed skyward into the last direct sunlight, before both they and the daylight faded away.  The island's name made a fine metaphor for the small but brightly illuminated tower. Little Torch Key FL (22 Nov 15) Looking NNE 24.6742, -81.3872 … [Read more...]

End of the Rainbow

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At long last, I present conclusive proof that the pot of gold doesn't await there! This was a simple 600 mm zoom directly into the base of a classical Great Plains rainbow, pulling out the best of the prismatic refraction from countless millions of raindrops near and far. 5 NW Hugo CO (12 Jun 9) Looking ENE 39.1743, -103.537   … [Read more...]

Seaside Sunset Spectacular

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One recipe for a glorious oceanfront sunset involves tranquil seas, a marvelously textured cirrus deck east of a blue-sky window, and an unimpeded view across the ocean.   All these and more gave us a splendid sendoff on our last evening at Sanibel Island for this trip. Sanibel FL (16 Nov 15) Looking WSW 26.4497, -82.1434 … [Read more...]

Tall and Close

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This is the reason I take lightning pictures, and the reason I choose to face a tiny but still disturbing risk of instant death by merely stepping out of a vehicle near a thunderstorm.  [No matter how safe one tries to be, there is always some risk!]  Returning from a supercell intercept near the Red River, we encountered a small cluster of elevated thunderstorms—cells rooted in a layer of … [Read more...]

Canadian Narrows

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The 2015 Canadian (TX) tornado made a protracted show out of narrowing and then dissipating, here transitioning into a deceptively graceful-looking early rope stages after its unwelcome and destructive rampage through a Panhandle oil field.  An arch of scud swirled around the upper-middle part of the condensation funnel as if an orbiting planetary ring. 2 NNE Canadian TX (27 May 15) Looking … [Read more...]