April Been there competition: weather - in pictures

Sophie Carr: This photo was taken on my walk to work in London last November - sometimes the conditions on the river Thames are incredible. This was the most wonderful morning, with the sun breaking through the fog, just as I walked past the iconic Battersea power station. Photograph: Sophie Carr

Arnaud Chevalier: This picture was taken on our way to Saint Arnaud in New Zealand, but it could have been the west coast of Ireland, as the weather kept changing from sun to lashing rain. This shot, inspired by Lee Friedlander's photographs, perfectly summarises that day's weather. Photograph: Arnaud Chevalier

David Bugg: This was one of those classic moments. Walking in hills above Swaledale, in the Yorkshire Dales, bathed in gorgeous summer sunshine, we could see a big storm brewing and pouring rain all over a field across from the ravine below us. As is often the case, the storm later caught up with us in classic English summer style. Photograph: David Bugg

Fraser Perrie: This was taken at the start of the salt flats region in south-west Bolivia, a truly otherwordly landscape. We could see in the distance heavy rainstorms contrasting with the setting sun. Amazingly we managed to avoid all the thunderstorms. Photograph: Fraser Perrie

Benjamin Arthur: Pittenweem harbour, Fife. Scottish cloud formations can be among the most dramatic anywhere. When contrasted with the setting sun and a broiling sea on this particular evening, it made for properly photogenic weather. Photograph: Benjamin Arthur

Gareth Jones: The arrival of the afternoon rain on a remote tributary of the Amazon river in the state of Amapá, Brazil. I'd not seen rain like this before – it nearly swamped our small boat and came close to killing my camera as I peaked out of a leaky poncho to get the shot. Photograph: Gareth Jones

Jamie Lafferty: My fiancee and I are currently backpacking for 14 months. We started in China last June, which unbeknown to us was the rainy season. We'd just returned to Lijiang in Yunnan province from a 20km cycle when the heavens opened. We hid in a doorway snapping locals who refused to bow to the weather. We tried to capture the motion with slower shutter speeds and this was the best of my results. Photograph: Jamie Lafferty

Nick Board: During a three-week tour of Vietnam, I had a three-day sojourn in Hue, justifiably famous for its prodigious rain. For this shot, I tried to capture the feel of the sheer volume of water that was tipping down.The signpost, lorry and de rigeur poncho'd lady struggling with her bike added colour and drama. Photograph: Nick Board

Nicolas Potiron: This picture was shot in Colonia in Uruguay, during a thunderstorm over the Atlantic Ocean. I chose to put the gun in the foreground and a flash in the background to provide a dramatic atmosphere. Photograph: Nicolas Potiron

Sarah Ackner: I've always liked the design of this block of flats on the River Thames in Vauxhall, London, and the way the late afternoon light catches the glass. It almost looks like a scale model. On this particular day there was a huge thunderstorm approaching from the south – the sky was almost black. I thought the light was incredible and then the final touch was a rainbow appearing. Photograph: Sarah Ackner

Wing Yin Chan: This photo was taken in December last year, when a snow storm attacked east London. Without any preparation, this image came up during my bus ride to the post office. I couldn't resist trying to capture the beauty of the snowflakes with the macro mode of my humble compact camera. I’m really pleased with the outcome, especially the white curvilinear backdrop created by the Westferry Circus. Photograph: Wing Yin Chan

Elizabeth Turfus: I was on a trip along the Great Ocean Road in southern Australia and we stopped to watch the little penguins coming out of the ocean at sunset. In fact there were few penguins and no sunset, but as I turned round for one last look I saw these amazing clouds against the waves so I took a quick shot with my digital Samsung camera. A few minutes later a terrible thunderstorm struck. Photograph: Elizabeth Turfus

Rich Baxter, runner-up: A storm developed during the day over the coastal tourist village of Grand Bay, Mauritius. The picture was taken from an offshore island, home to colonies of seabirds, just after sunset.

Natalie Mayer, judge: A very striking image – the photographer must have been delighted when he caught this. I imagine it was a bit of a waiting game and then boom, the sky erupted and the photographer was there at the ready. Good one. Photograph: Rich Baxter

Anthony Craddock, runner-up: The image was shot on a very blustery day on the Canadian prairies. My wife spotted the building in the distance and it instantly reminded me of the homestead in the Wizard of Oz and the dust bowls of the 1930s.

Natalie Mayer, judge: Stunning, simple composition and a very nice interpretation of the theme this month. I love the panoramic framing, sense of space and openness and the lack of distractions. Perfect! Photograph: Anthony Craddock

Winning photograph by Alisdair Jones: OK, it's not very travel - it was only five minutes from my front door – but I took this photo last January in a blizzard in Toronto, Canada. I had to wrap my camera in a plastic bag to keep it dry.

Natalie Mayer, judge: There are some really stunning entries this month. I love this one for its simplicity and atmosphere. I can feel the crunch of the snow under her feet and I bet that dog is having a lovely time with the fresh, cold snow on his nose. The image has a lovely visual balance and is a very deserving winner. Photograph: Alisdair Jones