If you’ve been experiencing your own local weird weather like those of us in Northern California (wettest winter in memory including flooding after years of severe drought) maybe it will help to take a look at some genuinely bizarre weather made beautiful by talented photographers. Some of the images were found with descriptions of the weather event. I confess I’ve included them in the hopes that some readers will benefit even though I often don’t understand what they are talking about. Just don’t let the descriptions detract from the stunning images.
Aww, there go the spring blossoms. Still it’s stunning.
Ooops, where’s the tow truck?
Ecuador Airlines pilot Santiago Borja in a Boeing 767-cockpit at the precise moment of a lightning flash, capturing a thunderstorm forming above the Pacific Ocean just south of Panama.
A water spout in Genoa , Italy.
A cloud illuminated by lightening.
A huge dust storm that hit Western Australia in early 2013.
Downdraft of precipitation from a young cumulonimbus cloud.
The initial downrush happening as the rest of cell is still forming and building.
Sunset on dissipating thunderstorms.
Could have two cells rotating in opposite directions, rare,
But meteorologically possible, like two egg beaters.
Mammatus, also known as mammatocumulus (meaning “mammary cloud”),
is a meteorological term applied to a cellular pattern of pouches hanging underneath the base of a cloud. Mammatus “clouds boiling upside down”, on top of a flanking down draft.
Another great mammatus – extremely unstable air.
A tornado funnel near the ground. Probably already on the ground, but not enough moisture or debris/dirt to see it on the ground. Surface dirt starting the kick up.
Single cell super cell thunderstorm with mammatus.
Single cell thunderstorm with cloud to ground and cloud to cloud lightning,
Some being imbedded inside the cells.
Somewhat disorganized or dissipating thunderstorm.
Most of it already downward collapsed with the rain shield being dominant.
Sun setting behind cumulus clouds.
Tower cumulus building into a thunderstorm.
Cloud to ground lightning in the rain shield in dissipating thunderstorms.
Leading edge of a flanking downdraft of a thunderstorm.
Lots of cloud to ground lightning
Lowering wall cloud from mature thunderstorm.
Massive single cell severe tornadic thunderstorm.
Cloud to cloud and cloud to ground lightning.
Volcanic eruption creating a circular outflow boundary.
Circular outflow boundaries with storm cell rotation.
Photography by Sean Havey, from National Geographic
From National Geographic
Tornadic vortex with lightning, multi-layer outflow boundaries.
Storm over Saskatchewan, Canada.
If you want more weird weather, go here, or here, or here.
Thanks to: George, John, Anita, Carolyn, Merry, Wim, Sam
and to yesemail.