Cataclysmic Lightning and Swirling Tornadoes: Award-Winning Images of Planet Earth’s Most Dramatic, Extreme Weather Events Are Captured by The 2016 Weather Photographer of The Year Finalists!
- These remarkable images are all finalists in the new Weather
Photographer of the Year 2016 competition - The contest was judged by both the The Royal Meteorological
Society and The Royal Photographic Society - Overall Winner was awarded to Tim Moxon for Tornado on Show,
shot near the town of Wray, Colorado
By Annabel Fenwick Elliott for TheDailyMailOnline, Published: Updated: 09:58 EST, Thursday 22 September 2016
“RIDERS ON THE STORM” – The Doors, July, 7-3-1971
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS-af9Q-zvQ [7:05 min]
– Played to Dramatic Weather Phenomena! –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60ZfGd3zbvw [7:50 min]
These stunning images represent some of the world’s most dramatic weather events.
All finalists in the Weather Photographer of the Year 2016 competition — a brand new
contest judged by The Royal Meteorological Society and The Royal Photographic
Society — certainly put the UK’s thunderstorms this week down a few notches.
More than 800 photographs were submitted earlier this year, with winners across
various categories announced last weekend at the Royal Meteorological Society’s
Amateur Meteorologists’ Conference in Reading.
Overall Weather Photographer of the Year 2016 was awarded to Tim Moxon for Tornado
on Show. Mr Moxon said this was “one of the most photogenic tornadoes of the year,”
snapped near the town of Wray, Colorado.
In first place for the over 16s category was Ben Cherry’s Sprite Lightning photograph.
Judge Michael Pritchard praised him for “making the most of circumstance and having
the serendipity to capture a very rare form of lightning.”
In the under 16s, James Bailey scooped the top prize for his image Hailstorm and
Rainbow over the Seas of Covehithe. And as for the public’s favorite, more than 2,500
voters handed the accolade to Paul Kingston’s Storms Cumbria image.
Overall Winner: An apocalyptic tornado near the town of Wray, Colorado, taken by Tim Moxon. He said:
“We were among a number of people, including those you see in the shot, nervously enjoying the epic
display nature put on for us!”
First Place in Over 16s: Ben Cherry, who took this in Punta Banco, Costa Rica, says “I set up the frame
to include the pulsing storm and the milky way as I liked the contrast — then this sprite strike illuminated
the sky and my jaw dropped”
Froth: In the under 16s, James Bailey scooped the top prize for his image Hailstorm and Rainbow over
the Seas of Covehithe
Public’s Favorite: Paul Kingston’s Storms Cumbria. He said: “The image I captured shows the inner
harbor wall at Whitehaven, Cumbria, being hit by a monstrous wave, dwarfing the surrounding
man-made structures!”
Battle: A clash between two storm cells in New Mexico in June 2014, each with its own rotating updraft,
taken by Camelia Czuchnicki, who remarked “It’s the rarity of such scenes that keep drawing me back
to the U.S. Plains each year”
Nebraska storm: Stephen Lansdell’s Mama Factory — the photographer and self-described “storm chaser”
said “This was so beautiful taking on many forms during its life and ending with one of the most spectacular
shows I have ever witnessed”
“UFO” over Caucasus: This image was taken by Dmitry Demin from the cable car to Mount Cheget
Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia
Goldfish of the sky: According to photographer Alan Tough “In early February 2016, unusually cold Arctic
stratospheric air reached down as far as the UK, which triggered sightings of these rare and beautiful
Polar Stratospheric Clouds”
Nick of time: Paul Andrew, who took this dramatic photo at California’s Mono Lake, said “Over the space
of about 90 minutes I photographed the unfolding scene, only just making it back to the safety of the
car as the heavens opened”
Paula Davies says of her delicate feathery image, which was taken from a car windscreen in North
Yorkshire: “I was attracted by the colors resulting from the low early morning sun”
Another image from Camelia Czuchnicki, who explains: “This low precipitation supercell formed late in
the day over Broken Bow in Nebraska in May 2013 — a stunning spectacle which we photographed for
over an hour”
The Guanabura oil tanker being hit by lightning, taken by Graham Newman. He says: “Shortly after
taking the shot, the lightning cell closed on my position on the beach and I grabbed up my equipment
and ran for my life!”
Shrouded peak: Stephen Burt’s Matterhorn Banner Cloud, taken in Switzerland on May 26, 2014, from
the Gornergrat glacier
Ice sculpture on Plynlimon: Unbelievably, this hill resides in Northern Ceredigion, Mid Wales.
Photographer Allan MacDougall comments: “This stile and wire fence became a thing of beauty with
the glowing translucent fluting of the ice”
Photographer Mat Robinson reveals: “This was between Tadcaster and York, away from the A64, with
the sweep of the road acting as a perfect guide for the eye towards the center of the storm!”
Apparition: Steve M Smith took this photo in North Wales. He says: “On the hills we were shrouded
until late morning when a clear way emerged along the ridge towards Foel Fras in the Carneddau”
Mat Robinson says of his shot: “I live in Sheffield and each year I challenge myself to be the first Peak
District photographer to catch the new snow — this was the third successful attempt”
Other-worldly: Scientist Michal Krzysztofowicz, who works for the British Antarctic Survey in Antarctica,
says “this solar phenomenon was caused by diamond dust, where ice particles cause the light to refract
into a halo which is called a SUN DOG”
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