Series description
Tornado Alley is situated across the central United States of America and can produce some of the wildest weather on the planet. Supercells traverse Tornado Alley during spring and summer, bringing breathtaking scenes as Mother Nature creates unbelievable atmospheric sculptures. The 2025 season was one of the most intense in memory, as several extremely photogenic storms took place.
Finger of God
A low precipitation (LP) Supercell with incredible structure produced this highly photogenic tornado in Northwest Oklahoma.
© David Baxter III, United States, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Landscape, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Hell in Haskell
A large, destructive supercell slowly envelopes small towns in the southern Texas panhandle, unleashing fierce winds of more than 75 miles per hour and softball-sized hailstones.
© David Baxter III, United States, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Landscape, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Texas Behemoth
An incredibly powerful ‘Texas sized’ supercell becomes an earth-eating machine as it breathes in inflow winds in excess of 60 miles per hour. Mother Nature became a true artist on this occasion, sculpting out this supercell's structure.
© David Baxter III, United States, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Landscape, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
UFOs in New Mexico
A UFO-style supercell slowly morphs over the southern High Plains of New Mexico, bringing some of the best structure Tornado Alley has to offer.
© David Baxter III, United States, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Landscape, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards
Ultimate Glory
An incredibly structured supercell with a tornado in progress, photographed over the rolling sandhills of Nebraska. The photographer describes this as the best storm and tornado of his career.
© David Baxter III, United States, Shortlist, Professional Competition, Landscape, 2026 Sony World Photography Awards