Some Local Severe Weather Photography by Todd L. Sherman/KB4MHH

HITS TO THIS PAGE SINCE OCT. 14, 1997. Some Local Severe Weather Photography Watching the weather to buy time and save lives! Internet services provided for free by Alachua County FreeNet. Alachua County SKYWARN Much thanks to Michael Masters and Middle Tennessee SKYWARN for allowing us the use of thier rotating SKYWARN pog graphic.		This page depicts some severe weather related events that I have been able to photograph and/or video. The reason I thought to put up this page is because -- after taking some spotter training classes, and after browsing the web -- I began to realize that there really wasn't that much photographic documentation on severe storm phenomena as they occur in Florida out there -- especially as they occur here in Alachua County. I figured if noone else is going to do it, I might as well. Besides, I need an excuse to display these things. In the future, I hope maybe this will grow to become more of a photographic library of things severe weather related as they pertain to the area of northern Florida. As it is now, of the severe stuff photographed, it seems to quickly be becoming something of a library of things that can fool you, or of things which are as yet unknown as to what exactly they were. This will do just as well, though. For all the photos of the obviuos out there, I'd still like to see examples of things which can fool me, too. This way, I can learn. It's kinda small now; but I intend to add to this as I am able to take more photos and videos of events as they occur. Am I a `Storm Chaser?' No. I'd like to point out that I in no way consider myself to be a "storm chaser." And I hope noone ever interprets my interest to mean that I am, ipso facto. That would be an incorrect assumption. However, its one that a lot of people tend to make because instead of gawking with my mouth open, I tend to pick up a camera and start shooting what I'm seeing. If you must, then call me a storm tourist, because where storms are concerned, I tend to act like one then. Storm chasing is a pretty serious and dangerous hobby and unless you're very experienced, know the weather very well and how to interpret what you're seeing in front of you, on the radar, in the visible imagery, and can even do a little severe local storms forecasting - none of which I can say that I can do - then you're not a chaser, you're more likely a dangerous nutcase who should be avoided. If there is a storm, I turn my head and take a look, of course. But you will note that of what I have photographed, or will in the future, it is always either from my home, or something that occured while I was out doing something else. I never went to it; it came into my view, and I took advantage of the situation by photographing it. You never know what's going to happen while you're out. And that is why I always carry some form of camera with me in my visits to my grandmother in Wildwood, or to the store. But a "chaser?" No. I'm not. I'm a spotter. I'm a watcher. But no. I don't keep my car gassed up every moment for the possible `three-hundred-mile-chase.' You really don't have to chase in order to witness severe weather. Oft-times, it'll come right to you, and you can catch it from your own home, or from within your own hometown. It just requires a little patience in waiting for it, and then having a camera ready when it does come. Unless it's a really hot day, which is bad for camera and film if left in the car, I usually bring a camera with me whereever I go, just in case. Especially if thunderstorms are predicted for the day. You never know what you might see. Sometimes unusual or unexpected things happen even in just general thunderstorms. Non-tornadic lowerings/wall clouds, microbursts, or (rare) roll clouds from collapsed thunderstorms unseen somewhere over the horizon. Its just a matter of being prepared for it. The funnel on 8/2/97? Shot that from my back yard. The large, training Cb over Ocala? Shot that from the parking lot of the store 2 miles from my home. The unknown event of 9/27/99? Shot from the parking lot of the Wal-Mart in NW Gainesville. The lightning photos were taken from Paynes Prairie state preserve on the south edge of the county. There, I did a little travelling, but no more than about 10 miles. Click on any scaled down image to see a larger, more detailed photo. PAYNES PRAIRIE LIGHTNING -- 10 JULY 1997. Three photos of lightning taken from Paynes Prairie just south of Gainesville. Description/More about it. WHITNEY MOBILE HOME PARK MICROBURST EVENT -- 17 JULY 1997. On July 17th, 1997, an apparent microburst wind event hit Whitney Mobile Home Park in NW Gainesville. Description/More about it. LARGE MULTICELLULAR CB OVER OCALA, FLORIDA -- 23 JULY 1997. On the way to the store in NW Gainesville, on July 23rd, 1997, I spotted this large Cb 50 miles to the south over the city of Ocala, Florida. Description/More about it. FUNNEL CLOUD (???) OVER NW GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA -- 02 AUGUST 1997. These are frames from video that I took on 02 August 1997 of a funnel cloud that I almost didn't notice which had appeared between a notch in some trees (the first notch on the left in the wide shot showing the trailers and trees in the background of the 7th photo). The funnel had emanated ahead of, and was then overtaken and concealed by, a passing gust front -- detailed in the scenes preceding and following those of the actual funnel. Usually funnels and tornadoes don't originate ahead of gust fronts like this. However, in looking at the later radar of the day, it appears that in this situation we actually had two gust fronts, originating from two different storms - outflow from which were overrunning each other. Looking at the radar, it became apparent that when one overtook the other, it apparently caused some spinup at the meeting point of the two gust fronts. You never know where these things can come from, and the storm doesn't necessarily always have to be severe to produce a funnel or a tornado. These views were taken from an open field bordered by a forest behind our home. Description/More about it. HURRICANE FEEDER BAND OVER EPCOT AT SUNSET -- 24 SEPTEMBER 1998. I was visiting Epcot Center at the time that Hurricane Mitch was off the Gulf Coast of Florida. This was taken from the south end of the "Showcase Lagoon" -- at the "America Gardens Theater" (in "The American Adventure" sector). I saw the beautiful sunset happening, and the feeder band on the horizon, and rushed to the left side beneath the stage where there was a tree with branches hanging down that I thought would make a nice sort of "framing" for the photo. I exposed for the sky, rather than the objects on the ground, hoping for silouettes, and it looks like I lucked out. On the left of center, you can see the boat dock for "Japan," and behind it, "Morocco." In the center of the sunset rises the silouette of the "Eiffel Tower" in "France." If the image is too large on your monitor, try "fit(ing) to desktop" to see the whole thing. Taken with a Mamiya MSX-1000 SLR camera, using Agfa Ultra 50 ASA color print film. UNKNOWN TYPE WEATHER EVENT -- 27 SEPTEMBER 1999. Pulling into the parking lot of the Wal-Mart on NW 13th Street, I looked to the SW and saw THIS kinda scary-looking event going on pretty low to the ground relative to the rest of the surrounding cloud base. Was it a funnel? tornado? a downburst? microburst? or cloud shadow? Noone seems to know for sure. Even the weather service can't confirm that anything severe was going on here that day. Click the photo for description. Taken with a digital camera. NORTH-CENTRAL FLA. CROSS-COUNTY HAIL EVENT -- 14 MAY 2000. On Sunday, May 14th, 2000, a weak cold front and two stronger sea breeze fronts collided across northern Florida to create a severe thunderstorm which produced hail that ranged in size from 1/4-inch to 3/4-inch (in Gilchrist county), and from 3/4-inch to 3-inches (in northwest Alachua county). The hail was accompanied with strong winds and very heavy rains which lasted up to 9-minutes at Whitney Mobile Home Park. Multiple methods of photo-documentation by various sources across Alachua County. Description/More about it. SEVERE WIND STORM -- A MICROBURST? OR A LOW-GRADE TORNADO? -- 20 JULY 2000. On Thursday, July 20th, 2000, many areas in Gainesville were hit with strong winds from a severe thunderstorm, including here at my own home here in Whitney Mobile Home Park. Was it a microburst situation? or was it actually a tornado passing over my home? There are clues in the actual video which tend to make me wonder if it wasn't actually a low-grade tornado. Description/More about it, with lots more photos. LIGHTNING STRIKE TO MOBILE HOME? -- 31 AUG 2001. (Here's an MPEG movie of the strike. [2.9-megs]) On Friday, August 31st, 2001, there was a lot of close lightning happening as a thunderstorm passed over Whitney Mobile Home Park. I decided to just point the video camera out the back door to see what I could get on tape, and this is what I ended up getting. No, I don't think it actually did hit the mobile home since the sound of the related thunderclap (if you listen to the video) occurs about a half-second or so after the strike, indicating that it actually occured farther away - perhaps up to 1/5-mile or more - somewhere BEHIND the mobile home. However, it still looked pretty impressive; so I added it here.
Some Local Severe Weather Photography Todd L. Sherman/KB4MHH Gainesville, Alachua Co., Fla. E-mail: afn09444@afn.org Page Created: October 14, 1997. Last updated: July 28, 2000, April 02, 2002. NO SOLICITATIONS, PLEASE! WE WILL NOT ANSWER THEM. © Copyright 1997-2000 by Todd L. Sherman/KB4MHH. All Rights Reserved.