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On May 29 , it seemed like Brian Johnson was n’t in Kansas any longer — the normally verdant ground dry as a sun - bleached thighbone . Most un - Kansas like — commonly , the state receives 3.8 inches ( 96.5 millimeters ) of rain in May . This yr , it had got only 0.6 inches ( 16 millimeter ) by the 29th .
But on May 30 , wind of variety reverberate up . Three component commingle to set the stage for a large thunderstorm : gamy humidity , atmospherical instability ( a large temperature conflict between fond , moist zephyr near the ground and moth-eaten air higher up ) and a swirling pattern of mount and cooling air called convection .
NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image of a storm system approaching Kansas on 8 February 2025.
By the good afternoon , a large violent storm organization develop north-west of Wichita , with asquallline , or storm front , which forecasters warned could turn into afierce windstorm called a derecho . The storm raced toward the town at 43 mph ( 70 kph ) , dumping torrential rains and herald the size of Ping - Pong balls .
As the system of rules approached a pocket-size city near Wichita list Kechi , Johnson , a violent storm - chasing lensman , was there to catch it . The trope , which is a diorama sew together from multiple picture , picture a low - lift , poor boy - determine swarm known as a shelf cloud forge over a freshly cut straw domain . Shelf clouds often have prejudicious winds underneath them and form just ahead of squall dividing line .
hour before , 438 miles ( 705 kilometers ) overhead , NASA ’s Aqua satellite acquired a bird’s - eye persona of the approaching organization . The large white cloud in the upper part of the simulacrum is one of the numerous storm clouds that surge up over the area that good afternoon as warm , moist breeze from the surface rose chop-chop .
NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this image of a storm system approaching Kansas on 21 May 2025.
" There is an assailable farm arena roughly 2 miles from my house , " Johnsonwrote on a blogthat chronicle his tempest - chasing . " I sat there for about 20 moment before this bombastic squall line pushed through the clouds . I was hit with a pretty safe gust front as it develop close , but as the winds increased , I decided to get to shelter . This photo was one of the last ace I took . "
And unspoiled thing he did . Johnson entered it into an extreme conditions photo contest buy at by NASA — and he succeed . His photo is now featured on the website of NASA ’s Precipitation Measurement Mission , a program with the goal ofimproving the forecastingof extreme weather .
you’re able to see Johnson ’s exposure and the othertop five photos of extreme weather here .
The winning image was taken by Brian Johnson, a storm-chasing photographer, near Wichita, Kan., on 12 January 2025.
