Triple Lightning Strike Over NYC Joins 30 Finalists in Weather Photo Contest
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A triple lightning strike over New York City, a lenticular cloud capping a California volcano and an iceberg glowing at sunset off Antarctica are among the finalists in the 2026 Weather Photographer of the Year competition. The Royal Meteorological Society's short list has 30 photographs, chosen from more than 5,500 entries submitted by photographers around the world, according to Live Science.
Public voting on the short list was set to end Thursday, Nov. 5. Live Science picked seven of the images that it said stood out for composition, atmosphere and storytelling.
What the competition is and how it works
The contest is run every year by the Royal Meteorological Society. Live Science describes it as a reminder that some of the world's most compelling images come from the unpredictable forces of nature. The 2026 short list covers a wide range of settings and subjects, including lightning strikes, swirling clouds and rainbows. Readers can view the full list and vote for a favorite.
Seven images Live Science highlighted
- Lenticular cloud over Mount Shasta. Photographer Lisa K. Kuhn captured the cloud above the mountain in California at sunset. Her entry is titled Mount Shasta Top Hat at Sunset.
- Triple lightning strike. Dan Martland photographed three strikes above New York City while watching from Bayonne, New Jersey. The entry is titled Triple strike NYC.
- Nebraska supercell. Laura Hedien shot A Supercell in the Sandhills of Nebraska. She said she was fortunate to see a supercell with lightning at night.
- Rainbow in the Lake District. Mat Robinson waited in pouring rain during a walk in England's Lake District before getting his image, Lakeland Rainbow.
- Ice hearts in Slovakia. Dominika Koszowska noticed ice forming on wire mesh in a wintery landscape in Bachledova dolina. The ice created heart shapes, and the entry is titled Ice Hearts.
- Farmer and fire in Iran. Erfan Samanfar photographed a farmer trying to protect his farmland from a raging fire in Marvdasht. Live Science called the image haunting. It is titled Fire.
- Iceberg in Antarctica. Andres Miraglia captured a floating iceberg in the sunset off Paradise Harbour. The entry is titled Castles in the Wind.
What the images show about weather
The seven photos cover very different conditions. Some show dramatic, short-lived events, such as lightning over a major city or a supercell storm at night. Others record quieter effects, such as ice forming into hearts on wire mesh or a rainbow appearing after a long wait in the rain. The farmland fire in Iran shows a different side of the contest, in which a photograph captures a person facing a hazard.
Live Science said the short list shows how weather, landscapes and the people who experience them are connected.
What this means for readers
For readers, the main practical point is access. The full short list of 30 images was available to browse, and the public could vote for a favorite until the deadline on Thursday, Nov. 5. Readers who want to take part should check whether voting is still open. Live Science also invited readers to share their own favorites in its comments section.
The selection also gives a sense of the scale of the contest. Only 30 of more than 5,500 submissions made the short list, and the seven pictured here were chosen by Live Science from those finalists. Live Science's selection is an editorial choice and not a ranking by the contest's organizers. Its report did not say when the overall winner would be announced.
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Around Prague, based on reporting by Live Science
