The last few days have brought the first, real springtime thunderstorms to the Denver area and that has me thinking about storm chasing, something I hope to do in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I dug up this image taken back on May 29, 2010. While chasing in the Nebraska Sandhills area, the sky was rather ominous as a coal train headed west. Ultimately this particular chase was relatively uneventful beyond the dramatic skies but it was still a very pretty scene.
Waves of clouds
While taking pictures of yesterday’s solar eclipse some clouds moved in obscuring the view right as it was nearing its maximum. These clouds in and of themselves proved to provide a pretty cool photo opportunity.
Called ‘KH Clouds’ or Kelvin-Helmholtz Clouds , these take on a form resembling a series of ocean waves. Differences in wind velocities at two different layers of air cause these cool formations. You can read more about KH Clouds here.
The infamous Campo, Colorado tornado
The Campo, Colorado tornado on May 31, 2010 is one that few storm chasers saw but for those that were there it was incredible.
A storm system would drop six twisters in the same area that day, this the most impressive of them. It was on the ground for 25 minutes moving at a leisurely 10 mph allowing plenty of time to photograph the amazing phenomena as it tore through the ranchland.
This image was published in 5280 Magazine.
Photo © Tony’s Takes. Image is available for purchase as a print or for digital use. Please don’t steal, my prices aren’t particularly expensive. For more information contact me here.
High plains beast at sunset
Storm chasing season is a long ways away and I am already longing for it to arrive so was flipping through some older pictures. This monstrous supercell was part of a system that spawned six tornadoes in southeastern Colorado and the Oklahoma panhandle on May 31, 2010. It was an amazing day capped off by this extraordinary scene of the setting sun and a slowly dying supercell thunderstorm
Wintry drama in the fall
Last week Colorado’s high country saw a healthy shot of snow prompting a closure of Trail Ridge Road, North America’s longest continuous paved road. Road crews worked all week and through the first part of this past weekend to get it open. Sunday morning my son and I were among the first to drive it.
It was bone chilling cold at 13,000+ feet with snow drifts up to 3 feet in spots. Mother Nature made the trip well worth it however and rewarded us with a stunning scene. Here, one of the nearby peaks is coated in fresh snow as clouds behind move past.
12,183 ft, 25 degrees F, 40+ mph winds, 6 degrees wind chill
12,183 ft, 25 degrees F, 40+ mph winds, 6 degrees wind chill. So worth it!
This was the view atop Trail Ridge Road, Colorado in Rocky Mountain National Park this morning soon after sunrise. The highest continuous paved road in the United States, an early fall snow forced the road closed this past week and it finally opened late yesterday. It won’t be long until the snow gets to be too much to clear and it will close until the end of May.
Stormy Skies on the Great Plains
Taken during a storm chase in June 2011. Late spring and early summer is severe weather season here in Colorado and Mother Nature always puts on a show. This particular storm was near the town of Last Chance and for a time had a tornado warning. It never did generate much more than some mean looking skies, a dust devil and hail but the imagery was still pretty neat.
A dynamic Colorado sunset
Thunderstorms moved through the Denver area yesterday afternoon and evening leading to some dramatic skies above. This is my first attempt at an HDR (High Dynamic Range) image.
The technique uses three or more images, all of different exposures, put together to achieve a higher range of luminosity than what could be accomplished with a single one.
Storms brewing behind Old Glory
Taken just moments ago looking east of #Denver, #Colorado where a thunderstorm has really erupted. One of the best things about the Centennial State is its widely varying #weather that provides nearly endless photo opportunities.
Panoramic image of monstrous Colorado supercell
Thunderstorms rolled across the Colorado plains last night seeming to explode just as they passed the Denver metro area. Numerous tornadoes were reported, one causing damage in Hugo. Large hail, lightning and powerful winds also accompanied the storm. This particular supercell was one of these storms that appeared not long before sunset. Truly an impressive sight!