SkyPix

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

Hennessey Inferno

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From the distance we had seen a big smoke pall near Hennessey, on the way toward some storms we intended to investigate regardless.  That smoke turned out to emanate not just from trash or grass--the latter already having incinerated in the foreground--but grove of dry, oily cedars, other brush, and an outbuilding or two on a farmstead.  All of that was going up in tall, intense flames that seemed … [Read more...]

Otherworldly Twilight Sky

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On a fine spring eventide in central Kansas, two light sources, diffused and reflected and refracted every which way, wrapped around and through a supercell to yield one of the most surreal western skies one can behold.  Warm tones from what was left of the distant sunset blended with cool blues from the unseen twilight sky, filtered through cloud layers of differing shapes and thicknesses, while … [Read more...]

Funnel-Shaped Chugwater Tornado

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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

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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

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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

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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...]