A photograph of the phenomenon known as St. Elmo’s Fire…St. Elmo’s Fire: Luminous greenish or bluish glow above pointed objects on the ground. Named for the patron saint of sailors, St. Elmo’s Fire is created by the soft glow of an electric field generated by a continuous flow of tiny sparks. The tiny sparks are postive charges reaching skyward in response to a growing area of negative charge in the clouds or air above. Instead of generating a lightning strike, the corona discharge, as it’s called, flees objects such the masts of ships, power poles, radio and TV antennas or towers, and the wings of aircraft, causing the glow. If a thunderstorm is nearby, St. Elmo’s Fire might precede a lightning strike close by.
Location: Columbia, South Carolina
Date: 07-10-03
Photographer: Cary Allen, Former Chief Meteorologist, WACH-TV
Circular Cloud
Published August 19, 2008 Atmospheric Optical Effects , Clouds , Uncategorized 0 CommentsIt is taken from the southern suburbs of the city on 5/1/2002 during a severe snowstorm.The reason why this picture is unique is obvious: It is very rare to have about 40cm of snow in the southern suburbs of a city near the meditteranean sea.We have snow every winter but not so much and so intense.The last time this area had such an amount of snow was 50 years ago,while in the northern suburbs of the city snow exceeded even 3 or 4 meters that day!
Location: Athens, Greece
Photographer: Christos Ntountoulakis.
Lightning Over Tucson
Published August 14, 2008 Atmospheric Optical Effects , Lightning , Thunderstorms 0 CommentsOccluded 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.
Location: 7 miles south of Anadarko, Oklahoma
Photo Date: May 3, 1999
Credit: OAR/ERL/National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL)

















