List of meteorological photos and videos

There are several notable photographs or videos in the field of meteorology, the study of the Earth's atmosphere, climate, and weather. These images or videos may be referred to as historic, most important, most iconic, or most influential weather-related photographs or weather-related videos.

List

19th century
+ImagePhotographerDateEventNotesborder|framelessWilliam N. Jennings2 September 1882LightningThe first ever photograph of lightning, taken by William N. Jennings in 1882. This has been described as one of "the most important photos in photography history".border|framelessF. N. Robinson28 August 1884Tornado outbreak of August 28, 1884An iconic and widely used photograph that is claimed by the National Weather Service to be the oldest known photograph of a tornado. This has been described as one of "the most important photos in photography history".

20th century
+ImagePhotographerDateEventNotesborder|framelessHerald ExaminerMarch 19251925 Tri-State tornadoAn iconic and widely used photograph of the front cover of the Herald Examiner following the 1925 Tri-State tornado.border|framelessDorothea Lange6 March 1936Dust Bowl / Great DepressionMigrant Mother is a 1936 photograph taken in Nipomo, California, by American photographer Dorothea Lange. The photo depicts a mother anxiously gazing into the distance, with an infant in her lap and two older children huddling close by. The photo captures the plight of migrant farm workers who arrived in California en masse looking for employment during the Great Depression. Initially anonymous, the woman in the photo was identified as Florence Owens Thompson in 1978, following the work of a journalist for the California-based newspaper The Modesto Bee. The photograph has been widely described as one of the most important and iconic photographs of the 20th century.border|framelessJohn Gosen8 June 1951Corn, Oklahoma tornadoThis video was the first to feature a tornado in the United States.border|framelessDon Staggs and University of Illinois Willard Airport staff9 April 1953Champaign, Illinois F3 tornadoThe first hook echo feature ever observed on radar was noted by a radar technician, during a damaging tornado in the Champaign, Illinois, area. Later on, the location of the echo was revealed to correspond with an ongoing tornado; this event led to the creation of a nationwide radar network for the detection of severe weather.border|framelessPaul Huffman11 April 19651965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreakMassive double-funnel tornado near Dunlap, Indiana is a 1965 black-and-white photograph of a multi-vortex tornado in Elkhart, Indiana during the 1965 Palm Sunday tornado outbreak. The photograph, taken by Paul Huffman for The Elkhart Truth, was described as "one of the most famous tornado photographs ever taken" and The Indianapolis Star described the image as "one of the most the iconic weather photographs of the century".Ernest Feland9 March 1966Blizzard of March 2–5, 1966A photo depicting North Dakota Department of Transportation worker Bill Koch next to a utility pole almost completely covered in snow, taken by fellow NDDOT worker Ernest Feland.Rockford Morning Star21 April 19671967 Belvidere tornadoThis photo depicts survivors of the tornado outside of the Belvidere High School, which sustained a direct hit from the F4 tornado, one of many during the Oak Lawn tornado outbreak. Mike Doyle, author of the book The 1967 Belvidere tornado, described this photo as perhaps the most famous photo in Boone County history and one of the most well-known disaster photos in history.border|framelessFred Stewart3 April 19741974 Xenia tornadoAn iconic photograph of the 1974 Xenia tornado, taken by Fred Stewart. The Associated Press bought the photographs shortly after they were run in local newspapers.Charles Barthold13 June 19761976 Jordan tornadoThis film of the F5 Jordan tornado was used by Ted Fujita to further his theory of the satellite tornado; in this case, an intense F3 tornado that surrounded the main tornado throughout much of its life. The film itself earned Barthold a Peabody Award.Merrilee Thomas23 April 1989Furnas County tornadoMerrilee Thomas of Beaver City, Nebraska took this photograph of her daughter Audra Thomas in Furnas County, Nebraska. The photograph won second place in a national Kodak contest, and it was used in numerous exhibitions.Scott BeckwithMay 27, 1997Jarrell tornadoThis photograph was taken as the F5 Jarrell tornado was undergoing tornadogenesis, with its multiple-vortex structure being compared to the appearance of the Grim Reaper. The image was part of a sequence taken by Scott Beckwith depicting the tornado's development.J. Pat Carter3 May 19991999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornadoA photograph of Tammy Holmgren huddled with her two daughters under an overpass as the 1999 Bridge Creek–Moore tornado approached. This photograph was taken by Associated Press photographer J. Pat Carter. It was chosen by CNN to be the photographic representation of all tornadic activity in the 1990s.

21st century
+ImagePhotographerDateEventNotesborder|framelessEd Lu15 September 2003Hurricane IsabelA photograph of Hurricane Isabel, taken by astronaut Ed Lu on board the International Space Station. This photograph has been widely used and has been described as one of "the most iconic hurricane photos of all time".David J. Phillip1 September 2005Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina is a photograph of residents being rescued by helicopter during Hurricane Katrina. This photograph was taken by Agence France-Presse photographer David J. Phillip. Life Magazine considers this to be one of the "most important photos ever".Eric Gay3 September 2005Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina Evacuation is a photograph of Tanisha Belvin (five-years-old) holding the hand of Nita LaGarde (89-years-old), as they are evacuated from New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. This photograph was taken by Associated Press photographer Eric Gay. Esquire considers this to be one of the "world's most remarkable photographs".Robert Galbraith4 September 2005Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina is a photograph of a man in New Orleans, clinging to the top of a vehicle, waiting to be rescued by the United States Coast Guard during Hurricane Katrina. The photograph was taken by Reuters photographer Robert Galbraith. Esquire considers this to be one of the "world's most remarkable photographs".border|framelessGreg Henshall16 May 2007Greensburg tornadoAn iconic photograph of Greensburg, Kansas, which was completely destroyed by the 2007 Greensburg tornado, which was rated EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. This photograph was taken by Greg Henshall, an employee with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).border|framelessJustin Hobson22 June 20072007 Elie tornadoAn iconic and widely used photograph of the 2007 Elie tornado, taken by Justin Hobson. Due to the free nature of this photograph, it is often used by news articles not even discussing the 2007 Elie tornado.Faye Hyde27 April 20112011 Super OutbreakUnknown2011Hurricane IreneThe original "Hurricane Shark" photoshopped image was created during Hurricane Irene in 2011, with a claim that the shark was on a street in Puerto Rico. Paul Hellstern20 May 20132013 Moore tornadoCobb family staggering out of Briarwood Elementary School — A photograph of the Cobb family walking away, injured, from Briarwood Elementary School, which was completely destroyed by the 2013 Moore tornado. This photograph was taken by Paul Hellstern, a photographer for The Oklahoman and Associated Press.Clem Schultz9 April 20152015 Rochelle–Fairdale tornadoClem Schultz recorded three minutes of video footage from the upstairs of his house in Fairdale, Illinois of the violent tornado approaching his community. The footage concludes with the tornado reaching Schultz's location. Clem Schultz was significantly injured in this event, and his wife was killed.Sergio Pitamitz2018Climate changeClimate Change is a photograph of a polar bear walking along ice on the ocean. Life Magazine considers this to be one of the "most important photos ever", especially with regards to climate change.David Goldman4 March 20192019 Beauregard tornadoA widely used photograph, taken by Associated Press photographer David Goldman, showing the debris from a house that was blown off its foundation and completely destroyed by the Beauregard tornado. The New York Times published that this was one of the top photographs taken during 2019.Esther Horvath6 April 2019Climate changeAn award-wining photograph by The New York Times photographer Esther Horvath, showing Anja Sommerfeld launching a weather balloon containing an ozone sounde to measure the ozone levels above the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in Germany.Doug Mills28 August 2020Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaignAn iconic and widely used photograph, taken by New York Times photographer Doug Mills, of a lightning strike behind United States President Donald Trump, after he returned on Air Force One from a campaign rally in New Hampshire. Several news outlets, including The New York Times, CNN, NBC News, and The Atlantic selected the photo as one of the best photographs of 2020 and of Trump's first presidency.Reed Timmer29 April 20222022 Andover tornadoJAW-DROPPING Tornado Drone Footage Shows Kansas Town Get Ripped Apart is a video of the 2022 Andover tornado, from a drone operated by meteorologist and storm chaser Reed Timmer.Giorgio Viera29 September 2022Hurricane IanA widely used iconic photograph, taken by Associated Press photographer Giorgio Viera, of journalist inspecting the damage from Hurricane Ian. The Straits Times considers this one of the most iconic photographs during 2022.Matt Laubhan24 March 20232023 Amory tornado'Dear, Jesus, please help them' is live coverage from WTVA Chief Meteorologist Matt Laubhan during the 2023 Amory tornado, where Laubhan prayed on live television for the people in Amory, Mississippi.Mohammed Abed9 October 2023Israeli bombing of the Gaza StripAn iconic and widely used photograph by Agence France-Presse and Getty Images photographer Mohammed Abed, of lightning strikes as smoke rises following Israeli airstrikes of Gaza City amid the Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip during the Israel–Hamas war. This photograph was named one of the top and "greatest" photographs to have been taken during 2023 by TIME Magazine. The Week named this photograph as one of that weeks' best photographs. In October 2024, CNN named this photograph as one of "the defining images of the Israel–Hamas war".Brandon Bell7 May 20242024 Barnsdall–Bartlesville tornadoOklahoma Town Of Barnsdall Hit By Deadly Tornado is a photograph by Getty Images photographer Brandon Bell, showing a child walking alone through a neighborhood damaged by the 2024 Barnsdall–Bartlesville EF4 tornado. CNN published that this was one of "the most visually powerful and important" photographs during 2024.border|framelessTed Hudson26 September 2024Hurricane HeleneAn iconic and widely used screengrab taken from the body camera of United States Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Ted Hudson, while he rescued a man and his dog after their sailboat became disabled and started taking on water off Sanibel Island, Florida during Hurricane Helene. CNN published that this was one of "the most visually powerful and important" photographs during 2024.border|framelessArtificial intelligence30 September 2024Hurricane HeleneDonald Trump wading through floodwaters is an artificial intelligence-generated viral image as part of the misinformation that surrounded Hurricane Helene in 2024.Armin Durgut15 October 20242024 Bosnia and Herzegovina floodsA widely used photograph, taken by Associated Press photographer Armin Durgut, of mourners gathered at a collective funeral for 19 victims of a landslide caused by floods in Jablanica, Bosnia. TIME Magazine considered this photograph to be one of the top and most important photographs of 2024.

References

Category:Dynamic lists
Category:History-related lists
Category:Weather lists
Category:Photographs
Category:Video