(Image: Robert Edmonds)
THIS scene could almost be enough to make an atheist think divine punishment was at hand.
Check out the horizontal roll vortex in the right of the image. That is a rare sight indeed. If you are an atmospheric scientist, or a storm chaser, you will love those vortex dynamics. For the rest of us, the drama and violence of the sky is enough. Whoever lives in the house in the centre was probably less impressed.
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snapped this storm in July 2012 in Loreburn, Saskatchewan. Canada isn鈥檛 known for its tornadoes, but they do occur there, somewhat later in the usual storm season, which starts in April in the southern US. Edmonds runs for those who want to see something a bit different on holiday. 鈥淚 had been watching several weather models for several days which had been indicating this area would have an environment capable of supporting supercells, the type of storm responsible for tornadoes,鈥� he says.
When he isn鈥檛 running towards storm clouds, Edmonds studies the atmosphere of Mars at New Mexico State University at Las Cruces. 鈥淢ars has global dust storms that can obscure the entire surface of the planet,鈥� he says, which puts the storm in this photo into perspective.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淗old onto your hat鈥�
