Severe Weather Terminator

Storm Prediction Center (SPC) Categorical Day 1 Convective Outlook, posted at 2:48 pm CDT, Thursday, June 4, 2020. Much of the state of Iowa was in a Slight Risk. Little did I know that on this day I would seek out three separate severe-warned storms, and all three of them would inexplicably lose their warnings just a few miles in front of me.

A line of storms began firing up northwest of Cedar Rapids, Iowa around 12:45 pm and went severe-warned around 1:30 pm, prompting me to head out on the road in pursuit. Early in the intercept (above), I am northbound on Highway 13, just south of County Home Road (E34) at 1:49 pm. The most intense part of the severe-warned cell seen in the distance was located about 16 miles away, near the town of Troy Mills in Linn County. In five minutes this storm's severe warning would expire.

Undaunted, I turned east on County Home Road, then north on County Road X28 to a spotting position at 120th Street, southwest of Stone City in Jones County. Despite the dropping of the severe warning, skies were still dynamic. This panorama, .5-mile southwest of Stone City,  looks north at a vista of mammatus formations at 2:11 pm.

2:13 pm. Similar image capture with updraft at center, then back toward home.

New severe-warned cells were approaching from Grundy County around 4:40 pm. I waited to see what these would do from a good open spotting location in the Bowman Meadows housing development in Marion, Iowa. This magnificent strong updraft graced the southeastern sky as seen from Alburnett Road at Bowstring Drive at 4:50 pm. The storm was located about 41 miles distant, near the town of Lowden in Cedar County.

5:07 pm. The beautiful mushroom cloud continues to expand as it moved away. The storm was now about 51 miles distant, near the town of Grand Mound in Clinton County. The dark area at top of the image is the edge of yet another anvil cloud. Meanwhile in Black Hawk County, the aforementioned severe-warned storm was persisting and continuing to advance east. Time to travel north on Interstate 380 with another intended intercept.

Radarscope capture for 5:28 pm, showing the advancing severe-warned cell and my location (blue target icon).

5:38 pm. Northbound (NW) on I-380 in northern Benton County, about 3.25 miles south of Brandon, Iowa in Buchanan County. The severe warning was dropped on this storm two minutes later, so I turned around at Brandon and returned home yet again. GoPro Hero 4 video frame capture.

After picking up some food for dinner, I returned to the Bowman Meadows area of Marion for another spotting setup. At Quiver Court there, a beautiful anvil cloud is shown (above) in the southeast sky at 6:29 pm, located about 60 miles distant near Columbus City in Louisa County.

Yet another storm--this one in Benton County--had gone severe-warned around 6:40 pm and was tracking toward me. Above is a Radarscope image for 7:02 pm, showing the storm and my position.

7:08 pm. Panorama looking northwest from Quiver Court, just south of Boyson Road at an incoming shelf cloud. The shelf cloud contained a small embedded funnel on its leading edge at center. Two minutes later this storm's severe warning was also canceled.

7:08 pm. Closeup of the funnel.

7:08 pm. Similar capture with vertical orientation.

7:13 pm. Looking north toward Boyson Road at the leading edge of the shelf cloud. The storm was about 4.5 miles distant.

7:14 pm. Similar capture. Storm is 4 miles away.

7:15 pm panorama of the storm, very close to me now. The gust front produced heavy rain, winds and lightning. I had faced-off on three separate severe-warned cells on this day, and all three of them of them had withered and died! Total driving distance was about 97 miles. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.