After four years of unsuccessful storm chasing, Mike Olbinski finally found what he was looking for. A massive rotating supercell thunderstorm with complex structure and active movement.

The result was the epic time-lapse video embedded below. The storm was spotted on June 3, 2013, near Booker, Texas. It was shot with a Canon 5D Mark II and Rokinon 14mm 2.8 lens.

Olbinski describes the amazing moment with true passion:

“Seeing something like this has been a longtime goal of mine. This was my fourth year chasing in the plains and I’ve never come CLOSE to this kind of structure. Pictures don’t do it justice.
 
When I finally had all the cameras going and sat back to just take it all in…tears filled my eyes. I yelled with joy at the top of my lungs, I gave Andy a big hug, thanking him for picking this spot almost a week before as our target location. We heard other chasers nearby hooting and hollering as well. It was a magnificent moment.
 
I will never…in all my life…forget this day.”

[Source: mikeolbinski.com]

 

https://vimeo.com/http://www.vimeo.com/67995158

 

A supercell is a thunderstorm that is characterized by the presence of a mesocyclone: a deep, persistently rotating updraft. Of the four classifications of thunderstorms (supercell, squall line, multi-cell, and single-cell), supercells are the least common and have the potential to be the most severe. Supercells are often isolated from other thunderstorms, and can dominate the local climate up to 32 kilometres (20 mi) away. [Source]
 
For more information, see the original blog posts on Mike’s official site here and here.

You can also purchase a canvas or metal print of this amazing storm here.

[via Colossal]