The Plains of Tornado Alley in the USA and storms at their very best.
I headed off to the Plains of Tornado Alley during June 2008 in search of tornadoes. My aim was to hunt down, photograph and record the most violent storms on this planet including tornadoes, supercell thunderstorms, huge hail and intense lightning. It was the Tornado project journey from http://www.elementalproject.com
The Great Plains in the mid west of USA, known as Tornado Alley, is an extraordinary place during storm season. It truly is the eigth natural wonder of the western world. It is an area in which 1000 tornadoes occur each year and geographically encompasses the central core of the United States (Great lowland areas of the Mississippi, the Ohio, and lower Missouri River Valleys). During the main storm months of April to July three main ingredients come together. Tropical moist air from the south via the Gulf of Mexico collides with hot dry air from the east via the Rockies and cool dry air aloft from the north. These air masses stack up over the centre of the nation, creating a unique combination of atmospheric ingredients and which provide a perfect breeding ground for severe storms. Such storms can flatten entire communities within minutes and cause utter devastation.
I headed off to the Plains of Tornado Alley during June 2008 in search of tornadoes. My aim was to hunt down, photograph and record the most violent storms on this planet including tornadoes, supercell thunderstorms, huge hail and intense lightning. It was the Tornado project journey from http://www.elementalproject.com
The Great Plains in the mid west of USA, known as Tornado Alley, is an extraordinary place during storm season. It truly is the eigth natural wonder of the western world. It is an area in which 1000 tornadoes occur each year and geographically encompasses the central core of the United States (Great lowland areas of the Mississippi, the Ohio, and lower Missouri River Valleys). During the main storm months of April to July three main ingredients come together. Tropical moist air from the south via the Gulf of Mexico collides with hot dry air from the east via the Rockies and cool dry air aloft from the north. These air masses stack up over the centre of the nation, creating a unique combination of atmospheric ingredients and which provide a perfect breeding ground for severe storms. Such storms can flatten entire communities within minutes and cause utter devastation.
Tube. Tornado in Iowa. Cherry picking a single week from an entire year and expecting to witness a tornado would yield extremely low odds, especially when travelling across the pond. It was therefore massively rewarding to get one. We were struggling to keep up with a storm moving at 50mph when all of a sudden a horizontal funnel cloud rolled in the skies above our heads. We struggled to get into a decent viewing position, and when we did the tornado was stretched all the way to the ground. It was only on the ground for a few seconds and I was lucky to get the farm building within the frame to add some interest and scale.
Olympus E3, 12-60mm SWD - F6.3, 1/25s
Olympus E3, 12-60mm SWD - F6.3, 1/25s
Tube. Tornado in Iowa. Cherry picking a single week from an entire year and expecting to witness a tornado would yield extremely low odds, especially when travelling across the pond. It was therefore massively rewarding to get one. We were struggling to keep up with a storm moving at 50mph when all of a sudden a horizontal funnel cloud rolled in the skies above our heads. We struggled to get into a decent viewing position, and when we did the tornado was stretched all the way to the ground. It was only on the ground for a few seconds and I was lucky to get the farm building within the frame to add some interest and scale.
Olympus E3, 12-60mm SWD - F6.3, 1/25s
Olympus E3, 12-60mm SWD - F6.3, 1/25s
Camera: Olympus Imaging Corp. (E-3) |
More details: exif |
Original size: 3648px x 2736px |
Current: 400px x 300px |
