Iowa Severe Weather Comes Out of Hibernation

After a historical drought of severe weather and tornadoes in the state of Iowa for 2021, the storms finally made a significant return on Sunday, June 20, 2021. When all was said and done, two confirmed tornadoes had touched down and many areas of damage were reported. The image above shows a Radarscope image corresponding to 4:48 pm CDT. The severe warning of this cell, at the time located near the town of Colfax in central Iowa, prompted my movement south from home to the planned location of North Liberty, Iowa. 

5:47 pm. In position at the Green State Credit Union headquarters in North Liberty and looking northwest. The most intense area of the severe-warned storm was located near Grinnell in central Iowa, about 57 miles distant. 

Similar image from 5:52 pm. Very soon, I realized the storm's track would be south of me, so I decided to head to Hills, Iowa--south of Iowa City.

I parked at the Casey's convenience store, with the intention of waiting for the approaching storm. While there, I captured this image of a separate severe storm, seen through the clouds, located about 76 miles to the northwest near Waterloo, Iowa at 6:34 pm. The severe warned storm directly to my west soon began weakening, and although a tornado warned cell trailed it a little farther south and west, I decided to head back home. Light availability was waning, and new severe-warned cells were approaching Cedar Rapids from the northwest.

By the time I returned to my general neighborhood area, these storms had also weakened. Above, a picturesque line of clouds approaches from my position at Alburnett Road at Bowstring Drive in the Bowman Meadows housing development. Panorama image looks north at 8:30 pm.

8:33 pm. Beautiful back-lit clouds looking northeast.

8:33 pm. Looking northwest.

Two days later (June 22), and another storm pushes east and quickly becomes severe warned. This cell slid north of my position near home in Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids. This image was captured at 5:33 pm CDT, with the most intense area of the storm cell being located just east of the town of Urbana in northern Linn County, about 14 miles distant. 

Radarscope capture, corresponding to 5:39 pm.

5:40 pm. Looking northwest at the storm, as seen from the sledding hill in the park.

Similar image from 5:41 pm. The elementary school is seen in the foreground. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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Makoshika Sunset

More vacation skies. These two Nikon D7200 DSLR camera images were photographed just after sunset on Tuesday, June 1, 2021. Location was Makosika State Park near Glendive, Montana. The above image was captured at 8:52 pm MDT and is a 1/200 second exposure at f/9, ISO 160 and 25mm focal length. The  image below was shot at 8:57 pm and is a 1/200 second exposure at f/7.1, ISO 160 and 25mm focal length.

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Impressive Looking Rain Tease

A strong--but not severe--storm cell intensified as it moved southeast near Alburnett, Iowa around 4:00 pm CDT on Thursday, June 10, 2021. By about 4:30 pm it was packing a rather robust hail core. The rain potential from this cell was almost certain to provide welcomed precipitation to thirsty landscapes, currently suffering from drought conditions. The storm's appearance was very impressive too, with an extended forward-reaching anvil and black sky in its downdraft region. Above is a panoramic view of the storm looking north at 5:13 pm, seen from Alburnett Road and Bowstring Drive in the Bowman Meadows housing development in Marion, Iowa.

5:25 pm. Lots of potential here. Vigorous updrafts and numerous rumbles of thunder in the approaching cell. Within 20 minutes however, most of the cell had almost completely fizzled out. Only a few light sprinkles ever reached the ground here. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

Radarscope capture of the storm cell corresponding to 5:07 pm. Storm motion was to the southeast. The blue target icon indicates my position. 

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Montana and North Dakota Provide Sunsets, Stars and Noctilucent Clouds

Recent vacation to western North Dakota and eastern Montana provided for some beautiful captures, and in one case, a rare sky capture. Above, the Milky Way spans a Badlands horizon toward the east as seen from the Little Missouri State Park campground north of Killdeer, North Dakota. Image was captured at 12:00 am MDT on Monday, May 31, 2021 and is a 2.5 second exposure at f/2.8, ISO 10000, 11mm focal length. The distant horizon lights are burning gas flares.

12:14 am MDT. Milky Way behind our Little Missouri campsite. 3 second exposure at f/2.8, ISO 8000, 11mm focal length.

8:34 pm MDT, May 31, 2021. Makoshika State Park, just southeast of Glendive, Montana. Sunny skies had given way to gathering dark clouds. The sky was mostly obscured until the moment of this capture, when a gap in the clouds briefly allowed a shaft of sunlight through, illuminating the top of these Badlands features. Sunset was at 8:35 pm. 1/320 second exposure at f/3.5, ISO 200, 18mm focal length.

8:36 pm. The (north) western horizon took on a fiery look as the clouds slowing closed the gap. 1/320 second image at f/4.5, ISO 320, 34mm focal length.

8:36 pm. Similar shot. 1/320 second exposure at f/4, ISO 320, 26mm focal length.

8:39 pm. Fading light and thickening clouds. 1/320 second exposure at f/5, ISO 320, 45mm focal length.

8:40 pm. 1/320 second exposure at f/4.5, ISO 500, 32mm focal length. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

Same location, now 9:38 pm MDT. The sun had been below the horizon for just over an hour. Small gaps through the clouds just above the hillside remained, showing an unusual illumination, which at first I dismissed as the lights of the nearby town on Glendive. It soon became apparent the town of just over 5,000 could not be causing this curious bright phenomenon. I soon remembered something called Noctilucent Clouds, though I had never actually seen them myself. 

9:41 pm. Arrows point to three separate areas of noctilucent clouds looking northwest. Noctilucent clouds form by the sun's interaction with ice crystals at extremely high altitudes (250,000-280,000 feet). They are commonly seen in the summer months when the sun is 6-16 degrees below the horizon and from latitudes 50-70 degrees north.

9:44 pm. Glendive is 47 degrees north latitude, and that is probably why the glowing clouds are low on the horizon--being seen higher in the sky farther north. Shortly after this image was captured, clouds began covering the spectacle, and in less than a half-hour a short rainfall ensued. iPhone 11 camera.

8:33 pm MDT, Wednesday, June 2, 2021. Sunset as seen from the Skyline Vista Overlook in the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. 1/500 second exposure at f/9, ISO 200, 18mm focal length. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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