Mike Charnick
@charnick.bsky.social
Meteorologist living & working in Colorado and Wyoming. Hobby photographer, mountaineer, trail runner & storm chaser.🌪 📸 🏔🏃♂️
Incredible Sentinal-2 satellite imagery of #Melissa at peak intensity before landfall. In the cloud-free areas of the eye you can see the physical effect of the surface wind gradient (2nd image): chaotic whitecapped waves near center transition to extreme sea spray/linear streaking near the eyewall!
October 29, 2025 at 12:26 AM
Incredible Sentinal-2 satellite imagery of #Melissa at peak intensity before landfall. In the cloud-free areas of the eye you can see the physical effect of the surface wind gradient (2nd image): chaotic whitecapped waves near center transition to extreme sea spray/linear streaking near the eyewall!
#Comet #Lemmon last weekend, with both the ion and dust tails visible. The ion tail (thin one) was shocked by a solar storm the day before, resulting in a fractured look.
30x20s exposures at 600mm. Star trails in the b-round due to the comet itself moving over the ~10m of imaging. #astro
30x20s exposures at 600mm. Star trails in the b-round due to the comet itself moving over the ~10m of imaging. #astro
October 26, 2025 at 12:44 AM
A year ago tonight over the Medicine Bow mountains in Wyoming! This was the same G5 geomagnetic storm that gave many folks along the east coast urban corridor their first view of aurora. Enjoy! ✨
#solarstorm #aurora #auroraborealis #WYwx
#solarstorm #aurora #auroraborealis #WYwx
October 11, 2025 at 5:03 AM
A year ago tonight over the Medicine Bow mountains in Wyoming! This was the same G5 geomagnetic storm that gave many folks along the east coast urban corridor their first view of aurora. Enjoy! ✨
#solarstorm #aurora #auroraborealis #WYwx
#solarstorm #aurora #auroraborealis #WYwx
Earlier this summer, an opportunity presented itself to climb the Montana state highpoint: Granite Peak in the Beartooth Range. This was my last of the Lower 48 "Big 3". A brutal 2-day push to bag the peak, what a beautiful reward to get to exist in some of the more remote wilderness in the US!#MTwx
September 26, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Earlier this summer, an opportunity presented itself to climb the Montana state highpoint: Granite Peak in the Beartooth Range. This was my last of the Lower 48 "Big 3". A brutal 2-day push to bag the peak, what a beautiful reward to get to exist in some of the more remote wilderness in the US!#MTwx
August 29, 2025 at 9:12 PM
🚨It's happening people! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! 🚨
Spotted yesterday 8/28 in southeast Wyoming. Summer is OVER! 💪❄️
Spotted yesterday 8/28 in southeast Wyoming. Summer is OVER! 💪❄️
August 29, 2025 at 9:05 PM
🚨It's happening people! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! 🚨
Spotted yesterday 8/28 in southeast Wyoming. Summer is OVER! 💪❄️
Spotted yesterday 8/28 in southeast Wyoming. Summer is OVER! 💪❄️
July 31, 2025 at 3:00 AM
While waiting for a weather window to summit Rainier, we saw several epic lenticular/cap clouds over the summit throughout the week. This telephoto view was particularly wild - a combo of stratified lenticular clouds over the summit & convective surface clouds underneath. #wawx #Rainier
July 31, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Mount Rainier- State highpoint #40!
The theme of this trip was resilience. A self-guided climb was certainly an added challenge and really forced competence with crevasse rescue skills and route finding. Got the weather window we needed & gutted out 9,200’ to what I’d consider my hardest summit yet!
The theme of this trip was resilience. A self-guided climb was certainly an added challenge and really forced competence with crevasse rescue skills and route finding. Got the weather window we needed & gutted out 9,200’ to what I’d consider my hardest summit yet!
July 13, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Mount Rainier- State highpoint #40!
The theme of this trip was resilience. A self-guided climb was certainly an added challenge and really forced competence with crevasse rescue skills and route finding. Got the weather window we needed & gutted out 9,200’ to what I’d consider my hardest summit yet!
The theme of this trip was resilience. A self-guided climb was certainly an added challenge and really forced competence with crevasse rescue skills and route finding. Got the weather window we needed & gutted out 9,200’ to what I’d consider my hardest summit yet!
July 9, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Still riding the high of this tornado chase a few weeks later. Here is a slightly more cleaned-up edit of the best tornado + rainbow + RFD storm structure I'll probably ever see. Enjoy!
Dickens/Whitman, NE 6/16/25
Dickens/Whitman, NE 6/16/25
July 4, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Still riding the high of this tornado chase a few weeks later. Here is a slightly more cleaned-up edit of the best tornado + rainbow + RFD storm structure I'll probably ever see. Enjoy!
Dickens/Whitman, NE 6/16/25
Dickens/Whitman, NE 6/16/25
This was a particularly fascinating photo of the Dickens tornado. The bottom 1/3 of the condensed tornado appeared to 'hollow out' leaving just the shell of the circulation condensed, surrounded by dust. If you look closely the residual condensation takes on a 'braided' look similar to vinyl tubing.
June 19, 2025 at 5:38 PM
This was a particularly fascinating photo of the Dickens tornado. The bottom 1/3 of the condensed tornado appeared to 'hollow out' leaving just the shell of the circulation condensed, surrounded by dust. If you look closely the residual condensation takes on a 'braided' look similar to vinyl tubing.
The perfect tornado.
16mm full wide. Dickens, Nebraska. 6/16/25
16mm full wide. Dickens, Nebraska. 6/16/25
June 19, 2025 at 1:48 AM
The perfect tornado.
16mm full wide. Dickens, Nebraska. 6/16/25
16mm full wide. Dickens, Nebraska. 6/16/25
Yesterday’s Panhandle supercell in OK remained just-so-slightly elevated fighting stable air behind the morning OFB. Viewed from the NE the base had a laminar appearance despite robust convection aloft. Views inside the RFD show the effects of stable air as various occlusions tried & failed to wrap!
June 18, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Yesterday’s Panhandle supercell in OK remained just-so-slightly elevated fighting stable air behind the morning OFB. Viewed from the NE the base had a laminar appearance despite robust convection aloft. Views inside the RFD show the effects of stable air as various occlusions tried & failed to wrap!
Single shot 70mm from yesterday. Ghostly. Etherial. And a photo I'll probably never be able to top!
Dickens, Nebraska. 6/16/25
Dickens, Nebraska. 6/16/25
June 17, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Single shot 70mm from yesterday. Ghostly. Etherial. And a photo I'll probably never be able to top!
Dickens, Nebraska. 6/16/25
Dickens, Nebraska. 6/16/25
Absolute insanity Dickens Nebraska tornado a bit ago at close range! Right off the iPhone lens spots and all!
June 17, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Absolute insanity Dickens Nebraska tornado a bit ago at close range! Right off the iPhone lens spots and all!
Career tornado intercept just now Dickens Nebraska!
June 17, 2025 at 1:34 AM
Career tornado intercept just now Dickens Nebraska!
Textbook occluded supercell north of Anton Colorado today. Could not discern any ground circ/tor in there but about as good a look as you’ll get. #cowx
June 5, 2025 at 11:35 PM
Textbook occluded supercell north of Anton Colorado today. Could not discern any ground circ/tor in there but about as good a look as you’ll get. #cowx
Wildflowers are peaking on the trails around Fort Collins right now! Ideal flower chasing season with several damp and cool stretches through May/June. 🌸🌻🌺
Got chased off Author’s Rock by storm #2 of the day…
Got chased off Author’s Rock by storm #2 of the day…
June 5, 2025 at 4:08 AM
Wildflowers are peaking on the trails around Fort Collins right now! Ideal flower chasing season with several damp and cool stretches through May/June. 🌸🌻🌺
Got chased off Author’s Rock by storm #2 of the day…
Got chased off Author’s Rock by storm #2 of the day…
Right before it did this
June 5, 2025 at 4:00 AM
Right before it did this
