Minden Exit Mammatus

A mix of lesser-pronounced mammatus clouds drift past in this view of the north sky along 335th Street about .15 mile south of the Minden, Iowa exit (Exit 29) from Interstate 80. The time and date was 3:55 PM, Saturday, April 9, 2011. The camera was positioned just outside a U-Stop convenience store, our storm chase team's first storm initiation waiting point. After grabbing some provisions and gas, we soon moved to a more open area (seen at background right with the large sign pole and dark dumpster), another .15 mile north of I-80. The mammatus clouds indicated a very moist, unstable level of atmosphere overlying a drier layer and hinted at the severe weather that arrived north of this position about two hours later. The severe weather system produced an outbreak of tornadoes moving across Western Iowa in a northeasterly direction.