20 Award Winning Photos from Weather Photographer of the Year 2020 Contest

AccuWeather partnered with the Royal Meteorological Society on their "Weather Photographer of the Year" 2020 contest this year. As determined by the judges, Rudolf Sulgan is Weather Photographer of the Year for 2020. The best photos make me feel like I was having their experience. "Blizzard" does this for me. I feel the chill of the winter air, the snowflakes hitting my face and the people enjoying the snow, with older folks remembering previous snows and children just forming memories that will last for years. The framing is impeccable and pleasing. It captures that moment when snow is falling so hard that it adds a ghostly, otherworldly essence to your surroundings.

In addition to the judges' voting, more than 11,000 readers voted this image to the top and declared Alexey Trofimov Weather Photographer of the Year for 2020. The blue color in this photo is just spectacular, like nature's own wonderful turquoise gemstone. I've never been north of New England, so these arctic views fascinate me. Captured forever is this moment in time when the leaf slowly froze into the water, but more importantly, as the winner says, it's a strange juxtaposition of seasons -- summer taken over by winter, and I think the progression of the seasons is always fascinating. Recognizing this juxtaposition is why Kolesnik is "Young Weather Photographer of the Year." Alluring but peaceful scene was captured on a misty morning in Vietnam. It's not just the United States that gets beautiful shelf clouds like this. Europe gets severe thunderstorms as well; in fact, there are many amateur and professional storm chaser photographers in Croatia.

The winners are:

• 1st place:Rudolf Sulgan with 'Blizzard'
• 2nd place: Lori Grace Bailey's 'Predawn Thunderstorm over El Paso'
• 3rd place: Joann Randles with 'Under The Rainbow'
• 4th place: Boris Jordan with 'Mammatus Outbreak'
• 5th place: Laura Hedien with 'Frosty Bison'
• 6th place: Tori Jane Ostberg with 'The Red Terror'
• 7th place: Sabrina Garofoli with 'Dream'
• 8th place: Maja Kraljik with 'Monster'
• 9th place: Mikhail Shcheglov with 'Before a storm'
• 10th place: Vu Trung Huan with 'Tea Hills'

Weather photography a predawn thunderstorm over el paso by lori Weather photography cloud formation mammatus outbreak by boris jordan Weather photography frozen life by kolesnik stephanie Weather photography baikal treasure by alexey trofimov Weather photography el chalten by francisco javier negroni Weather photography the red terror by tori jane ostberg Weather photography first light by mat robinson Weather photography tea hills by vu trung huan Weather photography long road by mat robinson Weather photography blizzard by rudolf sulgan

Weather photography forsty bison by laura hedian Weather photography dam wet by andrew mccaren Weather photography monster by maja kraljik Weather photography trees and fog by preston Weather photography a thirsty earth by abdul momin