SkyPix

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

Supercellular Spark on the Mesa

By

A formerly imposing supercell begins to weaken somewhat, but still spits lightning from high in its inner forward-flank core edge, as it moves east-southeastward into the high mesas along the Colorado/New Mexico border.  This flurry of amperage was the storm's grand finale before it plowed into the mesas and dissipated, dispersing a cloud field to contribute partly to a grand sunset later. 1 NW … [Read more...]

Wild Hereford Supercell: Part 4

By

[Part 3 of 4]  As the Hereford-Happy supercell slid closer, it filled more of the wide frame of view, yet demanded patience in not hurrying to move back ahead too quickly.  I've seen hundreds of Great Plains supercells, each mostly understood in a physical sense of how it comes to look as it does, yet each uniquely alluring in its ability to fill the sky with flowing forms not experienced outside … [Read more...]

Wild Hereford Supercell: Part 3

By

[Part 3 of 4]  At about this point in the supercell's passage to our north, and just beyond Hereford, I thought of my late scientific colleague, mentor and friend Al Moller, who was famous for "going berserk" in a positive way over such wild storm structure.  I imagined, as he had done sometimes when we'd meet afield, his slapping one hand on my vehicle's hood, flinging his other toward the storm … [Read more...]

Wild Hereford Supercell: Part 2

By

[Part 2 of 4]  Reviewing the photos of the "Hereford" stage of this storm, it was hard to decide which one or two out of around four representative pieces best depicted the experience, so I offer you all four.  Aside from its fascinating physical processes and explanation (Part 1), the supercell was simply spectacular throughout multiple stages of its development and movement southeastward through … [Read more...]

Wild Hereford Supercell: Part 1

By

[Part 1 of 4]  What became known as the "Hereford-Happy" supercell, with legendary structure for a long time, developed near the New Mexico line northeast of Clovis, then marched east-southeastward to southeastward across the Panhandle into the evening.  The storm showed nice form earlier, but got very intense and cranked up the structural spectacle over Hereford.  Here, we see a multiple tiers … [Read more...]

Secluded Tornado

By

Late in a tornado's life cycle, when accompanying a cyclic supercell, sometimes the vortex will separate from most of the updraft region and kick toward the rear of the storm, while a new mesocyclone (here represented by the wall cloud at right) organizes roughly downshear.  Such a fate befell the "Blum tornado" in its last few minutes.  [Another great example was the final stage of the 2010 … [Read more...]