Since I was young, I have been fascinated with the weather. During my childhood, my father and I would watch thunderstorms roll in from the west as we sat on our front porch. The lightning, wind, hail, and sometimes tornadoes would leave me awestruck. I decided to make meteorology my career, and in 1999 I went on my first storm chase.

This gallery is a collection of my favorite severe weather photos, plus an educational breakdown of cloud types that can be used in the classroom.

All images and text Copyright 2008 by Jason Branz. All rights reserved. Please ask before direct linking.