Weather Photographer of the Year: Check out the shortlist

This picture of a snowy beach was captured by Owen Humphries in Northumberland in the UK

The shortlist for this year's Weather Photographer of the Year competition has been released.

The competition has been running for eight years and aims to shine a light on the different climates and weather phenomena experienced across the world.

This year's shortlisted images, from photographers in 94 countries, include pictures of rare red sprite lightning, dramatic tornadoes and cloud formations, ice-covered landscapes, flood-filled streets, and forest fires.

The winners of the 2023 competition will be decided by a public vote and announced on Thursday 5 October.

Take a look at some of the incredible weather snaps in the shortlist below...

A Perfect Cloud by Francisco Negroni

"I think it is one of my most beautiful photographs," Francisco Negroni said

No. That's not a photo of Mount Doom. It's a huge lenticular cloud surrounding the crater of a volcano, where the lava illuminates the cloud from within.

It was captured by photographer Francisco Negroni who camped at the Villarrica volcano - one of Chile's most active - for 10 days to capture this special moment.

Lenticular clouds form when air on the ground meets an obstacle—like a mountain or volcano. As the wind cools it condenses and becomes a cloud, but lenticular clouds are different from other clouds in that they don't move in the sky. While the cloud stays in place, it is shaped by new air rising up, making the cloud smooth and round.

Chugwater Tornado by Cristiano Xavier

"Luckily, this tornado stayed over the crops and didn't destroy any buildings." said Cristiano Xavier

This photo by Cristiano Xavier captured the immense power of a tornado in Southern Wyoming in the US.

Tornadoes are usually created by large storms known as supercells.

Changes in wind speed can cause the air to being to spin, which the storm can pull into a vertical vortex. If this vortex, or funnel cloud, reaches the ground, then it becomes a tornado, which can cause some serious damage to buildings.

Divine Power by Fernando Braga

"This night was simply unforgettable for me. Like a dream come true," Fernando Braga recalls

This photo captures bolts of lightning around the world-famous statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Photographer Fernando Braga took a number of long exposure pictures to create the image.

Lightning happens when raindrops in clouds freeze and rub together. This causes an electric charge to build up in the storm (a bit like when you rub a balloon on your hair) before a sudden electric discharge, or release, happens between parts of the atmosphere or the Earth's surface.

Fichtelberg Mountain by Christoph Schaarschmidt

"It was not easy to photograph this landscape because it was about -14 degrees that evening, with strong winds," Christoph Schaarschmidt said

Christoph Schaarschmidt captured this amazing icy view on Fichtelberg Mountain in Germany.

It was created by strong winds, more than a metre of snow, and temperatures far below zero.

The icy build-up is a combination of snow and rime - ice that forms when supercooled water droplets in a fog freeze onto a surface.

Polar Stratospheric Cloud by Tania Engbo Dyck-Madsen

"This beautiful, but rare cloud appeared in the sky while I was on holiday in Norway, and luckily, I had my camera and tripod with me," said Tania Engbo Dyck-Madsen

This amazing picture is not a magic eye puzzle, it's an extremely rare weather phenomenon called polar stratospheric clouds or mother-of-pearl clouds.

Photographer Tania Engbo Dyck-Madsen said she captured the picture in Norway, after missing the chance to snap it two days earlier.

Clouds rarely form in our stratosphere as it is usually very dry, but when they do, polar stratospheric clouds are formed when particles in the clouds scatter light, causing pretty colourful patterns.

Worst Flooding by Azim Khan Ronnie

"After hearing such terrible news, I went to Kishoreganj district…this time the flood took a terrible form," said Azim Khan Ronnie

This dramatic picture captured by photographer Azim Khan Ronnie shows the devastation caused by flooding in Bangladesh in 2022.

Millions of people were left homeless and some people lost their lives to the floods.

Flooding like this happens when extreme rains and meltwater fill rivers to bursting.

Sharing a Broken Spectre by Matthew Price

"I thought flying the drone may create a different perspective," said Matthew Price

This picture was captured by Matthew Price using a drone on a walk in Wales and shows a Brocken Spectre weather phenomenon.

Brocken Spectres are caused by shadows on sunny, misty days.

When the sun is behind a person - their shadow is cast forwards through the mist, and a rainbow effect is created when the sun hits water particles in the misty air.

Forest Fire Boundary by Tran Tuan

"Through the photo, I also want to convey to everyone the message of forest protection, the message of climate change," said Tran Tuan

This scorching snap captures the devastation a forest fire in the Bac Giang province of Vietnam caused.

Photographer Tran Tuan used a drone to reveal a forest split in two: one side ablaze, the other still lush with green life.

Waterlogged by Sudipta Chatterjee

"I felt the need to portray the helpless situation of such animals and locals," said Sudipta Chatterjee

Sudipta Chatterjee captured this photo of a street dog paddling through a flooded street in Kolkata in India.

In June 2021, an extremely high tide caused the Hooghly River to overflow its banks, flooding the streets.

Sudipta wanted to show people that extreme weather affects both humans and animals alike.

Let us know your favourite images in the comments below.