Storm-chasing is an activity normally associated with the Great Plains of the USA, Tornado Alley and the film Twister. But the UK in fact gets more tornadoes per square mile than the USA! They are, however, almost always weak affairs compared to the destructive storms that cut swathes through Kansas, Oklahoma and elsewhere.

I have been intercepting and photographing severe weather events for several years now, and through this pursuit I have become a Director of the UK-based Tornado and Storm Research Organisation (TORRO). It gets you away from the desk, gives you a much better understanding of meteorology and the photographic potential is awesome! It can also get quite exciting at times.

I run a popular website dedicated to thunderstorms and other severe weather in Wales. The photographs are all taken using Canon A-1 SLR cameras with Canon 28-85mm and 100-300mm lenses, loaded with Fuji Provia 100 35mm slide film. The site now includes, on top of the regularly-updated illustrated weather-blog, an online gallery/slide library featuring Welsh weather and the Dyfi Valley area of Mid-Wales. Images, carefully selected from the thousands I have, and professionally-scanned, are available as Fine Art prints and, for multimedia use, in digital format. I am also available for illustrated talks on storms in Wales, subject to a reasonable fee/expenses. To access my severe weather blog, please click
HERE: for the gallery and slide library click HERE.

Mammatus on underside of thunderhead, Aberdyfi, 2004 Funnel-cloud descending from a storm over the Welsh mountains, August 2000 Tornado damage, Bow Street, November 2006
John S. Mason






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