Sunday, August 17, 2008
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Arcus Cloud
Photographer Shelley Sparks shot this "Arcus" cloud photograph of tonight's approaching storm. The ragged leading edge and layered appearance is due to a wave of moist air being pushed out ahead of the storm.
It was severe before it came into Amarillo but turned to rain once it hit the city.
Looking West - By Shelley Sparks
Click to enlarge.
On The Wing
One from tonight's storm. Kind of artsy-fartsy but you take what you get - and then Photoshop the heck out of it!
-Steve
PS: The (cranes?) were there. They weren't shopped in.
-Steve
PS: The (cranes?) were there. They weren't shopped in.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Free Electricity
I shot this just NW of Amarillo this evening on Loop 335 , just north of I-40. Xcel energy was saying today because of an equipment failure they may have to initiate rolling blackouts across the city. Why can't they just capture some lightning?
I did.
-Steve Douglass
P.S. Thanks Dale for toting me out there with ya tonight!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Pale Panhandle Moon
One of the great things about living in the Texas Panhandle during the Spring is our great mountainous cloudscapes.
-Steve Douglass
Friday, July 11, 2008
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Last Gasp
We've had some good old fashion-non-severe rainfall over the last few days, which has also kept us unusually cool (for July) with highs only in the low 80s.
Since it was such a lovely night, my sister, her beau and moi set out to take a few cloud photos.
As the sun was setting I spotted this dying rainstorm off on the horizon. it struck me as reaching up into the atmosphere to try and catch some of the last rays of the Sun.
-Steve Douglass
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Ken Hanson's Cowboy & Christian Poetry Blog
Check out my good friend Ken Hanson's poetry blog!
It's filled with humor, heart and home-spun country wisdom.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
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
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