A tree seemingly points to a partially obscured sun. This photo was taken last last night as some dying storms moved into the western and northern parts of the Texas Panhandle.
See more of Dale's photography by clicking on the title.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Goodbye Sunshine; By Dale Stanton
A tree seemingly points to a partially obscured sun. This photo was taken last last night as some dying storms moved into the western and northern parts of the Texas Panhandle.
See more of Dale's photography by clicking on the title.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Getting Lucky on the Front Porch.
Fellow photog and good friend ( and adopted child) Dale Stanton e-mailed this photo of tonight's storm. Dale says he "got lucky" but I beg to differ. His camera was aimed in the right direction at the right time and set on the right exposure setting. Luck is not a factor!
Dale says he shot it while standing on the front porch.
Who says you have to use expensive gasoline to get good shots?
Photo by Dale Stanton
Extreme Instability
We had a line of strong thunderstorms roll into Amarillo tonight, and although they dropped a lot of much needed rain, they were more photogenic than destructive.
This shot was taken looking straight up as the swirling clouds passed overhead. Impressive motion and interesting shapes, but rather tame none-the-less.
-Steve Douglass
It's Lightning Awareness Week!
Did you know it is Lightning Awareness Week?
Did you know that lightning has killed over sixty people this year?
It is also very pretty, comes with its own amazing surround sound and is something I love to photograph!
Just make sure if you do decide to try your hand at photographing lightning, you do so safely.
Lightning photography safety tips.
1. Stay in your car when it is very close.
2. Use a remote control if you have one.
3. Window mounts work well and will keep you and your camera dry.
4. If you can hear thunder, you can be hit by lightning.
5. Don't park under power poles, cell phone towers or under trees.
Read more official lightning safety tips by clicking on the title of this post.
-Steve Douglass
Friday, June 20, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Storm Summary/Amarillo Globe News
Heavy storms rumble through the Panhandle
Chris Ramirez and Josh Burton
Heavy thunderstorms rumbled through the Texas Panhandle this afternoon and early evening, prompting residents to seek shelter in restaurants and truck stops from hail and tornado-force winds.
Video
Funnel clouds churned precariously over the Amarillo area just after 4 p.m. and pushed into Armstrong, Donley and Carson counties by nightfall.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or a tornado touching down.
Wind gusts, some as fast as 81 mph, pitched nickel to quarter size hail into car windows and buildings and snapped tree branches all over northeast Amarillo.
Hangar No. 10 at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport was leveled in the storm, its roof and three walls stripped down by wind.
As many as 1,500 customers in "far northeast Amarillo," near state Highway 136 and Loop 335, were without power, Xcel Energy spokesman Wes Reeves said. Power was restored for most of them by 6:30 p.m.
Electric poles were reported down near Farmers Avenue and Eastern Street, as well as near the William P. Clements Jr. Unit.
Jail officials had to run the center on generator power.
Several flights into and out of the airport were grounded. At least two were diverted to Lubbock temporarily until the storm moved out of the area.
About 40 people took cover inside the Flying J Travel Plaza, on Interstate 40 East, not far from the airport. Customers and truckers huddled in hallways as winds kicked up outside.
"We're getting slammed," said Joe Kindrick, a manager for the truck stop.
In Claude, large, fist-sized hail busted the windshield of a vehicle on Farm-to-Market 1151 and County Road 9. Officials there opened the basement of the Armstrong County Courthouse for truck drivers, residents and vacationers to seek shelter from the storm.
Randy Wright did the same at his business, the Claude Pharmacy on the downtown square.
"They've been sounding the alarms," he said. "It's real turquoise."
The clouds made Tracy Gillis' nervous.
A customer ran into the Crazy Little Cafe, the Claude eatery Gillis has owned the last two years, warning a funnel cloud was forming overhead. Tornado sirens blared as the descending funnel moved southward.
She couldn't help but fear a repeat of last year when two storms in three weeks ripped off awnings and parts of the business' roof.
"I was thinking 'Lord, please not again,'" she said.
Staff writers Karen Smith Welch, Matthew Hutchison, David Pittman, Dan Packard and Brenda Bernet contributed to this report.
The Emergency Operations Center was activated during Thursday's severe storms to address damage and other issues.
Xcel Energy spokesman Wes Reeves reported an estimated 1,500 customers experienced power outages during the storms.
Xcel reported the following electrical line issues:
One power pole down on Whitaker Road a half-mile north of State Highway 136.
Damaged electrical lines at Southeast 10th Avenue and Tudor Street.
Lines down at East Farmers Avenue and South Eastern Street.
Lines down at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice William P. Clements Jr. Unit, 9601 Spur 591.
Lines down on Mirror Street between 15th and 24th avenues.
Low-hanging power lines at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport.
Numerous residential power outages in east Amarillo.
Other reported damage in the Amarillo:
Tree damage and debris along Airport Boulevard.
Roof damage to homes, tree damage and an overturned mobile home near The intersection of Amarillo Boulevard and Lakeside Drive.
A hangar destroyed by high winds at the airport.
Sources: Xcel Energy, City of Amarillo
Chris Ramirez and Josh Burton
Heavy thunderstorms rumbled through the Texas Panhandle this afternoon and early evening, prompting residents to seek shelter in restaurants and truck stops from hail and tornado-force winds.
Video
Funnel clouds churned precariously over the Amarillo area just after 4 p.m. and pushed into Armstrong, Donley and Carson counties by nightfall.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or a tornado touching down.
Wind gusts, some as fast as 81 mph, pitched nickel to quarter size hail into car windows and buildings and snapped tree branches all over northeast Amarillo.
Hangar No. 10 at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport was leveled in the storm, its roof and three walls stripped down by wind.
As many as 1,500 customers in "far northeast Amarillo," near state Highway 136 and Loop 335, were without power, Xcel Energy spokesman Wes Reeves said. Power was restored for most of them by 6:30 p.m.
Electric poles were reported down near Farmers Avenue and Eastern Street, as well as near the William P. Clements Jr. Unit.
Jail officials had to run the center on generator power.
Several flights into and out of the airport were grounded. At least two were diverted to Lubbock temporarily until the storm moved out of the area.
About 40 people took cover inside the Flying J Travel Plaza, on Interstate 40 East, not far from the airport. Customers and truckers huddled in hallways as winds kicked up outside.
"We're getting slammed," said Joe Kindrick, a manager for the truck stop.
In Claude, large, fist-sized hail busted the windshield of a vehicle on Farm-to-Market 1151 and County Road 9. Officials there opened the basement of the Armstrong County Courthouse for truck drivers, residents and vacationers to seek shelter from the storm.
Randy Wright did the same at his business, the Claude Pharmacy on the downtown square.
"They've been sounding the alarms," he said. "It's real turquoise."
The clouds made Tracy Gillis' nervous.
A customer ran into the Crazy Little Cafe, the Claude eatery Gillis has owned the last two years, warning a funnel cloud was forming overhead. Tornado sirens blared as the descending funnel moved southward.
She couldn't help but fear a repeat of last year when two storms in three weeks ripped off awnings and parts of the business' roof.
"I was thinking 'Lord, please not again,'" she said.
Staff writers Karen Smith Welch, Matthew Hutchison, David Pittman, Dan Packard and Brenda Bernet contributed to this report.
The Emergency Operations Center was activated during Thursday's severe storms to address damage and other issues.
Xcel Energy spokesman Wes Reeves reported an estimated 1,500 customers experienced power outages during the storms.
Xcel reported the following electrical line issues:
One power pole down on Whitaker Road a half-mile north of State Highway 136.
Damaged electrical lines at Southeast 10th Avenue and Tudor Street.
Lines down at East Farmers Avenue and South Eastern Street.
Lines down at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice William P. Clements Jr. Unit, 9601 Spur 591.
Lines down on Mirror Street between 15th and 24th avenues.
Low-hanging power lines at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport.
Numerous residential power outages in east Amarillo.
Other reported damage in the Amarillo:
Tree damage and debris along Airport Boulevard.
Roof damage to homes, tree damage and an overturned mobile home near The intersection of Amarillo Boulevard and Lakeside Drive.
A hangar destroyed by high winds at the airport.
Sources: Xcel Energy, City of Amarillo
Cruel Blue
Here's another view of the storm we had this afternoon from McCormick Road and the tracks. Amazing coloring due to the mountains of suspended hail and the red earth being sucked up into the storm. Amarillo dodged another bullet!
-Steve Douglass
Green & Mean
Today we had a big bad mean and green severe thunderstorm (complete with tornado warnings) tear through the east side of Amarillo. Although no confirmed tornados were spotted, it did do some damage, especially on the NE side near the airport.
(Click on the photo to enlarge)
I shot this photo from N. Western Street as I was racing to go pick up the daughter and grandkids. They live in a mobile home, and knowing what tornado magnets they are, i decided that it was best if I took them along on the chase.
The kids had fun, we were all a bit scared by the green monster bearing down on us, but all in all it turned out to be much meaner looking than it was - which was a good thing.
All post more pix later.
-Steve
New weather blog you should check out!
You have to visit Steve Miller's weather blog. Great photos, great WX info and be prepared for a rant or two. Click on the title of this post to visit Steve's blog.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Severe Weather Pounds Panhandle/Lightning Sparks Fire
Web-posted Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Lightning, hail pound Panhandle
Tyson wastewater plant partly burns
By Josh Burton
josh.burton@amarillo.com
Thunderstorms dumped hail across the Panhandle, while lightning may have sparked a large chemical fire at the Tyson Foods Inc. plant east of Amarillo.
The fire began about 6:50 p.m. at a Tyson wastewater plant east of the main facility. Potter County and Amarillo fire crews battled flames shooting from the concrete structure.
Amarillo Fire Department Capt. Bob Johnson said plant workers told him they were inside when they heard a loud crash of thunder. A few minutes later workers noticed the building was on fire.
Hydrogen sulfide, solid sulfur and possibly fiberglass tanks burned in the fire, Johnson said.
Amarillo Emergency Management crews also responded to the fire.
Firefighters exited the burning building to avoid exposure to hazardous chemicals around 8 p.m. and returned about an hour later, Johnson said.
"Luckily, it burned itself out," Johnson said.
Crews were inspecting the building to ensure the fire was out late Tuesday, Johnson said.
At 8 p.m., the Potter County Sheriff's Office closed St. Francis Avenue between Farm-to-Market 1912 and Farm-to-Market 683.
The Tyson plant was not evacuated because the fire was isolated at the water-treatment facility, Johnson said.
The thunderstorms also produced hail, and funnel clouds were reported in the area.
Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport received 0.03 inches of rain as of 10 p.m., said Chris Nuttall, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Hen egg-size hail was reported west and northwest of Vega, and golf ball-size hail was reported west and northwest of Channing and southwest of Adrian, Nuttall said.
There were reports of funnel clouds near Friona and reports of quarter-size hail throughout the area, Nuttall said.
The NWS expected scattered showers overnight across the area, but nothing severe.
About 9,000 Xcel Energy customers in southwest Amarillo, Dumas and Pampa lost power, spokesman Wes Reeves said.
Reeves said crews were still investigating the cause of the problem late Tuesday night.
Lightning, hail pound Panhandle
Tyson wastewater plant partly burns
By Josh Burton
josh.burton@amarillo.com
Thunderstorms dumped hail across the Panhandle, while lightning may have sparked a large chemical fire at the Tyson Foods Inc. plant east of Amarillo.
The fire began about 6:50 p.m. at a Tyson wastewater plant east of the main facility. Potter County and Amarillo fire crews battled flames shooting from the concrete structure.
Amarillo Fire Department Capt. Bob Johnson said plant workers told him they were inside when they heard a loud crash of thunder. A few minutes later workers noticed the building was on fire.
Hydrogen sulfide, solid sulfur and possibly fiberglass tanks burned in the fire, Johnson said.
Amarillo Emergency Management crews also responded to the fire.
Firefighters exited the burning building to avoid exposure to hazardous chemicals around 8 p.m. and returned about an hour later, Johnson said.
"Luckily, it burned itself out," Johnson said.
Crews were inspecting the building to ensure the fire was out late Tuesday, Johnson said.
At 8 p.m., the Potter County Sheriff's Office closed St. Francis Avenue between Farm-to-Market 1912 and Farm-to-Market 683.
The Tyson plant was not evacuated because the fire was isolated at the water-treatment facility, Johnson said.
The thunderstorms also produced hail, and funnel clouds were reported in the area.
Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport received 0.03 inches of rain as of 10 p.m., said Chris Nuttall, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Hen egg-size hail was reported west and northwest of Vega, and golf ball-size hail was reported west and northwest of Channing and southwest of Adrian, Nuttall said.
There were reports of funnel clouds near Friona and reports of quarter-size hail throughout the area, Nuttall said.
The NWS expected scattered showers overnight across the area, but nothing severe.
About 9,000 Xcel Energy customers in southwest Amarillo, Dumas and Pampa lost power, spokesman Wes Reeves said.
Reeves said crews were still investigating the cause of the problem late Tuesday night.
Join in on the chase - live!
Here's a great new site that lets you ride along (virtually) with storm chasers via live streaming webcams. Check it out it is totally cool. Just click on the title of this post to go to the LiveChase page at severestudios.com.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Vote for me!
Friends and family.
I've entered a photography contest online and part of it is based on viewer ratings.
So please go to this link: http://www.artistwanted.org/webbfeat .. and give me 5 stars so I can win $500!
-Steve
I've entered a photography contest online and part of it is based on viewer ratings.
So please go to this link: http://www.artistwanted.org/webbfeat .. and give me 5 stars so I can win $500!
-Steve
Monday, June 16, 2008
Moonrise Over A Thunderstorm
I shot this looking southeast at a series of severe storms located near Matador, Texas. Sometimes secenes like this look better in black and white.
-Steve Douglass
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Boiling
I shot this last week as the setting sun lit up a thunderhead south of Amarillo. Since then it has been hot,hot, hot. I think these clouds were trying to tell us something.
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