Mega thunderstorm near Tampa

Hi,

I was just digging in my photo archive and found this picture from a monster thundercloud which I took while flying over Tampa on july 5, 2003. It was on the return from a holiday in Cuba. I have travelled alot in my lifetime and seen alot of storms, but I have never seen something huge like this before.

Now I was curious if there's someone living near or in Tampa and still remembers that day, I would like to know how it must have been under such massive clouds since we don't have such extreme weather in my country and I really don't have an idea how it looks like under that cloud. I guess it is completely dark as night then?

The coast overthere had clear weather that day as you see on this pic, the storm was a little more inland.

Thanks in advance,

Hendrik

Here are some data from that day in Tampa. I doesn't look like much of anything happened. http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KTPA/2003/7/5/DailyHistory.html?req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA Hopefully someone who was there can really answer your question.

Thanks very much.
Maybe it's because the thunderstorm was more inland, the data are not impressive for Tampa in particular.

But maybe I will get the answer in real because I have subscribed to a storm chasing tour all over the united states from 30/5 till 14/6 next year, which should result in similar cloud formations...

Good pictures, Hendrik. I can't speak for what it was like under the cloud in Tampa that day but here is a picture of a storm cloud which I took from the porch of my house a few weeks ago. There was a tornado warning that day and although the tornado came within about 3 to 5 miles of my house, we never saw it. Sometimes it is much darker under those clouds than it looks in this photo.

Thanks for the pic!
It looks like this light rainshower was a little darker than the tornadic thunderstorm in your town :)
I took it a couple of years agoo from my garden here in Belgium,

I live near Tampa. Our phenomena is a little more reassuring.

Aren't those con-trails gordo? And why are they more reassuring? I am very curious.

Not storm clouds...

I guess if you look at it from that perspective you are right. Or if you looked up and saw a cross-figure, that could always be reassuring on a spiritual level.

In any event, I was just curious because con-trails have been a curious phenomenon to me.

Hendrik, I lived in Tampa for many years. For a long time you could count on daily afternoon thunderstorms. Just about could set your clock on it. They would rumble in about 3:30 pm and be gone by 6pm. The weather patterns have changed now and that doesn't happen anymore.

As for what it looks like under those clouds, dark, sometimes green aura (hail coming) sometimes pink. That is what is curious, the color of the air around you. It is like looking through green or red tinted glasses. Usually you will see the wispy, lighter colored clouds that are low in the sky and move quickly while the tops are darker. Some of those wispies from time to time are small twisters. Had two small twisters hit our neighborhood in an afternoon storm in Englewood, Fl south of Tampa. We watched them form.

But if you want to see really good storm formation go to Oklahoma. Now you can see those coming for miles.

Thanks again :)

That's just what I'm going to do: chasing thunderstorms with Cloud9 tours all over the States but with Oklahoma as base where my flights will arrive and depart too. I'm very curious to see how such storms look like in real and how it feels like to 'undergo' them. Ofcourse I hope that there won't bee too much damage and human suffering from them because they're often real monsters :( All I want to do is watch them, and take spectacular pictures.

Also getting in America worries me a bit because it seems not to be evident to get trough the douane posts as foreigner, but I'm doing my best to get all the needed documents ready.

I wish you the best Cumulus. Tornados are an awesome force. I went through one in the Texas Panhandle and again in Ala. Watched two go across the sky in Ok. and Florida. Ok. is a great place to watch them form because it is so flat and you can see them coming for miles. I hope you get your dream to ride with storm chasers. You realize this is a power you have no control over. It will humble you, after your done being scared. :)

To be honest I have seen one tornado before during a trip in Thailand (2005), I even took a picture from it . But from what I see on pictures from his American counterpart, the Thai tornado looks like peanuts.
But here's the picture though :)

Close- up

that twister looks like it's wrapped in rain. Our twisters can be small too. The ones in Florida don't get as big as the ones in the Plains states. They don't stay on the ground as long either.

Good pic by the way.

Interesting thread. Good luck on your trip Cumulus!

Here's a thundercloud in central Maine from 2007.

Thanks:)
Just found a movie of an Australian thunderstorm on internet
http://www.dumpert.nl/mediabase/319211/a44146f1/cyclone_in_brisbane_australia.html
Simply amazing!

Unbelievable!

Looks a lot like what hurricane Andrew did around here (for 3 to 4 hours straight), only the Brisbane storm was milder and had hail. Another difference is trees still stood in the Gap and the house they were shooting from kept its roof!

Well... the stormchase was a big succes for me :)

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Wow!

Those are some awesomes pics!!! I love it!

Thanks, I willput the other pis on my site http://www.hendrikmertens.com as soon as they are ready (might take some time to resize them and create a new page for them)