SkyPix

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

Funnel-Shaped Chugwater Tornado

By

Seldom do we witness a tornado whose visible part truly looks like a funnel:  fat at the top, tapering rapidly to a narrow cone at the bottom.  By now a firmly-planted, "no doubt" tornado, air from the occlusion downdraft already was wrapping most (if not all) the way around the vortex, even this early in its lifespan. Notice the lighter areas around the upper, fatter portion of the condensation … [Read more...]

Bouldery Burnscape

By

From time to time, managers of the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge conduct planned burns to char old grass and brush, reproducing on small scales the vast prairie fires that once swept through the same area. These controlled burns not only stem excessive cactus cover, but take down non-native weeds, free space for new growth, and return nutrients to the thin, rocky soil. 5 W Medicine … [Read more...]

Checotah Gloaming

By

An otherwise frustrating storm-intercept day closed with a valued and needed reminder of the beauty of the sky behind the storm, and of every day granted to us anew.  The very opportunity to witness this passing blaze of twilight brilliance was a blessing in that moment and still today, and as with any chance to gaze skyward in wonderment, an experience not to be taken for granted. 2 SE Checotah … [Read more...]

Multivortex in the Bear’s Cage

By

While driving S to get ahead of a virulently rotating, rain-wrapped mesocyclone, the curtains parted just enough to reveal a stout cone tornado with multiple vortices buzzing around its base. Seldom do scenes of rain-wrapped tornadoes offer so much color: a pronounced turquoise hue permeating the deep load of precipitation aloft, the green grass in the distance, and the red earth and stubble of … [Read more...]

Gateway Arch in the Mist

By

Still a spectacular monument and impressive feat of construction after over 40 years atop the St. Louis skyline, the Gateway Arch is one of the most photographed structures in the world. Nonetheless, never have I seen it depicted from this vantage, in the rain and mist, at night. So when I noticed it this way during a walk downtown, there was no option but to grab my gear and set up for a shoot. … [Read more...]

7-11 Lightning: Strike One

By

An otherwise innocuous multicell cumulonimbus, drifting through the late twilight sky south of town, began flinging huge and brilliant bolts of lightning between its upper reaches and ground, sometimes extending several horizontal miles away from their source.  This was the first of perhaps a dozen I saw, and half as many that I was able to photograph.  Each one was spectacular, one after another, … [Read more...]