!['Dam Wet', Andrew McCaren: 'Whilst trying to visualise the heavy rainfall of March 2019 Wet Sleddale came to mind, I have driven past Wet Sleddale dam many times and seen it dry even after prolonged rainfall, but thought I would take a chance. After a 4:30am start and a two-and-a-half-hour drive from my home in Leeds to Cumbria, [England,] I made it to the location and remember shouting 'yes yes yes' as I saw the water pouring down the spillway.'](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/KINKKONW7GMD76VGFK2ETGVVYA.jpg?smart=true&auth=583cf032f488686797cd27af28a72c41cd92f7e05fded89b4b808efa0dbfeb3e&width=800&height=533)
!['Trees & Fog', Preston Stoll: 'On the morning after a bitterly cold night in December, I left Steamboat Springs [Colorado, USA] in search of frost and any winter weather I could find. I wandered the roads and forests near the edge of the morning snow showers to find where interesting transitions in weather might be seen. This was the last photo of many taken that morning and my favourite by far. The fog bank behind the frosted trees isolates the small grove and creates a wonderfully minimalistic scene.'](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/UJWJT7FQORRUZOCW4NWPNK3JIU.jpg?smart=true&auth=bb6abe97540b683918e738b18615c2357f9fed91fa8949f1ddff9984c3cf1245&width=800&height=450)
!['Frosty Bison', Laura Hedien: 'We were touring the west side of [Yellowstone National] Park. It was a very cold sunrise, the coldest of the week so far. It was near zero degrees Fahrenheit. We came around the corner in our snow coach and saw this magnificent bison just sauntering down the road as if they owned the Park and they do! Keeping the required distance we hopped out, grabbed some photos, and quickly got back in the vehicle and watched as she/he walked about five feet right past us. It was as if we were not even there. It certainly added to the ghost-like event.'](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/UUBSRZQ65I53623J473H72KEP4.jpg?smart=true&auth=f63d6f31d598b3b879e4144f12a8b01796101d2e3e56e4dc144d09230864b301&width=800&height=1000)
!['Sa Foradada Storm', Marc Marco Ripoll: 'I tried many times to catch a good lightning strike behind this rock called Sa Foradada, [Spain,] but every time I tried, the conditions were not so good. I didn't have the moon in the sky to illuminate the scene, or the lightning was too far away. This night I knew that a big storm was approaching Mallorca and all the conditions were perfect. I don't remember if the moon was full, but I remember that it was very big. This was perfect, because the moon was going to illuminate all the land and the sea and give more colour to the scene. I chose my composition, and I shot many pictures until the storm fell on me. This is one of the pictures I took that night in Sa Foradada. To see the storm and the lightning that night was something amazing.'](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/RFPH572S5MEWUT6OWJXPHBRML4.jpg?smart=true&auth=8fbe2641fd9d2357f0fe379a58d4e8da92de1b0fc9d9339ffe02f8f6debfcaf8&width=800&height=533)
!['Under the Rainbow', Joan Randles: 'I have been capturing the semi-feral ponies of the Gower, Swansea, [Wales,] for nearly a year, spending many hours observing them and the changes to their environment. Part of following their day to day lives means photographing them in all kinds of weather conditions. On this day I remember seeing the rainbow forming after a hailstorm. Knowing that there wouldn’t be too many opportunities such as this, I swiftly left my car as the hail passed and ran down the common as I wasn't sure how long the rainbow would be full for. Furthermore, due to the rapidly changing weather, including natural lighting conditions and that I was capturing a semi-feral animal, I was having to make a decision about the composition of the image with no more than minutes to spare.'](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/TMDF7QNM2D7IL4E5DNZUDTX2YQ.jpg?smart=true&auth=c15be35c981f466c36ee2848372ff6a4c2667e6339cbf0d5a97861ff4bd67498&width=800&height=533)
!['Baikal Treasure', Alexey Trofimov: 'I took this photo during an expedition on the ice of Lake Baikal [Russia]. On the first day we arrived at Cape Kotelnikovsky, where I was attracted by ice hummocks and a snow cover. It was noon, not really my photo time. But the light that the sun gave, refracting in blocks of ice, caught my attention and made me take this picture.'](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/77ASTNXQ6RAY2I7E73TEY77Q5I.jpg?smart=true&auth=aff8e7d32c1e64f112be83869908038adf53e468d56005b2d01934ab7036dd2e&width=800&height=587)
!['Tea Hills', Vu Trung Huan: 'Lost in the fairy scene. Long Coc tea hill, [Vietnam] has mysterious and strange features when the sun is not yet up. Hidden in the morning mist, the green colour of tea leaves still stands out. Early in the morning, holding a cup of tea, taking a breath of fresh air, watching the gentle green stretches of green tea hills. It is true that nothing is equal! For those who love nature, like to watch the sunrise, when standing on the top of the hill, you will the most clearly feel the transition between night and day. A large green land suddenly caught in sight. When the sun is up, everything is tinged with sunlight, on the tea buds there is still glittering morning dew, a pure beauty that makes you just want to embrace everything.'](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/IIAMZFY5M3FJIT4G43K7RPN4D4.jpg?smart=true&auth=372bc681049f7166b3a52dcbed0a44b4b0e2312710b2d7051c91806009c5961b&width=800&height=518)
!['Ridgeline Optics', Richard Fox: 'After a foggy and snowy climb up onto Meall Nan Tarmachan (Hill of the Ptarmigans) (1043 m), [Scotland,] and along the Tarmachan Ridge, I was greeted, as I ate my lunch on Meall Garbh, to a break in the weather. The sun broke through and behind me a full fog bow, Brocken Spectre and glory. At one point there were multiple glories too.'](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/H7SHUUYLTKKT67Y6NJ5CQ6TGMI.jpg?smart=true&auth=1435f3b7dc8c80c2eb1a3ff9c430fd07f3b9936d30d8f691429afe03efb89e08&width=800&height=487)
!['Pinnacles of Light', Richard Fox: 'My wife and I visited the Isle of Harris and Lewis, [Scotland] on holiday for a week. One evening, after a day out on Lewis, we stopped off at the Mangersta sea stacks. It was pretty windy on the cliff tops, making long exposures quite challenging. All of a sudden a few rain showers passed over as the late evening light broke though, providing an amazing set of rainbows.'](https://thenational-the-national-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com/resizer/v2/DDG3Z3KMIGACVCAKMPUUML6HQU.jpg?smart=true&auth=242a2f064b985dca82971b4fe829134689ab777df3046fd1c377a72740b33fdb&width=800&height=499)
From theatrical storms to icy scenes and ethereal lighting, the 26 images shortlisted by the Royal Meteorological Society for the 2020 Weather Photographer of the Year prize show the world at its most atmospheric.
The shots are taken across the globe, including Scottish Isles, Patagonia, Vietnam and Belarus, and they show fog, rain, snow, hurricanes and resplendent sunshine to name just a few of the changeable conditions on display.
The 26 images have been shared by the Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS), in association with AccuWeather, and will now go to a public vote to decide the winner of the Weather Photographer of the Year 2020.
Click through the gallery above to see the shortlisted images, and read about them in the photographers' own words.
Directly or indirectly, many of the images pass comment on climate change.
"Global warming is the primary cause of the current sea level rise. As a result, hundreds of millions of people living in coastal areas will become increasingly vulnerable to flooding," said Rudolf Sulgan of his image, Brooklyn Bridge in a Blizzard.
"Higher sea levels would force them to abandon their homes and relocate. To combat this change in global temperature rise, we can reduce emissions and ensure communities have the resources they need to withstand the effects of climate change.
"Today’s choices will determine how high sea levels rise, how fast it occurs, and how much time we have to protect our communities. I made this image in 2018, during a strong blizzard as El Nino’s periodic warming of water often disrupts normal weather patterns.
My main concern and inspiration is that my images hopefully do a small part in combating climate change."
The public vote is open until midnight (BST), Friday, September 25, for more information or to vote, visit photocrowd.com/wpotyvote
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Read more:
2020 Moments: National Geographic urges region's photographers to share snapshots for competition
How four Sudanese artists joined forces to preserve the country's cultural past, present and future
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