Heavy Duty Rain Shaft On Tornado Night

Storm chaser and Iowa State University meteorology student Ethan Milius looks north from the parked chase car he was riding in along Keystone Avenue at 330th Street--about 8 miles south of Ida Grove, Iowa--around 8:10 PM, Saturday, April 9, 2011. In the distance at left is an intense rain shaft illuminated by a lightning bolt striking in front of it. Minutes later a tornado would form behind the rain shaft, maturing to a wedge shape then changing to a stove pipe as it moved northeast between Ida Grove and Arthur, Iowa. Here our chase team experienced strong sustained RFD winds and intense lightning displays. This image is a video frame capture.