First Taste of Significant Severe Weather in Eastern Iowa

 

Anticipation for a significant severe weather event in the midwest was running high two days in advance of its expected arrival with the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) posting an Enhanced (Level 3) risk at that time. Pictured above is the updated posting for 12:30 pm CDT for Day 1, April 16, 2024. The panel on top shows an area of Enhanced Risk covering much of Eastern Iowa, with the bottom panel showing a 10% hatched area for a tornado risk. 

Around the same the National Weather Service (NWS) issued Tornado Watch 117, covering eastern Iowa, northeastern Missouri and western Illinois, and valid until 8:00 pm CDT, April 16.

My Tempest Weatherflow home weather station data for 1:06 pm, showing juicy conditions for the formation of severe weather.

Time to secure a mobile spotting position! This image (2:37 pm) shows the array of informational and communication devices in my vehicle, now located on North Marion Road (10th Street) just north of County Home Road, north of Marion, Iowa. Go Pro Hero 4 Silver Action Camera (1), cell phone with radar (2), CB/Weather radio (3), amateur radio (4), Vantage Vue weather station console (5). The Cedar Rapids NOAA weather radio (WXL61) transmitter was not operating during this event, but I was able to pick up surrounding broadcasts.

And meanwhile, weather was becoming active. This Radarscope image for 2:41 pm CDT shows an incoming line of storms moving on a NNE track. My activated Spotter Network target icon is at center. Note the severe and tornado warned polygons all over the region. 

2:40 pm CDT. Looking northwest at an area that would become tornado warned in mere minutes. The storm was located about 30 miles distant in Buchanan County.

Active radar image for 2:55 pm. Note the tornado-warned polygons (red) to the north. 

2:57 pm. Looking south from North Marion Road toward Marion and the direction from which the civil defense sirens were now sounding. County Home Road is seen in the background.

 

3:25 pm. Looking southeast at a low cluster of clouds, moving right to left in this image. Tornado warned areas were just east of this location.

3:30 pm. Looking northeast. Area in the background is tornado warned (see radar image below). My spotting vehicle is in the foreground.

Radar capture for 3:32 pm. Note how the first line of storms (upper right) was leaving my area and the new line (bottom left) was approaching, still as potent as ever. 

3:35 pm. This is what the southwestern sky looked like during a lull in the two lines of severe storms. It was at this time I decided to pick up and relocate to the south, with the intent of intercepting a stronger line of storms which was approaching the town of North Liberty in Johnson County.

4:05 pm. Southbound on Interstate 380 with the Eastern Iowa Airport exit (Exit 13) seen in the background. The line of storms (right) was approaching fast, and at this point it quickly became apparent I wasn't going to reach North Liberty in time.

4:07 pm. Fast change of plans and pulling into the southbound Interstate 380 rest area just south of Cedar Rapids. The storm (moving right-to-left in the image) is almost upon me.

Radar image corresponding to the photo above it. White arrow points toward the storm.

4:08 pm. Stationary at the rest area now. Image looks southwest at a lowering feature along the squall line.

4:11 pm. Severe-warned storm is now blowing over me. This image looks southeast. About a minute later pea size hail began to fall, with a duration of about a minute. 12 tornadoes in Iowa from this storm system were determined by the NWS on this day, with a long-track EF2 tornado occurring in the Salem/New London area in the southeastern part of the state being the most significant. Nikon Z6ii camera.