One photograph a day, whatever the weather – in pictures

Storm surge damage, Lake Michigan, US, 13 January 2020

We begin at the start the year in the US. On 13 January, blipper dfb24 shared a stunning photo of storm damage and wrote: ‘The season is winter. The location is South Shore Park in Bayview, Wisconsin. The photo is of a pier on Lake Michigan the day after there was a huge storm surge on the lake. The waves were so high they actually took out some of the boulders that form the outer harbor, which in turn let the huge waves inside the harbor where they destroyed part of the bridge. As terrible as the damage was, it was also incredibly beautiful! Now, nearly a year later, the bridge still hasn’t been repaired.’

After the storm, Inveraray, Scotland, 13 January

On the same day in Scotland, the aftermath of a storm. Blipper Richard shared this image and wrote: ‘Well, we knew it was coming but there’s only so much you can do. The west coast has taken quite a battering today from storm Brenda, or whatever it’s called. I dislike this sensational storm naming rubbish. It’s only entertainment if it doesn’t affect you! Although Inveraray is more than 50 miles away from the open sea, we still had roads closed due to flooding and lots of debris brought in on the high tide. If you look closely at my image, you will see an oystercatcher, one of the lucky ones I suspect. After big storms like this, we sadly find dead and injured seabirds on the shore. I’ll keep my eyes open over the next few days and call the SSPCA if I find any.’

The different faces of Crosby, Merseyside, England, 12 February

Blipper Mindseye noted in her journal: ‘We literally blew in for a visit! It was a bright but very windy and cold morning … We could hear the sea roaring before we could see it! The tide was very high and quite rough.’

Not waving but drowning, Ilkley, West Yorkshire, England, 14 February

On a walk in the aftermath of Storm Ciara, Blipfoto photographer WharfedaleBex wrote in her journal entry: ‘I couldn’t believe what I was seeing on the approach up through the woods. Trees and branches strewn everywhere. We’ve had some wild gales in the past but this seems to have ripped through in just the wrong direction. I think the rain may have had a disastrous effect, weakening the ground at the same time. One fallen tree just had a lake underneath its bare root ball. There were a good dozen down.’

A river runs through it, Buckinghamshire, England, 17 February

On the same day, blipper Igor simply recorded: ‘A river runs through it.’ His photo of the Great Ouse speaks volumes

Pebble dashed, Brighton, East Sussex, England, 17 February

Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis hit the the UK in February, with the latter becoming one of the most intense extratropical cyclones ever recorded. KarenC wrote: ‘As with most storms, the beach has extended on to the promenade once again almost burying the benches, not very comfy for sitting on, but they make a good photo! The council had already started clearing the pebbles back into the beach, but I believe the next storm is on its way so they’re going to have their work cut out!’

A brief burst of sunshine between the showers this afternoon, 17 February

Russians experience a British winter, 19 February

In the same storm season but in Russia, blipper jess_lovett gave a fascinating insight into the impact of the weather where she was living. ‘So the Russians have discovered that there is, in fact, something worse than a Russian winter. This is a British-style winter, or as one commentator put it, “where we get stuck in a perpetual November”. No snow or pretty ice crystals but endless cold drizzle with the lack of snow making everything seem much darker than they are used to. The dogs are particularly put out, having been used to playing in piles of fresh snow during walks but now having to put up with endless mud. In addition, it’s too warm for your Russian winter coat without sweating, yet much too cold for a jacket.’ (However, winter did return and by 16 March Jess was recording fierce icicles on the side of a Russian building.)

Local shopkeepers help clear the streets of debris after Storm Dennis, Ilkley, England, 22 February

WharfedaleBex recorded the cleanup operation going on in the high street of the Yorkshire spa town of Ilkley

The Wye in flood following winter storms Ciara and Dennis, 24 February

Govetts Leap in the early morning rain, Grose Valley, Australia, 26 March

Australia’s bushfire season, normally starting in August, began much earlier in 2020. Locally it became known as the Black Summer as Australians in many areas experienced a period of unusually intense wildfires. Recording a scene of positivity in the aftermath, blipper PelorusJack photographed mist and rain in the Grose Valley. He wrote in his journal: ‘A welcome change and relief after the relentless heat and terrible bushfires in the Blue Mountains of NSW Australia, evidenced by the burnt trees in the foreground but with the beautiful regrowth of the tree ferns after the fires.’

A 22-degree halo often precedes a storm, 8 May

Sometimes the signs of approaching weather are there but subtle. Have you ever spotted what scientists call a 22-degree halo? Despite this seemingly clear sky, halos are a sign of high, thin cirrus clouds drifting 20,000ft or more above our heads. There’s an old saying, ‘ring around the moon means rain soon’, and there does seem to be some accuracy in that since high cirrus clouds often do precede a storm. During the first Covid-19 lockdown in England, while having coffee in their courtyard outside, blipper Anniemay looked up to see this beautiful halo around the sun. Reading up on it, she discovered that ‘it’s formed from my own personal ice crystals and is unlike any halo seen by anyone else.’

Hurricane Isaias, US, 4 August

Blipfoto photographer cindy_ellis recorded this plover that ‘blew in on the SE wind from Hurricane Isaias. We have never seen plovers on our beach before. This one seemed dazed for quite a while. It must have gotten it together because the last time we checked it was gone. We had an EF 1 tornado early this morning. We have been up since before 4am when the warning sounded. The tornado was around 6.30am. Our home was spared.’

Storm Ellen, Cornwall, England, 20 August

Late summer was when Storms Ellen and Francis hit the UK, bringing hurricane-level winds. The power of the waves is emphasised in blipper Haddock’s monochrome capture of the raging sea. He wrote in his journal entry for that day: ‘Seas building at Poldhu Cove as Storm Ellen moves in. For scale, seagull in the top right has a wingspan of 5-6ft. As we arrived at the beach the air-sea rescue helicopter was descending into the next-door cove, followed by a second air ambulance and the Lizard lifeboat standing by offshore – unfortunately two people hospitalised having been swept into the sea, by the looks of the local news.’

Storm Francis, England, 25 August

It can often be that the wild brings along the wonderful. Here, Blipfoto photographer sk recorded a beautiful moment of whipped-up sea with a dash of sunlight

Waterspout, Great Yarmouth, England, 27 August

Around 160 waterspouts are reported each year across Europe, with the UK reporting 15 on average. They are most common in late summer. In the northern hemisphere, September is the prime month of formation. On discovering this, blipper Haddock noted in his journal: ‘Probably a third of the UK’s yearly waterspouts dropped out of the bottom of a huge cloud offshore of Great Yarmouth this morning. A couple of them looked far more dramatic – but had died away by the time I got the camera.’

Triathlon?, Scotland, 4 October

The first named storm of the 2020/21 season will be remembered by blipper Tempus_Fugit with a level of humour. Storm Alex brought heavy rain: ‘A couple of friends were due to do a triathlon this morning, unfortunately it was cancelled due to flooded roads. Instead, I met them for a run and at points something not too far away from a swim. Two out of three will have to do!’

More mountains magic mist, Govetts Leap lookout, Blackheath, NSW, Australia, 8 October

Back in Australia, blipper PelorusJack records three days of fog in a row, culminating in this stunning view. ‘Gotta love this place. The clouds in the Grose Valley this morning looked like a boiling raging sea surging between the rocks.’

Windy, France, 10 October

Despite the devastation it can cause, there is so much that is beautiful about the changing weather. In France, a very windy day created a spectacular memory for blipper ajt: ‘We went for a walk today, it was a bit windy, and there were plenty of kites on the beach. Often they are hooked up to surfers, but today I think they were mostly regular kites.’

The ferry to Mull, Scotland, 31 October

Many photographers are sure to agree with blipper richard in Scotland: ‘I love stormy weather, challenging to photograph but great fun. The gusts nearly knocked me off my feet today but the spray added a nice light to the surface of the water.’

God’s periscope, Welland, England, 23 November

English blipper Cheeseminer recently recorded this stunning image of sunrise over a cloud inversion in the Malverns

Let it snow, near Stoos, Switzerland, 26 December

Storm Bella affected north-western parts of Europe. Blipper Snaefell1883 wrote: ‘What a fantastic day, lots of fresh snow, not many people out, as a lot of ski areas are closed for skiing, but fortunately open for winter hiking and snow shoeing. I went up to Stoos, on the steepest funicular railway in the world. It was still snowing a bit when I set off, and was about minus 10 degrees, but it soon cleared up, sunny, and I had a lovely walk around, pretty much the tracks to myself.’

Bella – I wasn’t even tempted, Salthill, Galway City, Ireland, 26 December

It was a different picture on the west coast of Ireland, however. The Guardian highlighted a more tranquil side here, but blipper RP1 captured a person still finding the coastal swimming spot at Blackrock Beach enticing