Tornado Watch 129

 

Unstable conditions warranted the issuance of Tornado Watch 129 at 12:40 pm CDT on Friday afternoon, April 17, 2026. The watch area stretched from much of the eastern half of Iowa northeastward into northwest Illinois and a large portion of Wisconsin (graphic above). The watch was valid until 8:00 pm. For eastern Iowa, storms were forecasted to initiate much earlier in the day, and I had to be on my toes in order to get on a cell that might go severe or tornado warned in an instant. I did not have long to wait--storms began firing up within minutes in Iowa and Linn counties and began moving on northeastern tracks, with the Linn County going severe-warned as it tracked into northwest Jones County.

 

12:49 pm Radarscope capture. My position (blue target icon) west of the severe warned storm cell.

1:20 pm. Looking east at severe-warned cell as seen from Langworthy Road at Highway 151 at the edge of Langworthy, Iowa in Jones County. Heavy rain is falling. At this early stage of my mobile spotting, it seemed like I had done a lot of driving without much to report or show for it.

 

1:41 pm. Well, finally I must be on the right track as the KGAN 2 Weather First Road Warrior vehicle passes me (above) eastbound on Highway 64, while I prepared to turn left (east) from Highway 38, about 4.3 miles west of Wyoming, Iowa in Jones County.

 

1:47 pm. Stationary position along Highway X75, about a half-mile south of Wyoming, Iowa in Jones County. This view looks northwest. The pause here was partially to view sky and partially to check radar in order to plan my next move.

1:56 pm. The plan was to continue northeast with the severe-warned storm. In this image I have pulled over at the entrance of Wendling Quarries, just northeast of Wyoming. Immediately, this tornadic feature appears to my northwest. The feature is moving left-to-right in this image.

 

1:57 pm. Corresponding Radarscope capture with my location indicated by the blue target icon. Note the beginnings of a hook echo forming to my southwest.

2:01 pm. Looking northeast now and the leading edge of the feature (right) developing into a ragged wall cloud. Although the entire feature originally appeared to me as a shelf cloud, it was probably an inflow cloud directly connected to the wall cloud. The feature was now drifting away from me so it was time to resume driving to stay with it.

2:08 pm. Eastbound again on Highway 64 in eastern Jones County, about 2.5 miles west of Monmouth, Iowa. Close up of the developing wall cloud to my north.

2:10 pm. Northbound on North Division Street in Monmouth, Iowa in western Jackson County. The wall cloud of previous minutes has progressed and can clearly be seen north of town in the background.

2:10 pm. Similar image on North Division Street at Pleasant Street in Monmouth.

2:12 pm. Stationary alongside Highway E29, about .2-mile north of Monmouth. Image looks north at the wall cloud which has now drifted across the road. The wall cloud drags weak scud beneath it.

2:13 pm. Looking NNE as the wall cloud matures and continues to move toward the northeast.

 

2:14. A healthy scud tendril begins to rise into the wall cloud feature (left center).

2:14 pm. Tornado Emergency Alert sounds on my iPhone.

2:15 pm. Scud grows to very robust proportions as it feeds into the wall cloud. This is probably the strongest looking scud formation I have ever seen and I can understand why the untrained observer would report this as a tornado (especially since the emergency alert had just sounded).

 

2:20 pm. I had moved on to observe this tornadic storm as it continued to track northeast. This image looks east from 10th Avenue, about .2-mile northeast of 17th Avenue, and about 1.6 miles north of Monmouth. The feature is very large now but moving swiftly away from me.

2:23 pm. Last view of this structure. Image looks northeast from Highway E29, about .8-mile north of Monmouth. Tornadic structure looks more ragged now, but possibly made a brief touchdown (center) before I was able to get out of my vehicle to capture it. I continued to follow this cell until I reached Maquoketa, Iowa in Jackson County, where I realized any further chance of catching it would be futile, so I decided to turn around and head back home. 

3:00 pm. "It ain't over 'til it's over" as they say...on my return from Highway 64, I was greeted by this striking feature towering to my southwest and heading in my direction (above). Location is at the west edge of Baldwin, Iowa in Jackson County. The storm is about 60 miles distant and would go severe-warned in about 20 minutes.

4:26 pm. Last spotting position at Noelridge Christian Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This image looks northwest at tornado-warned cell that was moving away to the northeast. I quickly made an attempt to head north to see if it was making contact with the ground, but about a mile later it became completely rain-wrapped, forcing me back to this location for safety reasons.  Nikon Z6ii camera. 

4:33 pm. Dual-pane radar showing reflectivity (top) and velocity (below).

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Uneventful Lyrids

 

Peak night for the annual Lyrids meteor shower in 2026 was during the night of April 21-22. In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, conditions were great for the potential show-- clear skies, no moon interference and mild temperatures (lower 60 degrees F). Many sources predicted "20 meteors per hour, with some being fireballs." I headed outside with anticipation a little after 2:30 am (Wednesday, April 22). Very quickly (or should I say very slowly) it became apparent the forecast numbers would not be the case. In just under two hours from my backyard vantage point I counted only 7 or 8 meteor streaks viewed. Of these, I did see one fireball-- low in the eastern sky, but of course it was out of frame of my continuously operating Nikon Z6ii camera. The only actual camera capture of these handful of meteors streaks is shown above. The image looks northeast at 3:53 am CDT and is a 15 second exposure at f/2.5, ISO 640 and 35mm focal length. 

The Lyrids meteor shower occurs in the month of April each year and appears to radiate from the constellation Lyra. The source of this event is caused by particles of dust shed by the Comet Thatcher entering Earth's atmosphere.

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Eastern Iowa Was Under the Gun April 14, 2026

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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