Check out these incredible weather photos

Take a look at this mysterious photo. The image, which looks like it's from a fairy tale, shows mist and fog surrounding the Barnweil Monument in Scotland

The public vote for the Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year 2024 has opened.

The competition, which is run by the UK's Royal Meteorological Society, showcases some striking photos of weather from around the world.

This year's contest attracted thousands of entries from photographers of all ages and skill levels across the globe.

Organisers want to highlight some amazing talent in the world of weather and climate photography and also help raise awareness of environmental issues that affect our planet including heatwaves, cyclones, wildfires and extreme flooding.

This captivating image, which was shot on a smartphone, shows the impact of Saharan dust on the city of Athens in Greece.

Some of the highlights from the 2024 competition include a Saharan dust storm, a rare red sprite lightning and a circular rainbow.

People have until 17 October to vote for their favourite photograph from this year's competition.

This photo of rare red sprite lightning was captured in the Chongming District of Shanghai

“In my nine years judging this competition, I always see something new and astonishing," said Professor Liz Bentley who is the chief executive of the Royal Meteorological Society.

"This year’s entrants have highlighted those regions of the world facing the worst impacts of climate change, but they also bring home the message that climate change is affecting the weather patterns of the more temperate climates and the most comfortable of societies too," she added.

This beautiful circular rainbow was photographed using a phone on a landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. A good reason to choose the window seat!

This beautiful photo was taken in Myanmar (Burma). The dry earth seen in the image shows how water intensive it is to grow cotton.

This photo was also taken in Myanmar (Burma). It shows a fisherman perched on a boat demonstrating the unique tradition of "leg rowing". If you look closely, you can see he has one leg on the oar allowing him to direct the boat

This striking image shows a lone fishing boat on calm turquoise water, bracing for the strong winds and rough seas as a thunderstorm approaches above

This dramatic image shows firefighters helping tackle wildfires in Cape Town, South Africa. The rising temperature and reduced rainfall in the area have increased the amount of wildfires there

This image shows the dryness of Lake Urmia in Iran. The lake was once the second largest saltwater lake in the world but a number of severe and extended droughts, as well as water extraction for human use, have caused water levels to fall dramatically

Which image is your favourite and why? You can let us know in the comments below.