SkyPix

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

Lofty Rankin

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A formerly tornadic, twin-supercell complex shed the first storm, as the second continued on a south-southeastward charge, from the southernmost Great Plains of the Permian Basin into the northwestern fringes of the Edwards Plateau.   That second supercell met its demise at sunset north of Rankin, dropping its last precip and putting on a colorful display in the process, to mark a splendid finish … [Read more...]

Edge Flash

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A formerly tornadic supercell that developed in Wyoming, crossed a small part of Nebraska, became tornadic, crossed a lot of northeastern Colorado, and was headed for Nebraska again, became heavy-precip in character and sparked prolifically along the way.  This flash traveled along the very edge of the rear-flank hook core from the cloud base almost to the ground, then went inside the rain … [Read more...]

Early Midland Tornado and Supercell

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Our first clean view of what became an EF3 tornado, under what was becoming a striking display of storm structure, emerged from behind a gap in a streamer of forward-flank outflow dust.  As I could see cleanly under the rotating wall cloud a couple minutes before, this tornado was no more than about a minute old here.  Under the broader base, a tail cloud in the deep right background collected a … [Read more...]

Wet Sunset, Texas Panhandle

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A mostly disorganized, outflow-dominant storm cluster nonetheless offered a beautiful backside finish, after I let it move over in Dalhart while eating dinner.  Though lightning was scant in this area, a trailing, elevated cell's sunset double rainbow was an uncommon treat, along with sensory experiences impossible to convey through the screen, such as the comforting caress of cool outflow air … [Read more...]

Inside a Sunset Haboob

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My last view of blue sky for the day was this, through deepening dust of a classical Arizona haboob that I had been pacing westward since it formed just east of Tucson.   Here, just after sunset, I decided to let it pass over, and shoot through the leading edge of the outflow for the brief period (less than 30 seconds) that this strange and eerie perspective was available.  These events can loft … [Read more...]

Arcus over Badlands Grasslands

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Unlike the Great Western Derecho, which roared into the Badlands larger and more severe in intensity, yet more skeletal in cloud-form, this severe-thunderstorm complex had grown a well-developed shelf cloud for well over two hours and a hundred miles, and sent it careening through the gem of Great Plains national parks, to the dismay of campers and hikers.   As common as raging outflow is on the … [Read more...]