TORNADOES
All Photos © Scott Blair

01 - Hill City, KS June 9, 2005

A strong tornado was spawned from a wet-classic supercell storm southwest of Hill City, KS on 9 June 2005. The tornado was initially cone-shaped before evolving into a wedge. The image displays the incredible storm structure with a typical Kansas foreground. See chase documentation for video captures from this event. The tornado passed south of Hill City and very close proximity to our location with a loud audible roar.

02 - Big Springs, NE June 10, 2004

03 - Big Springs, NE June 10, 2004

04 - Big Springs, NE June 10, 2004

One of the best examples I’ve seen of tornado evolution was observed on 10 June 2004. The tornado developed near Interstate 80 with a funnel aloft and debris whirl underneath. With time, the vortex became a stovepipe tornado and eventually roped out north of Big Springs, NE after nearly 40 minutes on the ground. We paralleled the tornado for the majority of its life cycle on a dirt road, allowing for excellent contrast during the event.

05 - Edson, KS March 28, 2007

06 - Edson, KS March 28, 2007

A large tornado outbreak transpired from Nebraska into the Texas Panhandle on the afternoon and evening of 28 March 2007. The tornado above was photographed on a very muddy road north of Edson, KS at sunset. The low sun angle transformed the condensed vortex bright red, providing a surreal moment before the color slowly faded.

07 - Hill City, KS May 22, 2007

This tornado intermittently condensed fully to the ground and showed signs of debris, but likely persisted for nearly ten minutes during the evening of 22 May 2007. While the tornado had nice motion, it was the storm structure above in combination with the vortex present that made for an awe-inspiring event. Good storm structure with a tornado is always a major plus.

08 - Mulvane, KS June 12, 2004

09 - Mulvane, KS June 12, 2004

The most beautiful tornado I’ve witnessed to date on 12 June 2004 near Mulvane, KS. The images above are captured from digital video as I unfortunately failed to shoot any stills. Regardless, an amazing sight with a glowing white tornado contrasted against a dark blue sky, and even a stunning rainbow to finish. Its beauty was abruptly ended as the tornado destroyed a home resulting in at least F3 damage.

10 - Centerville, SD June 24, 2003

11 - Centerville, SD June 24, 2003

A localized tornado outbreak across eastern South Dakota occurred on 24 June 2003. We were fortunate to observe 13 tornadoes from one cyclic supercell storm that moved northward near Centerville, SD. Many of the tornadoes moved northwestward as the updraft would occlude and a new tornado would form east of the ongoing tornado. The chase spectacularly capped off the end of the 2003 chase season.

12 - Palco, KS June 9, 2005

This is an example of a cyclic supercell near Palco, KS on 9 June 2005. The white tornado and its associated updraft are in the process of occluding per the clear slot indicative of the rear-flank downdraft. To the east, a new tornado developed near Stockton, KS and eventually grew fairly sizeable. Overall, it’s relatively rare to manage two separate tornadoes in the same shot.

13 - Ekalaka, MT June 6, 2005

The long drive to southeast Montana paid off on 6 June 2005. I was already pleased observing a nice supercell in such a remote location, so when the tornado developed I could hardly keep my excitement contained. It’s very difficult to observe tornadoes in Montana due to the lack of roads and limited annual supercell frequency. This scene was amazing, with lush green fields and a backlit tornado.

14 - Rock, KS June 12, 2004

A tornado developed at sunset near Rock, KS on 12 June 2004. The low sun angle cast shades of orange and yellow throughout the updraft base and tornado. The view is looking north and the tornado was slowly moving northward, away from our location.

15 - Kyle, SD June 6, 2007

Only one tornado materialized from a highly anticipated severe weather setup across the plains states on 6 June 2007. This tornado was observed from a good distance, but the foreground made the experience very unique. We remained stationary for nearly 30 minutes watching the slow-moving tornado over the beautiful Badlands National Park.

16 - Jayton, TX June 12, 2005

17 - Jayton, TX June 12, 2005

This was one of six tornadoes captured on 12 June 2005, but by far the most impressive and significant. I unfortunately ran out of slide film the previous day, so I settled for digital video. This tornado initially was a large white cone before morphing into a large dirt-filled wedge.


COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 1996-2007 - All pictures and images are copyrighted by Scott F. Blair. Any reproduction either electronic or otherwise is strickly prohibited by Federal Law.

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