14 photos that prove Kansas has the most awe-inspiring storms in the US

WHEN L. FRANK BAUM carried Dorothy from the farmlands of Kansas via a cyclone into the Land of Oz, the state become synonymous worldwide with extreme weather and fantastical settings. The reality of a storm advancing is unnerving even for the most fearless of people, but in Kansas an approaching storm carries with it a level of beauty which is impossible to find anywhere else.

1. A barn and the opening of the heavens

2. A storm is brewing

3. A prairie bathed in stormy clouds

4. Supercell storm passing over Sanford

5. Lightning storm outside Manhattan, Kansas.

6. Autumn clouds gathering

7. Sunset after the storm

8. Garden City covered with pink storm clouds

9. A chasing cumulonimbus

10. Giant storm clouds moving across northeast Kansas

11. Boeing aircraft escaping the clutches of an October storm

12. The skies open near Dodge City

13. Lightning attacks the fields of Kansas

14. Supercell thunderstorm advances near Ness City