Norman's lights illuminated the condensation funnel of a small, autumn tornado in the southwestern corner of the city. Instead of being produced by a supercell, this was a squall-line tornado, also known as a quasi-linear convective system or QLCS tornado in the acronym-thirsty meteorological parlance. It's rare to see a QLCS tornado, and even rarer to see one at night. I don't recommend folks … [Read more...]
Midday Mountain Multicell
The southern Arizona sun was high in the sky, not far past solar noon and not long past summer solstice, when the Pinaleno Mountains lit up with thunderstorms. One of those became a multicell with this small but heavy core. As this was only the first week of any monsoonal convection at all for the season, the thin, rocky soil still was dry from baking behind the High Plains dryline all spring. … [Read more...]
Superior Log Beach
The North Woods of Wisconsin open up suddenly at the edge of Lake Superior, where wintertime storm waves have tossed large logs onto the beach. The reddish sand and cobbles come from the Precambrian Orienta sandstone, which may be the same as the Jacobsville sandstone farther east, and building stone for many a "brownstone" house across the Rust Belt and Northeast in the late 1800s to early … [Read more...]
Sunset from the Stairwell
One of my last of numerous amazing and beautiful sunset scenes shot from the National Weather Center during 18 years working there full-time, this beauty graced the sky during an evening shift just under three months from retirement. I knew I would miss the people with whom I worked, and a job I loved. I wouldn't miss the unhealthy sleep rotations, dealing with bureaucratic stupidity, and … [Read more...]
Sunrise Beach Time
A mostly sleepless night at the conference hotel, while still trying to adjust my cycle off a set of night shifts, led to later delirium during the conference, but an appreciative opportunity to view an Atlantic Ocean sunrise to start the day. The cool, autumn morning had few beach walkers and sunrise watchers, so there was no real competition for a view that included strands of scuddy … [Read more...]
Over the Hills
Over the hills and through the dales, to the supercell we go. South-central Nebraska's rolling greenery, away from the nearby Platte River Valley, offered a pleasing foreground for this beautiful yet menacing sky. The storm's obvious outflow dominance signaled that little to no tornadic potential would arise anytime soon. Regardless, it was more than intense enough to force large sheets of … [Read more...]
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