A tempest captured in its full fury and one of the world’s most renowned waterfalls cloaked in ice have claimed first and second prize respectively in the annual Weather Photographer of the Year competition held by the Royal Meteorological Society.
The photo titled Storm Eunice taken by Christopher Ison (shown above) immortalizes the moment when the storm of the same name struck the port of Newhaven in the UK during high tide on February 17. Eunice, characterized as one of the worst storms to hit the UK since 1987, exhibited wind gusts of up to 196 kilometers per hour. It met the criteria for a “weather bomb,” also known as explosive cyclogenesis, which occurs when air pressure rapidly decreases.
Ison stated that upon learning that the storm was responsible for the first-ever red warning for the country’s south coast, he knew he “had to find a location to document it – this was going to be significant!”
Zhenhuan Zhou’s photograph, Frozen (pictured above), showcases sections of Niagara Falls enveloped in ice. This phenomenon occurs when mist and spray freeze over the top of the waterfall, while water flows beneath the ice.
In March 1848, the waters of Niagara Falls halted completely when strong winds pushed ice from Lake Erie into the Niagara River’s source, blocking it entirely.
Zhou’s image beautifully captures the intricate details of the icicles on a building and the rock face. These icicles are several meters long and resemble stalactites.
All of the 22 shortlisted photographs can be viewed on the Royal Meteorological Society’s website:
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