8:11 am CDT, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. High cirrus clouds swirl over our roof in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, hints of the volatile weather that would ensue later in the day. This cirrus display was brief, and then gone.
Probabilities for significant severe weather was strong for Eastern Iowa during the afternoon and evening hours on this day, as the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) outlook graphic above--released at 11:30 am CDT attests. An Enhanced Risk (Level 3 out of 5) was predicted, and would flirt with a Moderate Risk (Level 4), but this did not come to pass. Eastern Iowa and into southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois were forecasted with a 10% probability of tornadoes with level 2 intensities.
12:56 pm. SPC Mesoscale Discussion is posted. The posting mentions "risk of supercells capable of producing several tornadoes (some strong to intense), giant hail and severe wind gusts." The probability of a tornado watch issuance was set at 95%.
2:30 pm. Tornado Watch 109 is issued for areas outlined in the previous mesoscale discussion. Around this time a small storm located at the conjunction of Hamilton, Hardin and Story counties was intensifying and moving northeast, becoming severe warned just ten minutes later. It was time to leave the Cedar Rapids area to intercept this promising storm and any others that might fire up along the warm front. I chose to head north on Highway 13.
3:00 pm CDT. Looking northwest while northbound on Highway 13 at 240th Street, about 1.7 miles southwest of Manchester, Iowa in Delaware County. Tower going up at left, distant storm with anvil at center.
3:10 pm. Cumulus updraft looking west, with a Manchester, Iowa water tower in foreground. Location is 195th Street at Highway 13.
3:17 pm. Distant anvil cloud (left center) looking southwest while northbound on Highway 13, about 3.8 miles east of Dundee, Iowa in Delaware County.
3:23 pm. Gathering storm clouds in the distance while northbound on Highway 13, about 3 miles southeast of Strawberry Point, Iowa in southwest Clayton County. At about this time I realize I did not want to continue traveling northward for fear of overrunning the approaching storm to my southwest. I needed to stay in the "sweet spot," or the southeast flank of the storm, so I would take my first good west option, and that was Highway 3 on the north edge of Strawberry Point.
3:31 pm. Looking up at growing supercell while westbound on Highway 3, about 1.5 miles west of Strawberry Point.
3:40 pm. Westbound on Highway 3, about 7.5 miles east of Oelwein, Iowa in Fayette County, and into the teeth of the storm.
3:44 pm. Westbound on Highway 3, about 3.5 miles east of Oelwein. Underside of severe warned supercell's anvil is to my southwest and about to affect the Waterloo area with significant hail.
3:55 pm Radarscope capture of the Waterloo area with several severe warnings. My location is the blue target icon at upper right.
3:58 pm. Looking northwest and storm clouds from my stationary position along Highway 150 in north Oelwein. My initial inclination here was to stay with this storm (within a smaller cell near me), but decided to abandon it when realizing the storm to my southwest had much bigger potential. Time to reverse course and head south.
4:14 pm. Stationary position looking southwest from Burco Sales, about 3.3 miles south of Hazelton, Iowa. At about this time the storm had found the Waterloo area, dropping golf ball size hail and damaging property. Faintly seen along the horizon on the storm's left edge is a developing wall cloud.
4:14 pm. Looking northeast from Burco Sales at well-defined mammatus formations.
4:15 pm. Similar image.
4:18 pm. Radar capture. My location (blue target icon) in relation to the massive supercell to my southwest, which is tracking toward me.
4:30 pm radar. The red dots are weather spotters and storm chasers.
4:32 pm. Close-up of a forming wall cloud to my west, with a feeding inflow cloud at right-center. Though ragged in appearance it is becoming more and more well-defined. Location is Otterville, Iowa in Buchanan County. Wall cloud's location is just east of Gilbertville, Iowa.
4:42 pm radar. The area in which I am now located (Independence, Iowa in Buchanan County) is tornado-warned. Hail is to my west and northwest.
4:54 pm. Looking for a good spotting location and finding it in the parking lot of the former Quinton's Automotive Center on Highway 150, just north of the US Highway 20 interchange in Independence, Iowa. Image looks west over the nearby Walmart store. Approaching tornadic storm is showing noticeable rotation, and is fringed with small funnels.
4:54 pm. Corresponding radar image to the photo above it. Hail is to my north and surprisingly would not affect me. I would phone in a report to the National Weather Service (NWS) at 4:56 pm.
4:58 pm. Strong rotation and large funnel cloud at center--and coming toward me!
4:59 pm. Conditions are getting more intense as the tornadic circulation continues to approach my position. I am awed and fascinated by it and cannot tear myself away from this spot.
4:59 pm. Similar image, with my spotting vehicle in the foreground. About this time as I am standing outside my vehicle a random gust suddenly tore metal off the Quinton's building behind me, depositing some of it in its parking lot and others across Highway 150! This forced me back into my vehicle. At this point I am thinking there is not much more I can do about the situation that is upon me now.
Radarscope capture for 4:59 pm.
5:03 pm. Looking southwest. Fierce wind and rain swirl. Although this image is not clear enough to discern it, ghostly vertical rain bands were circulating in a large area around me like a carousel, proving to me I was inside a tornadic circulation. I estimate this tornado's strength being EFU or EF0.
5:03 radar. Squarely inside the tornado warning.
5:14 pm. Conditions have died down enough for me to maneuver my car to the north side of Quinton's. Image looks east at the departing storm that had passed over me. Sheets of metal from the business can be seen in the foreground. Some of the loose metal was actually tossed over Highway 150 in the left background.
5:15 pm. Similar view.
5:16 pm. Looking east at the exit to Highway 150.
5:18 pm. Departing tornadic storm, with well-defined RFD clear slot at center and left center.
5:24 pm. Back on the road now and looking northeast at the retreating tornadic storm as seen from Highway 150, about .8-mile south of Independence, Iowa in Buchanan County.
5:24 pm. Similar view.
5:26 pm. Looking east at retreating storm as seen from 255th Street, just east of Highway 150 and about 1.8 miles south of Independence.
5:28 pm. Looking east from King Avenue at 255th Street, about 2.1 miles southeast of Independence.
5:30 pm radar.
5:31 pm. Vehicle for "Xtreme Tornado Chasers" of Texas, which had passed me a short time ago, prepares to turn left (south) at the intersection of 255th Street and Highway 150 in Buchanan County.
5:45 pm. Southbound on Interstate 380, after having just left Highway 150 near Urbana, Iowa in Benton County, Iowa. Updrafts for more storms can be seen to my northeast. Other than heavy rain on the way home, significant severe weather was past me. I never encountered hail!
11:26 pm. But storms continued to pass through during the rest of the evening. This non-severe approaching storm woke me up and packed an impressive lightning display. The image above is a composite of two captures looking west from Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids. Each are 10 second exposures at f/4, ISO 200, 24mm focal length. Nikon Z6ii camera.
Map of my spotting route this day.
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