A Supercell Thunderstorm cloud over Montana
An impressive thunderstorm cloud called a supercell, that looks like an alien mother-ship. Such huge storm systems center on mesocyclones – rotating updrafts spaning several kilometers and deliver torrential rain and high winds including tornadoes. Image © Sean R. Heavey
Fire Tornado in Australia
Chris Tangey of Alice Springs Television was survey locations near Curtin Springs, when he witnessed one of nature’s rarest phenomenons: a twister touched down on the spot fire, fanning it into a furious tower of flame. Scroll down for video
Great Plains Severe Storm
The photo above showing a nasty storm gathering strength above the Great Plains was taken from Elizabeth, Colorado on June 2, 2012 about 1:05 p.m. I watched the sky change from cobalt blue with fluffy cumulus clouds around noon to this “end-of-the-world” monster. Image credit: Theresa Bauman
Waterspout and Rainbow
This “odd couple” photo was captured in the eastern Mediterranean Sea (south of Crete, Greece) on November 24, 2011 at about 4:00 p.m. The weather at the time of the photo seemed quite benign; calm seas, rather light westerly winds, fairly high barometric pressure (30.03 in or 1017.3 mb), air temperature of 78 F (25.5 C). Photographer: Geert Sassen; Geert’s Facebook page
Wild Weather- blame La Nada
Such sheets of fire, such bursts of horrid thunder,
Such groans of roaring wind and rain, I never
Remember to have heard; man’s nature cannot carry
The affliction nor the fear … from Shakespeare’s Tragedy of King Lear
Record snowfall, killer tornadoes, devastating floods: There’s no doubt about it. Since Dec. 2010, the weather in the USA has been positively wild. But why?
Tornado Close Encounter
On my way home from work one afternoon a few years back, I had a close encounter with a borderline F-2 tornado (winds in excess of 113 mph or 182 km/h) near Shabbona, Illinois. Photographer: Claude Oesterreicher
Mile wide tornado in Tuscaloosa (video)
A tornado reported to be a mile (1.6 kilometers) wide, moves through Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The tornado was “like a silent monster”.
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Tornado destroyed a building in Sanford
Annina Purdy, who was inside the Lowe’s hardware store in Sanford, N.C. the previous day when a tornado destroyed the building, returned to the store’s parking lot on Sunday, April 17, 2011, to reclaim personal belongings from her car.
Tornado destruction in Mapleton, Iowa
A large tornado flattened a grain elevator and destroyed homes and buildings on its weekend rampage through the small western Iowa town of Mapleton. No serious injuries wer reported.
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Fire tornado
A fire tornado is seen during a huge blaze at a plastic processing factory in Kistarcsa, east of Budapest, Hungary.
