Without any obstructions to block a piece of the view, the southern Texas Panhandle’s Llano Estacado offers sky views like few other places. That’s especially amazing when a splitting supercell rides off into the eastern sky at sunset, each member bearing a hail shaft while the updrafts and backsheared mammatus above bask in the warm light of the last rays. Meanwhile, the indirect glow reflected from bright clouds aloft subtly tints the storm’s lower reaches. Sure, foreground is cool and worthwhile in a lot of photography; yet sometimes, one must eschew “the rules” and let the dominant aspect simply and powerfully dominate. On the High Plains, that’s easy. It makes one realize how small and feeble we are in the face of such forces, while at the same time, marvel at and appreciate their unique beauty. While supercells are common forms of convection on the Plains, no two of these are ever identical!
8 NW Tulia TX (11 Jun 23) Looking ESE
34.6177, -101.9203