A weak tornado and lightning from a supercell outside of North Platte, NE, May 14, 2025.
Posts by Nelson Tucker
Amazing supercell structure illuminated by lightning near Spearman, TX, the night of June 6, 2025. This came ~2.5 hours after a different supercell produced an EF2 tornado in the same location outside of town.
The billowing updraft of an LP supercell near Freedom, OK, May 18, 2025. This photogenic storm produced 4 tornadoes near Arnett before slowly weakening for several hours, taking on this appearance around sunset.
A stout supercell near Boise City, OK on June 6, 2025. This tornadic cell meandered southeast for roughly 10 hours and 290 miles, beginning west of Kim CO and moving through the OK and Texas panhandles before ending around Cordell in SW OK
A tornado north of Arnett, OK, May 18, 2025. This was the fourth and final twister produced by the LP supercell and the successor to the well-known EF3.
Pretty storms near Weatherford, OK on June 14, 2025. A last-minute chase that had some nice supercell structure.
Inside the Wyoming, IA tornado today!
The formation and early development of the Spiritwood, ND tornado on June 20, 2025, including a nice CG bolt in front.
The Morton, TX tornado and incredible wall cloud structure on June 5, 2025, including one of our @otusproject.bsky.social pilots flying inside the tornado from afar.
Some of the tornadoes that I saw in the Hyannis-Merritt Reservoir, NE supercell tornado family on April 27, 2025. An outstanding chase in the Nebraska sandhills.
The time-lapses of my 2025 storm chases with the OTUS Project. An art that is very difficult with our drone tornado intercepts, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. Some of these clips are pretty insane, I hope you enjoy! Video link: youtu.be/ac3ibC8JejM
The beautiful Fort Ransom, ND tornado illuminated by lightning on June 20, 2025. One of my favorite tornadoes to roll up on in the 2025 chasing season.
A storm over mountains in Big Bend National Park, Texas, June 10, 2025. We missed the tornado produced by the supercell for a research engagement, arriving as it blew out near the Mexican border. An absolutely beautiful landscape to see storms in.
Insanely photogenic storms around Amistad, NM, June 7, 2025. We watched a weaker storm dropping dramatic wet downbursts before going after what would eventually become an incredible sunset supercell.
A pretty supercell over the South Dakota and Nebraska Sandhills, July 20, 2025. It produced a weak tornado near the town of Parmelee.
The Spiritwood, ND tornado growing through a stovepipe phase on June 20, 2025.
An honor last week to be part of the VORTEX-USA Workshop in Norman recapping the past and determining future priorities and needs for tornado research. So much incredible work happening and excited for @otusproject.bsky.social to tackle some of these big questions. Thank you to the awesome hosts!
The incredible barrel white wall cloud and meso of the large Morton, TX EF2 tornado as it intensified on June 5, 2025.
The Higgins, TX-OK anticyclonic tornado on May 18, 2025. This was the companion to a cyclonic tornado out of frame to the left, and the predecessor to the Arnett twister. We got two simultaneous @otusproject.bsky.social drone intercepts on this one.
The dramatic ropeout of the Fort Ransom, ND tornado on June 20, 2025, as our @otusproject.bsky.social drone entered the twister.
The shape-shifting forms of the Arnett, OK EF3 tornado on May 18, 2025. This was when it was causing its most intense damage.
An unbelievably photogenic sunset supercell near Amistad, NM, on June 7, 2025. One of the most stunning sights in the 2025 chasing season!
Pretty storms around Roaring Springs and Littlefield, TX on May 25, 2025. Missed the great tornado around Floyd, NM that day, but wasn’t all bad!
The mighty Spiritwood, ND tornado near peak strength on June 20, 2025. An incredible and unforgettable tornado, and easily the most violent winds we’ve yet flown through in an @otusproject.bsky.social intercept.
The awe-inspiring sight of a massive, electrified, tornado-producing supercell at night in the Nebraska Sandhills, April 27, 2025. 2 of my favorite shots, one of my favorite chases to date.
Close up anticyclonic tornado near Higgins, TX/OK border, 5/18/25. Virtually invisible until a house blew up a couple hundred yards away. One of the most chaser free tornadoes I’ve had, just our group of Jeff Piotrowski and @otusproject.bsky.social alone there. Predecessor of the Arnett EF3.
The stunning Fort Ransom, ND EF2 tornado at its peak, June 20, 2025. This tornado is very overlooked as it was the predecessor to the Enderlin EF5, and to my knowledge, only
Tanner Charles and my @otusproject.bsky.social team were close to it.
The Arnett, OK EF3 tornado at its peak crossing the road in front of us just a few hundred yards from town, May 18, 2025. We had just launched two more @otusproject.bsky.social drones at it after three successful intercepts on this storm.
Tornadoes near Willard and Akron, CO on May 23, 2025. We had an @otusproject.bsky.social drone intercept into the first, but we were punished for approaching the second with some baseball-sized hail.
Pileus over convective initiation and the resulting supercell around Tryon, NE, July 19, 2025. Radar screenshots at the time of the 2nd photo attached - looked decent at points but never produced more than some very brief funnels that I saw.