Extreme weather photos from the NOAA

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Tornadoes

Weather can be an awesome and dangerous thing and these images from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration prove it.

On April 3, 1974, Louisville was one of the hundreds of cities to be hit by a tornado. I was 12 and the memory of the destruction delivered that day is still vivid. The power revealed by those events has fueled a life-long fascination with extreme weather. The images in this gallery are mesmerizing and ominous and never cease to amaze.

Note: Since I am sure someone will bring it up – yes some of these images are grainy or a non-perfect resolution, but they are public domain and often have historical significance. If you want better images, they are available, but I cannot display them in a gallery like this without violating copyright laws.

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

This photo gallery was originally published in November 2010.
Louisville

This is a map of the path the April 3, 1974 F4 tornado took through Louisville. I was about a mile from this path along the L&N railroad at the time. I was in the basement listening to the radio broadcast of the event. Dick Gilbert's description of the storm from his small traffic helicopter is fantastic.

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Occluded mesocyclone tornado - 1999

Occluded mesocyclone tornado. Occluded means old circulation on a storm; this tornado was forming while the new circulation was beginning to form the tornadoes which preceeded the F5 Oklahoma City tornado.

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Roping tornado

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
1965 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
The Dimmitt Tornado - 1995

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Multiple waterspouts off the Bahamas Islands

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Multiple cloud-to-ground and cloud-to-cloud lightning strokes

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Dangerous

Lightning strikes more than 400 people in the United States each year.

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Multiple strokes

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Wall cloud with lightning

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Lightning storm over Boston - 1967

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Hail

Large hail collects on streets and grass during severe thunderstorm. Larger stones appear to be nearly 2 to 3 inches in diameter.

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Photo taken by James Gluba

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Pancake ice adrift on the Ross Sea - 1999

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
The Great Blizzard of March 12, 1888

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Blizzard - 1966

Standing tall on North Dakota snow A March blizzard nearly buried utility poles. Caption jokingly read "I believe there is a train under here somewhere!"

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Rocky Mountain snow survey from NOAA aircraft

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Katrina

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Katrina eye-wall

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Isabel - 2003

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Damage from Hurricane Ike

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Flooding of farmlands and homes along the San Joaquin River - 2006

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
The southeast floods of 1916

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Katrina

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Sandstorm approaching Big Spring - 1931

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Dust Bowl circa 1935

Dust buried farms and equipment, killed livestock, and caused human death and misery during the height of the Dust Bowl years.

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
The sun sets over Narragansett Bay, RI mid-spring - 1997

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Wave cloud east of Mt. Mitchel - 1978

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Mauna Loa - 1982

Each day the cloud cover rolls up Mauna Loa from the Hilo area. It fills the saddle first, then reaches the observatory by late afternoon. This is a daily cycle.

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Sun pillar

Sun pillar below the sun, sun dog to the left of sun One hour before sunset.

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Tornadoes

Weather can be an awesome and dangerous thing and these images from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration prove it.

On April 3, 1974, Louisville was one of the hundreds of cities to be hit by a tornado. I was 12 and the memory of the destruction delivered that day is still vivid. The power revealed by those events has fueled a life-long fascination with extreme weather. The images in this gallery are mesmerizing and ominous and never cease to amaze.

Note: Since I am sure someone will bring it up – yes some of these images are grainy or a non-perfect resolution, but they are public domain and often have historical significance. If you want better images, they are available, but I cannot display them in a gallery like this without violating copyright laws.

Photo credit: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

This photo gallery was originally published in November 2010.

By Mark Kaelin

Mark W. Kaelin has been writing and editing stories about the IT industry, gadgets, finance, accounting, and tech-life for more than 25 years. Most recently, he has been a regular contributor to BreakingModern.com, aNewDomain.net, and TechRepublic.

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Tornadoes

Louisville

Occluded mesocyclone tornado - 1999

Roping tornado

1965 Palm Sunday Tornado Outbreak

The Dimmitt Tornado - 1995

Multiple waterspouts off the Bahamas Islands

Multiple cloud-to-ground and cloud-to-cloud lightning strokes

Dangerous

Multiple strokes

Wall cloud with lightning

Lightning storm over Boston - 1967

Hail

Photo taken by James Gluba

Pancake ice adrift on the Ross Sea - 1999

The Great Blizzard of March 12, 1888

Blizzard - 1966

Rocky Mountain snow survey from NOAA aircraft

Katrina

Katrina eye-wall

Isabel - 2003

Damage from Hurricane Ike

Flooding of farmlands and homes along the San Joaquin River - 2006

The southeast floods of 1916

Katrina

Sandstorm approaching Big Spring - 1931

Dust Bowl circa 1935

The sun sets over Narragansett Bay, RI mid-spring - 1997

Wave cloud east of Mt. Mitchel - 1978

Mauna Loa - 1982

Sun pillar

Tornadoes

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By Mark Kaelin

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