Well it is Roswell: Enormous superstorms in the shape of a UFO emerge over home of Area 51
- Supercell storms like these can cause tornadoes, hail storms, flash floods and barrages of lightning
- They are usually found over the Great Plains of the U.S. or the plains of southern Brazil and Argentina
In the alien invasion movie Independence Day, the spaceships which obliterate Earth's great cities emerge from vast storm clouds just like these.
So it's fitting, then, that these portentous swirling supercells appeared over Roswell, New Mexico, near the U.S. military's secret Area 51 base, where it is widely believed a UFO crashed in 1947.
Jody Miller, from California, tracks down extreme weather conditions like these, risking life and limb to photograph what are incredible examples of the power of nature.
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An enormous supercell in the shape of a UFO looms over Roswell, New Mexico, close to the secret U.S. military site Area 51
The humongous storm extends across the whole sky, which is cast a deep portentous grey by the extreme weather forming in it
The rotating updraft of the supercell appears reach down to the earth. This, in some circumstances, is where tornadoes can form
Jody Miller, from California, tracks down extreme weather conditions like these, risking life and limb to photograph them
A small, lonely structure is dwarfed by the storm cloud as it rolls overhead in the New Mexico desert
The pictures were taken one afternoon in June, as a fierce supercell loomed over the state of New Mexico.
Supercells are particular types of thunderstorms that have a rotating updraft. This is also known as a mesocyclone. Of the four classifications of thunderstorms (supercell, squall line, multi-cell, and single-cell), supercells are the overall least common and have the potential to be the most severe.
They can occur anywhere in the world under the right conditions, but they are most common in the Great Plains of the U.S. as well as the plains of Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil.
The storms they spawn can cause hail, flash floods, barrages of cloud to ground lightning and even tornadoes - and pose extreme perils for people and aircraft. Mr Miller has been chasing such storms for two years.
Forks of lightning crackle inside an enormous supercell looming over homes in Roswell, in these photos taken on June 7
The sun sets behind turbulent storm clouds over the desert, with what appears to be a severe storm brewing in this supercell
Supercells can occur anywhere in the world under the right conditions, but they are most common in the Great Plains of the U.S. and in the plains of Argentina, Uruguay and southern Brazil
This road leading towards the heart of the storm looks like a route into oblivion
He said: 'Everyone thinks that storm chasing is scary business. If you are in the company of a trained meteorologist, as I was, you are in good hands and I never felt any danger.
'Although it looks as though we are right underneath the storms they are still miles away and we watch them pass by from "photogenic" vantage points.'
The 63-year-old added: 'Having said that, one should never try it alone and always rely on a good meteorologist to guide him or her near storms of this nature, as they are indeed violent and do wreak damage on the areas that they pass directly over.
'Most of these storms pass over uninhabited areas but when they do hit towns and cities the results can be tragic - and often are.'
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