Ready For The Wind

Cirrus clouds begin to form in the western sky behind two wind turbines along Interstate 80 about a mile west of Adair, Iowa around 2:55 PM, Saturday, April 9, 2011. An extended period of clear skies with unstable air and wind shear made the formation of severe weather on this day in western Iowa probable. The cirrus clouds formed in advance of supercell development in eastern Nebraska, occurring a little over two hours later. Our storm chase team was on its way to Minden, Iowa--some 45 minutes away--to set up and wait there for developing severe weather. As it happened, we traveled further west, then north, then east as we followed its progress.