The most expensive (and some of the most extensive) flooding in American history affected several Midwest states in the summer of 1993. During this disastrous event, the Platte River (MO version) crested just above the bottom of highway and railroad bridges. At the time, the highway bridge was still open (!); but the railroad long had been closed and crisscrossed by sandbag berms (unseen). The … [Read more...]
Mosquero Mural and Hail Drift
Creative mural art on the outer wall of the town's fire station gave the impression of a fireman lugging his hose through the icy accumulation--in this case, a hail drift left over from a supercell that had departed the area just minutes earlier. Mosquero NM (6 Jun 14) Looking W 35.7767, -103.9567 … [Read more...]
Roswell Sparkles
Receding away from us in the deepening New Mexico twilight, this splendid storm and dying supercell had a parting shot for us before it merged into some newer convection developing farther east and south. The bolt fortuitously struck surface along the same line of sight as (but many miles beyond) the bright light on the building at distant middle, offering the illusion of an explosive grounding. … [Read more...]
Stromsburg Vortex Narrowing
Moving just slightly east of due north, the Stromsburg tornado was getting away from us. A quick jaunt a few miles northward put us almost abeam of the tornado again, just as it began to narrow into a writhing, tubular form reminiscent of the bathtub-drain vortex. This stage of the tornado's lifespan usually portends its imminent demise, but also, can present a gracefully beautiful form of … [Read more...]
Reflective Winter Sunrise
Reflective scenes in nature often trigger reflection within; this was no exception. A rare wintertime juxtaposition of calm wind and mild temperatures backdropped the more common sight (for these parts) of a glorious sunrise, together offering a transcendent experience of serenity and gratitude to the ultimate Creator of the scene. Norman, OK (30 Jan 15) Looking ESE 35.2079, -97.3767 … [Read more...]
Twilight Smoke, Atlantic Beach
Burnscape at a beach? You bet. One of the last things a North Carolina coastal visitor expects to see is a thick pall of smoke in the sky, but there it was, silhouetted sharply by the fading twilight. Much of the state had been in a drought, creating conditions ideal for wildfires in a normally moist part of the country. During the portions of three days I spent in the Newport-Beaufort area, … [Read more...]
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