June 7th, 2008 Severe Weather
View Full Album Strong storms produce strong winds and funnel clouds over Mason City, IA. Later in the evening extremely heavy rain fell, triggering one of the worst floods in American history.
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Eyewitness to History
For those who would expect a post here, I have to admit I’m having a hard time finding the words to describe what I saw on Sunday, May 25, 2008. My chase partner Barry Hansen and I witnessed an EF-5 tornado. The fact that 7 people have died makes things [...]
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May 25th, 2008 Deadly Tornado Outbreak
View Full Album Photos taken on May 25th, 2008 of a deadly tornado outbreak. Picture and damage are from the Waterloo area, Dunkerton and Hazleton in northeast Iowa.
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Painting a Bullseye on Iowa
So here we go folks, what might just turn out to be our best chase day of the year. The risk is not all that great, but the setup is pretty good. There will likely be supercell development in Iowa Sunday afternoon. The parameters are there for some isolated tornadoes, [...]
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Omega Block: Goodbye & Good Riddance!
So I haven’t posted anything in nearly two weeks. Why? A little curse known as the Omega Block. Traditionally, "the block" is not good news for the upper midwest, as it sets up a Low-High-Low setup in the lower 48. With a high pressure system in the middle, that leaves [...]
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The Dull Days of May
Boy this is shaping up to be a very mediocre severe weather season in Iowa. There has been plenty of activity and plenty of strong systems moving through the midwest, but Iowa continues to be left on the cool side of each system. The coming week looks pretty abysmal, in [...]
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Too Much Alarm
With the bulk of severe weather expected to our west, there was little if any chance of a chase. In fact, with a growing bow line in western Iowa, the Storm Prediction Center said they would not issue a watch becaue they felt the storm would fall apart once it [...]
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The Definition of a Bust
Well after long discussions in the weather lab, and an increased risk of tornaodes, it all turned out to be for nothing. The day started with renewed hope as the low began its trek into northcentral Iowa. A coworker pointed out to me a case involving cold core low pressure [...]
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Friday: The Chase is On!
While the timing remains an issue, the chances of severe weather are there, and the risk of tornadoes with any organized development remain decent. The big questions left to be answered are the following: 1. Timing – With the front pegged to go through early in the afternoon, will it [...]
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Friday Prospects Improve, Flood Threat Remains
As the latest convective outlooks try to pinpoint the timing of any potential outbreaks over the next 48 hours, the primary threat in eastern Iowa looks to be another round of heavy rain. But there are some renewed possibilities of a “chaseable” day on Friday. The latest 12z runs show [...]
