This year was unparalleled in so many ways: its almost complete lack of severe weather; the sheer number of miles I drove (4550); the myriad states I drove through (10); and the absence of a single Tornado Warning on any cell I chased this year. The lattermost is a major "first" for me, and underscores how quiet the season actually was. Nevertheless, it was a gratifying chase season in many different ways: I visited areas I'd never been (such as Mt. Rushmore) and I got to do more sightseeing than I normally get to. I got better lightning shots than I've had before, and overall I enjoyed myself in spite of the quiet season.
I was absolutely amazed by this shot. From a storm perspective, the vault of light you see in the center background is due to penetration of a clear slot as this storm repeatedly tried to rotate and form a tornado. It never would get organized sufficiently to do so, unfortunately. But here it is pulsing and the rotation is sufficient to generate a clear slot that allowed light to filter through the back of the storm. In the foreground clouds there is a wall cloud forming. As this feature evolved, it developed a couplet with a new rain free base forming to the left (south). That was the order of the day as southward propagation of the updrafts (with undercutting of those same updrafts by outflow to the north) failed to allow tornadic development. The green fields and the white fence were spectacular contrasts.
I was absolutely amazed by this shot. From a storm perspective, the vault of light you see in the center background is due to penetration of a clear slot as this storm repeatedly tried to rotate and form a tornado. It never would get organized sufficiently to do so, unfortunately. But here it is pulsing and the rotation is sufficient to generate a clear slot that allowed light to filter through the back of the storm. In the foreground clouds there is a wall cloud forming. As this feature evolved, it developed a couplet with a new rain free base forming to the left (south). That was the order of the day as southward propagation of the updrafts (with undercutting of those same updrafts by outflow to the north) failed to allow tornadic development. The green fields and the white fence were spectacular contrasts.