Photo taken by Landon Moeller in June, 2025. Posted in the Northern Illinois University Newsroom article: “On the highway to hail”
This image is a spectacular visualization of the power and forcing dynamics of supercell thunderstorms. The convective updraft, the mechanism which drives these storms, is clearly visible along the top of the cloud structure. The rain shafts are brilliantly illuminated, showing the cell’s variable precipitation density. One standout element of this image is the contrast between the sunset and the dense clouds, showing the stark boundary between the storm and the surrounding air. The shear scale of the entire system is equally striking, the storm dwarfing telephone poles.
Link: https://newsroom.niu.edu/on-the-highway-to-hail/#gsc.tab=0
7 Comments. Leave new
Second Place, the image captures something beautiful and destructive in immense scale and detail. It is faintly ominous and captures a natural phenomenon that has a clearly distinct flow.
First Prize: Natural weather phenomena is an amazing example of flow vis. Its hard to capture the scale of a supercell in an image but this one is great.
First Prize: I think what makes this the best to me is the amount of different flows being demonstrated so beautifully. You can see the rain streaks below the cell, the billowing mushroom head of the supercell, and the air current above the mushroom head. The colors in this image are amazing. Additionally, each of these flows have different color and texture added to each of them. Nature was highlighting the flows in this image.
Second Prize: The beauty in this piece of flow visualization comes in the danger that it presents. The light orange near the bottom of the cell represents a calm and beautiful summer sunset, something you would enjoy with no fear. However, the dark green/gray colors emerging from the top of the cloud show the depth of the incoming weather that is going to fall from the cloud. Overall, the contrasting colors and large scale of this photo are extremely engaging.
Second Prize: I love cloud photography and this picture gets me excited for the clouds assignment. Specifically, when a storm is involved, it becomes grand and leaves me in awe. Good find
First Prize. This supercell looks incredible, almost like a mushroom cloud. It hits closer to home when you are one interstate away from it– the scale is unreal.
First Prize: This picture is an amazing balance of science, art, and nature. Weather is amazingly complex, and supercell’s are perfect examples of natural fluid dynamics. There is beautiful contrast in the uplift and downdraft of the cell, highlighting the movement and danger presented in this picture.