Chasing Storms Across Tornado Alley

Edge of Humanity Magazine

2 months ago

Photographer Richie Johns is the Edge of Humanity Magazine contributor of this photo essay. From the project ‘Storm Chasing’. To see Richie ’s body of work, click on any photograph.

Having Fun
Youngsters are enjoying the large waves as they hit the harbour wall at Sennen Cove in Cornwall during storm Ellen. I enjoyed the way they waited for the largest waves to hit the seawall and then jumped into the relatively safe waters of the inner harbour.

Storm developing over a Colorado farm
We only had a few minutes to photograph the sky above this Colorado farm before the familiar cry of “quick, back in the cars.”
The approaching rain and large hailstones would soon be upon us; another quick getaway to keep to the edge of the storm, away from any potential danger.

School House
An old disused schoolhouse made a nice foreground as the storm gathered pace over the high plains of Colorado

Mesocyclone in Colorado
A Mesocyclone over the plains of Colorado, amazing rotating structures which are facinating to see.

While planning the trip to visit my sister in Alabama, I spotted an advertisement for a storm chasing tour through Tornado Alley, starting in Denver. It was an opportunity too good to miss, so after my visit to Alabama, I joined the tour and set off from Denver on an unforgettable adventure across the American Plains.

Over ten action-packed days, we drove just under 5,000 miles, chasing storms through nine different states. Although we didn’t see any tornadoes, we experienced some incredible weather, from dramatic supercells and spectacular lightning displays to vast storm-filled skies stretching across the American countryside. Every day brought new scenery, changing conditions, and the excitement of the chase. The following photographs are just a small selection from the many hundreds of images I captured during this unforgettable journey.

Colorado
Colorado supercell, it’s truly amazing to stand underneath these things as you feel the warm air and dust pass you by, and then get sucked up into the rotating mesocyclone

Greely Colorado
Greeley, Colorado. We made a quick getaway from this large supercell, and we started to be bombarded with large hailstones, which did damage the bodywork of our two vehicles.
Later that day, we saw several cars with smashed windscreens

High Pains
Day almost turns to night as a small convoy of cars drives under the threatening supercell above. The squally rain, often mixed with giant hailstones, can be clearly seen falling from the turbulent sky.

Montana sunset
The predicted storm didn’t materalize on this chase, but we were met with some wonderful Crepusular light rays at sunset on the plains of Montana.

Sunset in Texas
A low precipitation Supercell forms at sunset, near Perryton, Texas. An amazing coloured sky to photograph, only spoilt by the plague of local Mosquitos.

Richie Johns

Born and bred in Plymouth, UK, I have been photographing landscapes since around 2010. I have been fortunate to win awards and have my work published in magazines and books.  With a style strongly influenced by a love of minimal landscapes and long-exposure waterscapes, my photography focuses on mood, simplicity, and atmosphere. 

I am especially drawn to the rugged beauty of Dartmoor and the dramatic coastlines of Devon and Cornwall. My photography has taken me throughout the UK and further afield. Inspired by travel and the raw beauty of the natural world, I’m especially captivated by snow-covered landscapes in places such as Canada, Norway, and Iceland, where light, atmosphere, and simplicity come together to create timeless images.

All images and text © Richie Johns