You could be forgiven for thinking this could be a sign that atomic war has broken out or invading aliens have arrived.
But while this may appear to be the mushroom cloud of a nuclear weapon it is in fact a huge storm, circling in the air.
This incredible photo captures the moment the storm, known as a supercell, gathers in the sky.
Photographer Darin Kuntz snapped the picture in his backyard in Lubbock, Texas, on April 11 this year.
He said: “While it is common to see a storm of this size here, this one stood out that day as it stayed together and continued to build and max out in altitude.
“It also all came together as the sun was going down and created a once in a life shot for me.
“Storm season is an interesting time, we spend most every day in a tornado watch - the Fujita damage scale was written and designed here in Lubbock.
“Everyone that has seen the picture says it is the greatest single storm photo they have ever seen.”
And Darin, who has spent in his entire life in so-called Tornado Alley insisted that aside from being a skilled photographer, he has also been trained at identifying extreme weather.
He said: “I went through storm spotting training as a member of the fire department while in high school and continued to keep it up as well as studying some meteorology while in college.”
