...
include the pulsing storm and the Milky Way as I liked the contrast.
Just after I started the 30-second exposure, this sprite strike
illuminated the sky, shooting up into the atmosphere, my jaw dropped,
and I assumed that it would have blown out ...
The
Royal Meteorological Society and The Royal Photographic Society have
announced the finalists of the 2016 Weather Photographer of the Year
competition. Drawn from more than 800 entries, in two age categories,
the judges are now asking the public to pick a winner. Here are the
finalists.
Alan Tough: Polar Stratospheric Clouds
Image copyrightAlan ToughEarly this year, unusually cold Arctic stratospheric
air reached down as far as the UK. This triggered sightings of rare and
beautiful polar stratospheric (nacreous) clouds. I had to go down to
Alloa for a course and took an old compact digital camera with me, just
in case any displays were visible from that part of the country.
Allan Macdougall: Ice Sculpture on Plynlimon
Image copyrightAllan MacdougallPlynlimon (752m; 2,467ft) is a beautiful hill massif
in northern Ceredigion, mid-Wales, north of the A44, between Llangurig
and Aberystwyth. I walk this hill regularly in all seasons, and winter
is my favourite time of year here.
The otherwise benign summit
plateau can be transformed into raw Arctic tundra-like conditions, which
presents challenges even for well-equipped walkers. Days of blown snow
and spindrift from powerful and freezing north-easterly winds had
accumulated on every windward vertical surface into bizarrely shaped
natural sculptures. This stile and wire fence became a thing of beauty,
with the glowing translucent fluting of the ice emphasised by the Sun's
backlighting.
Andrew Bailey: Freezing Fog and Hoar Frost
Image copyrightAndrew BaileyBased on the forecast from the night before, my son
James and I left home at 04:30 to travel up to north Suffolk to
Herringfleet Mill, a location we had not visited before.
When we
arrived at the mill, the temperature was -4C, with freezing fog making
for very atmospheric conditions. I particularly like the way this photo
captures the Sun burning through the mist, with the reed beds covered in
white hoar frost and the mill shrouded in mist. The conditions and
location give the image a real sense of an East Anglian winter.
Ben Cherry: Sprite Lightning
Image copyrightBen CherryThe image was taken in Punta Banco, a small village
on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, and shows a very rare type of
lightning called a sprite.
The storm was far out at sea during a
new Moon, so there was very little light. And, as a result, the stars
were spectacular. I set up the frame to include the pulsing storm and
the Milky Way as I liked the contrast. Just after I started the
30-second exposure, this sprite strike illuminated the sky, shooting up
into the atmosphere, my jaw dropped, and I assumed that it would have
blown out the image, but I was thrilled to witness it.
Camelia Czuchnicki: Clash of the Storms
Image copyrightCamelia CzuchnickiThis is a clash between two storm cells in New
Mexico, each with its own rotating updraft. It appeared as though one
updraft was anti-cyclonic, resulting in a very turbulent scene.
It was a fantastic sight to watch, and it's the rarity of such scenes that keep drawing me back to the US plains each year.
Camelia Czuchnicki: The Barber's Pole
Image copyrightCamelia CzuchnickiThis low-precipitation super-cell formed late in the
day over Broken Bow in south-east Nebraska. The rotation was evident
through the striations and twisting updraft referred to as a barber's
pole.
The storm was particularly striking at this stage due to
the eruption of mammatus cloud from the anvil that was constantly being
lit up with lightning. A stunning spectacle, which we photographed for
over an hour from the same spot due to the slow-moving nature of the
storm.
Dmitry Demin: UFO over the Caucasus
Image copyrightDmitry DeminThe photo was taken from the cable car to Mount Cheget, Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia.
Graham Newman: Oil Tanker Guanabara takes a hit
Image copyrightGraham NewmanThe Guanabara is a 240m [787ft] long super-tanker
and was loaded with crude oil from the Australian north west offshore
oil fields at Barrow Island. I was able to photograph the ship later,
when it docked, and I was invited on board to meet the captain and the
crew who were "on watch" when the ship was hit.
One crewman had been fishing off the port side and had only just returned inside when the ship was hit.
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. I had just
closed the car door when the lightning hit close by and took out all the
lights in the area.
Kevin Pearson: Misty River Dawn
Image copyrightKevin PearsonMy image was taken along the bank of the River Brue in Glastonbury, Somerset.
The
flat, open, exposed landscape of the Somerset levels is punctuated by
drainage channels and waterways which gives it a unique character. Cool
evenings when followed by clear mornings tend to give rise to a blanket
of mist rising off the water and grassland, creating an ethereal feel to
the landscape especially at sunrise before the mist burns away.
Mark Boardman: Hail shower over Jodrell Bank
Image copyrightMark BoardmanThis picture was taken from the edge of Macclesfield
Forest, Cheshire, looking west towards the radio telescope at Jodrell
Bank and beyond. The weather was cold, and a north-westerly wind blew
this shower of hail to engulf the telescope.
Mat Robinson: Snowbow
Image copyrightMat RobinsonI'd headed up towards Kinder Scout in the Peak
District from Hope, via Win Hill, crossing Crookstone Out Moor, where
this photo was taken. It was difficult to get an exposure which showed
both the snow and exposed the scene correctly, but I feel this blurred
snowdrop effect captures it perfectly.
Mat Robinson: Mamazing
Image copyrightMat RobinsonHaving followed this storm up the A1 road, we
finally found ourselves following it, with the setting Sun illuminating
the mammatus clouds on its back edge.
This was taken at the first
lay-by we found between Tadcaster and York, away from the A64, with the
sweep of the road acting as a perfect guide for the eye towards the
centre of the storm. How could you not grab the camera from the boot and
photograph this scene?
Michal Krzysztofowicz: Sun halo over Halley
Image copyrightMichal KrzysztofowiczI work for British Antarctic Survey at the Halley
Research Station in Antarctica, and I'm a member of the four-people
science team. Some of the most important research conducted at Halley is
the meteorological and ozone observations programme, and part of my
role is to participate in the met observations.
On this
particular day, I was on met duty and we saw the Sun halo for most of
the day. This was caused by diamond dust, a phenomenon where ice
particles of specific shape are being carried by the light breeze in the
air, causing the light to refract into a halo. The amount of diamond
dust varied throughout the day, but at one time, just after lunch, it
intensified dramatically, creating one of the most beautiful solar halos
I've seen!
Paul Andrew: Evening Storm, Mono Lake
Image copyrightPaul AndrewWhile on a photographic trip to several national
parks in the USA, I visited Mono Lake in Mono County, California. Around
sunset, I watched as an impressive storm slowly made its way down from
the Sierra Nevada mountains on to the lake.
Paul Kingston: Storms Cumbria
Image copyrightPaul Kingston / NNPThe image I captured shows the inner harbour wall at
Whitehaven, Cumbria, being hit by a monstrous wave, dwarfing the
surrounding man-made structures. I had travelled from County Durham to
the west coast of Cumbria as the UK was being hit by a series of
Atlantic storms sending tidal surges and strong gale-force westerly
winds, which made for ideal conditions for large swells at Whitehaven.
Paula Davies: Jack Frost
Image copyrightPaula Davies FRPSMy photograph was taken on a frosty January morning
in North Yorkshire, UK. The frost had formed on a car windscreen,
looking like large feathers. I was attracted by the colours resulting
from the low early morning Sun.
Stephen Burt: Matterhorn banner cloud
Image copyrightStephen BurtOrographic cloud winds around and over the unmistakable profile of the Matterhorn in Switzerland.
Stephen Lansdell: Mama Factory
Image copyrightStephen LansdellI have been chasing storms since 1989. I first
chased in the USA in 2000, and 2013 was my 12th trip and also my most
memorable. This storm in Nebraska was so beautiful, taking on many
forms during its life, ending with one of the most spectacular shows I
have ever witnessed and had the pleasure to photograph.
It shows a
barber's-pole structure corkscrew updraft into this super-cell during
its end cycle, still spitting lighting and growling in the dark, a truly
wonderful sight and experience I will never forget.
Steve M Smith: Cloud tunnel, Carneddau, north Wales
Image copyrightSteven Smith SVPOn the hills, we were shrouded until late morning,
when a clear way emerged along the ridge towards Foel Fras in the
Carneddau, Snowdonia.
Tim Moxon: Tornado on Show
Image copyrightTim MoxonThis is a classic severe weather set-up in the high
plains of Colorado near the town of Wray, which yielded one of the most
photogenic tornadoes of the year.
We were just ahead of the storm
as the tornado started and tracked with it as it grew from a fine
funnel to a sizeable cone tornado. At this moment, the twister was at
its most photogenic while its parent super-cell continued to be
manageable. We were among a number of people, including those you see in
the shot, nervously enjoying the epic display nature put on for us.
James Bailey, under-16: Hailstorm and rainbow over the seas of Covehithe
Image copyrightJames BaileyMy family and I went for a walk at Covehithe,
Suffolk, in an attempt to capture such a photo, as we'd seen the
forecast was stormy and had thought Covehithe as being a suitable
location to shoot in in such conditions.
There were similarly
good photos everywhere I looked, but this one really stood out: the
rainbow, the hail lines, the storm front, and nice light on the clouds.
Tomasz Janicki, under-16: First Light
Image copyrightTomasz JanickiI decided to take a photo of Snowdon in the first
sunrise winter light. It was a lucky shoot, completely unexpected, as I
climbed up to [the] Glyders' summit.
Tristan Beard, under-16: A British Summer
Image copyrightTristan BeardThe photo was taken in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire,
on my iPhone, when on a bus travelling through the town centre. It began
to rain, and the lights glared through, causing a blur and blend of
colours.
You can cast your vote for your favourite image on the Weather Photographer of the Year website.
The Weather Photographer of the Year exhibition will go on tour around the UK later this year
All photographs courtesy RMet-RPS Weather Photographer of the Year 2016.
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