Spectacular 'Mothership' Thunderstorm Wins National Geographic Photo Contest

While all thunderstorms command attention, some of the most rare and stunning storms of all spin up during the height of tornado season across the Great Plains. Technically known as low precipitation supercells, these storms are known to storm chasers as "motherships." These storms have a persistent, rotating updraft and they can spawn tornadoes and drop large hail as well as rain. Their hallmark, though, is their otherworldly appearance.

This stunning shot of a mothership supercell was taken by Marko Korošec in eastern Colorado on May 28, 2013. The picture won first place in the 2014 National Geographic Traveler Magazine Photo Contest.

Here's how Korošec described his once-in-a-lifetime shot, which won him an eight-day National Geographic expedition for two to Alaska.

While on storm chasing expeditions in Tornado Alley in the U.S. I have encountered many photogenic supercell storms. This photograph was taken while we were approaching a storm near Julesburg, Colorado, on May 28, 2013. The storm was tornado warned for more than one hour, but it stayed an LP [low precipitation] storm through all its cycles and never produced a tornado, just occasional brief funnels, large hail, and some rain.

National Geographic Traveler Director of Photography Dan Westergren, who helped judge this year's contest, said of the image:

"The crazy UFO-looking shape gives the impression that it's going to suck up the landscape like a tablecloth into a vacuum cleaner. The unresolved tension in the image makes me want to look at it over and over." via Mashable

- The Problematic