Summer Updraft

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

 




An isolated strong, but not particularly powerful storm produced this updraft view on Monday, July 7, 2025 as seen from Boyson Road, just east of Brentwood Drive NE near the border of Cedar Rapids and Marion, Iowa. The Nikon Z6ii camera image was captured at 3:00 pm CDT and looks northeast. The storm was located about 22 miles distant, between the towns of Anamosa and Monticello in Jones County.
 





Radarscope reflectivity image for 3:04 pm, showing the storm (in polygon) and its relation to Cedar Rapids.

Photogenic Severe Weather Finally Breaks Out

Friday, July 4, 2025


 

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!



Severe weather, especially photogenic severe weather, had been almost non-existent in the vicinity of the Cedar Rapids, Iowa metro area during the 2025 season. On Thursday, July 3 that finally ended. Non-severe storms approached Cedar Rapids from the north and west during the 6 o'clock hour, but quickly fizzled out as they approached the city as had been the case all year since storm season began. But a cell moving east in the system went severe at 7:55 pm CDT. Reacting quickly, I took with me some of my bare spotting essentials (camera) and headed north for a possible intercept. The image above looks north at 8:05 pm as I was eastbound on County Home Road, just north of Marion, Iowa. The storm stretched from the towns of Quasqueton to Manchester in the north.







8:18 pm. An inflow cloud (a very good sign) is seen here to my northwest while I was northbound on Highway 13 about a mile north of Central City in Linn County, Iowa. Sun rays emanate from behind the cloud. The inflow cloud was feeding into the storm out of the picture at right.







8:21 pm. Another good sign: The inflow cloud is feeding directly into a lowering feature (right). This image looks north from Highway 13 about 1.5 miles east of Coggon, Iowa in Linn County. At this moment the storm was directly over Manchester, Iowa in Delaware County. 







Radarscope image corresponding to the photograph above it, showing a small hail core over Manchester. My relative position to the storm is shown as a blue target icon.







8:26 pm. Northbound on Highway 13, about 2.5 miles south of Ryan, Iowa. Storm is displaying a funnel-like feature. Was it? Unknown.







8:27 pm. Similar capture of the storm a short time later. Funnel-like feature is compelling.







8:27 pm. Close-up capture.






8:32 pm. Now at a stationary spotting location: The Golden Church, 3 miles ENE of Ryan, Iowa in Delaware County, Iowa. This image looks north. The setting sun mixes beautifully with the angry clouds, moving right-to-left. 







8:32 pm. Severe-warned storm to my northeast. The lowering appears to have several inflow clouds feeding into it.








8:32 pm. Panorama version, five images stitched together.







8:33 pm. A nice mix of light and dark in the turbulent clouds. The storm's lowering can be seen at right.






8:34 pm. Similar capture. The Golden Cemetery, adjacent to the church, can be seen at left.







8:34 pm. Front view of the church looking northwest as the storm clouds roll in.







8:34 pm. Side view looking north.






Radarscope image for 8:35 pm. About this time, with the rain and wind about to unload on me, I quickly decided to head back for home.







8:45 pm.  Looking east at the departing storm system while southbound on Highway 13, south of Ryan, Iowa. I barely evaded to wind and rain and drove into the clear. Most definitely the best visual storm encounter of the year. Finally! Nikon Z6ii camera.


Distant Updraft

Tuesday, July 1, 2025


 

In keeping with the norms during the 2025 severe-weather season, storms avoided the Cedar Rapids metro  area on Sunday evening, June 29, but about 40 miles to its northeast this lone mushroom cloud updraft formed, sporting a pileus feature on top. This image was captured at 7:47 pm CDT. Pileus are typically formed by drier air with a higher lifting condensation level which often prevents vertical growth and leads to its distinctive smooth cap shape. Nikon Z6ii camera.






Radarscope image corresponding to the photo above it, showing my location (target icon), and an arrow pointing to the mushroom cloud located in Delaware County, Iowa.



Optical Phenomena, Stormy Skies

Friday, June 27, 2025



During the two-day span of June 25-26, 2025, the Cedar Rapids, Iowa area had a little bit of everything overhead, with optical phenomena and some stormy skies. The image above looks southeast at a partial sun halo at 9:16 am CDT, Wednesday, June 25. Sun halos are caused by ice crystal refraction high in the atmosphere and often precede precipitation. In this case, a rain shower arrived at this location on Brentwood Drive NE in Cedar Rapids about 15 minutes later.







8:25 pm. Another optical phenomenon: Crepuscular rays beam forth from behind a line of thunderstorms located 50-60 miles distant in Black Hawk and Buchanan counties in Iowa. This image was captured from Noelridge Christian Church in Cedar Rapids.







8:27 pm. Looking north. Backlit storm cell located in Buchanan County, southeast of the town of Oelwein. This image was also captured from Noelridge Christian Church.







These images were also captured from Noelridge Church. Panoramic view of an incoming shelf cloud looking northwest at 6:51 pm CDT, Thursday, June 26, 2025. 







6:53 pm. Looking southeast at leading edge of approaching shelf cloud (left), with the trailing "whale's mouth" feature at right.






6:55 pm. Looking northwest at strong downdraft area containing heavy rain. Nikon Z6ii camera.


Looking Back at Storm System

Saturday, June 21, 2025

 



Like most storm systems that have approached the Cedar Rapids, Iowa metro area thus far in 2025, severe warning tags were lifted as it approached the city during the morning hours of Friday, June 20. Much needed rain did arrive, however, as seen in the Radarscope image above for 8:12 am CDT.







By 12:40 pm (above) the system and the rain had cleared out. This image looks south at the area of departing rain from Boyson Road just west of Alburnett Road in Marion, Iowa in the Bowman Meadows housing development.






Similar panoramic image captured at nearly the same time and near the same location. iPhone 11 camera.

Flash 'n' Fizzle

Wednesday, June 18, 2025



Storms approaching Linn County, Iowa from the northwest on Monday afternoon, June 16, 2025 went severe warned at 2:00 pm CDT. This prompted me to position myself for a quick intercept. Above, I am westbound on Central City Road in northeast Linn County at 2:45 pm with a line of severe-warned storms seen in the distance.






2:48 pm. Now at my stationary spotting location. Panorama looking west (center) from Central City Road (left) and Sutton Road (right). Incoming line of severe-warned storms in background. 






2:49 pm Radarscope image, showing severe-warned polygon. 






2:59 pm. Looking west. Severe warning tag now removed. This storm, like most with severe warnings in the 2025 season, lost its tag when it approached the Cedar Rapids metro area. Note the "whale's mouth" appearance of the clouds. Time to depart this location and head for home.








3:16 pm. Southbound on North Marion Road, just south of Central City Road. Looking southeast at distant rain shafts.







3:21 pm. Looking southeast at same storm as seen from North Marion Road, just under 2 miles north of County Home Road. Cedar Rapids has seemingly lived a charmed life when it comes to avoiding severe weather in the 2025 season. Nikon Z6ii camera.


Eastern Iowa Finally Gets Severe Weather, Cedar Rapids Dodges the Bullet Again

Friday, June 13, 2025




The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) upgraded a Marginal Risk for the northern region of the state of Iowa to a Slight Risk at 11:40 am CDT on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 (above). The new upgrade was mainly for high wind and hail.







2:55 pm. The National Weather Service (NWS) issues Severe Thunderstorm Watch 408 for basically the same area, as seen in this Radarscope image.









During the 5 o'clock hour, storms were firing up and moving into eastern Iowa from the central part of the state. Time to intercept from home base in Cedar Rapids. I selected Interstate 380 as a faster and more direct route to the severe-warned storms. The image above looks northwest at 7:08 pm at a line of advancing storms from a location just under 7 miles southeast of the Gilbertville, Iowa exit.








Radarscope image corresponding to the photo above it, showing the severe-warned polygons.









7:13 pm. On the road again and looking northwest toward the storms about 1.5 miles southeast of the Gilbertville exit in Black Hawk County. The storm is about 23 miles distant, near the town of Dike in Grundy County.








Radarscope image for 7:18 pm. My mobile position is indicated by the blue target icon.









7:19 pm. I had taken the US Highway 20 exit from I-380 (Dubuque) and exited again a half-mile later on to South Canfield Road (north toward Dunkerton), and instantly winds gusted from 50-60 mph (above). Dust and dirt swirled over the highway, trees bended and my vehicle was buffeted.  Another severe-warned storm cell with a hail core was directly ahead, about 10 miles distant.







7:21 pm Radarscope image. Note the continuous forming line of storms to my west and southwest.









7:22 pm. Brief stationary position from Young Road (foreground) and South Canfield Road, about a half-mile north of US Highway 20. 









7:22 pm. Looking northeast. This is the northern cell that contained the pronounced hail core.






7:24 pm Radarscope image. Decision time. I was receiving numerous storm alert notifications, so I quickly decided to head back the way I had come, and out of harm's way.








7:33 pm. Westbound on US Highway 20 back toward the exit for I-380 (background) and southeast to safety. For this very short time I was "playing chicken" with the approaching storms. I also received a notification of hail in the area at this time, making my escape all the more urgent.









The southeast direction of I-380 made it possible to put more separation between me and the line of storms. I was able to arrive at my next spotting location (above) at the BP gas station at the Toddville exit in Linn County with plenty of time to spare. This image, captured at 8:08 pm, looks west, with the southern-most edge of the severe-warned storms seen at left. The storm was about 22 miles distant. 







8:14 pm Radarscope image. This image shows how much storm separation I had achieved in the south, compared to being almost overrun in the north.







8:31 pm. Panorama looking west (left) and northwest. The line of storms is now taking on a shelf cloud (outflow) appearance.








8:31 pm. Looking northwest.









8:36 pm. Looking south from the BP station. The wall of the dark cloud of the storm is now quickly approaching from the right, and wind is beginning to pick up.







8:39 pm. Storm has arrived. Wind gusts here were around 60 mph, with dust and dirt being kicked up in big swirls. I decided to high tail it for home, turning left (east, background) on County Home Road. Very soon, tumbling debris from a house's driveway struck the right front of my vehicle, alarming me, but causing no apparent damage. Just a short distance to the southeast, Cedar Rapids missed most if not all of the southern edge of the storm and was spared! Nikon Z6ii camera.


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