A phenomenal sight of sunset clouds glowing red, high above Brisbane, photographed by pilot Glenn Keane, is featured in the 2026 Australian Weather Calendar.
At 41,000 feet, just before commencing descent at the tail end of a long-haul flight from Honolulu to Brisbane, commercial pilot Glenn Keane was amazed by the scene before him.
“This sunset from above appeared and I thought, ‘wow, that’s phenomenal’,” he said.
“I’ve seen some amazing sights flying, but certainly that was one of the picks.”
Glenn’s image, selected as the October image in the 2026 Australian Weather Calendar, shows the contrast between the dark clouds and deep red glow of the sunset.
This magnificent sunset is one of the many fascinating weather phenomena Glenn witnessed from the flight deck during a more than 20-year flying career.
As a pilot for several international airlines across that time, Glenn saw a variety of weather in his work.
“In any one week, you could be flying in the tropics and then in the Arctic,” he said.
“Any given day that you go to work, you’re pouring over weather forecasts, en route and at your destination, and making your own assessments.
“It’s very important to get really good, reliable weather information.”
But it was back home in Australia that he remembers providing some of the most memorable weather.
“Some of the biggest storms I’ve ever seen have been on the north-west coast of Western Australia,” Glenn said.
“They were huge storms that go up to 65,000 feet with the tops sometimes higher.
“I’ve actually seen lightning come out the top of some of those storms, and I’ve heard experts say it doesn’t do that, but I’ve seen it happen.”
Order your copy of the 2026 Australian Weather Calendar now at https://shop.bom.gov.au/.
