Gust Race

The Felt, Oklahoma wall cloud was now being transformed as it gusted out on the leading edge of the storm system. This image looks north at 4:50 pm CDT, Monday, May 16, 2016, while eastbound (actually northeast) on US Highway 56/64, about a half-mile east of Felt. Note how the close to the ground the lowering is. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

This radar screen capture from the same time shows our position (just east of Felt), with the small black arrow pointing to the area (dark red) corresponding to the top image. The small lavender areas of the radar image correspond to the downdraft area seen in the top image at far left. The white arrows indicate storm movement. We were at this moment making haste to get out and ahead of this pursuing storm!

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Up Against The Wall (Cloud)

The accompanying tornado had expired a minute earlier, but the host wall cloud was still churning--and getting closer to the ground. This view looks north at 4:44 pm CDT, Monday, May 16, 2016, from E0132 Road at US Highway 56/64, about 2.2 miles west of Felt, Oklahoma. A shelf cloud is forming in the front of the growing supercell, and high precipitation can be seen in the background at left.

Two minutes later and now eastbound on US Highway 56/64, about 1.5 miles west of Felt.

4:48 pm and now .3-mile east of Felt. The wall cloud has now become part of the supercell's leading shelf cloud. Hard to say if the appendage at lower right is just scud or a funnel. I later called it "half of a tornado." Hot on its heels at background left is a deluge of rain and hail. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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Ropin' Out And Gone

Ryan Alliss checks his cell phone images as he walks away from viewing the Felt, Oklahoma tornado on Monday, May 16, 2016. The time was 4:43 pm CDT, and the thin, occluded condensation funnel was moments away from totally dissipating. This image and the one below look northwest from E0132 Road at US Highway 56/64, about 2.2 miles west of Felt.

The ribbon-like funnel is shown here almost at the point of disappearance. Also seen are a pair of storm chasers and an inflow cloud at left. The tornado was on the ground for less than ten minutes. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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Felt Tornado Decaying Stage

The tornado near Felt, Oklahoma on Monday afternoon, May 16, 2016, was beginning to dissipate when this image was captured of it at 4:42 pm CDT. The camera looks northwest from E0132 Road at US Highway 56/64, about 2.2 miles west of Felt. Note the inflow cloud and pair of storm chasers at far left.

The tornado's funnel continues to decay and takes on a serpentine look as rain begins to choke off its energy less than a minute later.

Son Ryan photographs the funnel as it continues to thin out at 4:43 pm. The relatively weak tornado was on the ground less than ten minutes. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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What Wall Cloud?

Impressive in its own right, the wall cloud shown in the background of the top image and those below was being virtually ignored by opportunistic photographers as the condensation funnel of a nearby tornado was a more popular subject matter. Top capture was at 4:41 pm CDT, Monday, May 16, 2016. All three images look north from E0132 Road at US Highway 56/64, about 2.2 miles west of Felt, Oklahoma. The middle image was shot at 4:42 pm, and the bottom at 4:44 pm. The bottom image features the wall cloud with an inflow tail cloud. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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Felt Tornado Becomes More Distinct

Whereas a couple of minutes before, this tornado appeared close to an accompanying wall cloud structure, phantom-like in a wrap of rain, it now became more distinct as it separated itself further from its companion at 4:41 pm CDT, Monday, May 16, 2016. The camera here looks northwest from E0132 Road at US Highway 56/64, about 2.2 miles west of Felt, Oklahoma. The wall cloud is out of the picture toward the right. Other storm chasers can be seen observing the tornado at far left.

A more zoomed-in version (below, 48mm focal length) of the tornado at the same time...

...and a vertical capture seconds later. The funnel has taken on a much darker and contrasty appearance in just a couple of minutes. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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Surrounded By Cells

Strong-to-severe storm cells began popping up in Eastern Iowa on the evening of Monday, May 30, 2016. The Storm Prediction Center (SPC) had posted only a Marginal Risk for this day in this area. Strong updrafts created beautiful cumulus towers almost everywhere you looked from this vantage point at Archer Drive and Bowhunter Drive in Marion, Iowa. The above image, captured at 8:02 pm CDT, looks north toward a cluster of storms located about 25 miles distant, along US Highway 20 near Winthrop, Iowa.

At first looking like a head-on approach from the west, this cell eventually passed just north of this position. A small, saucer-like structure eventually formed at its base. Capture time here was 8:03 pm and the most intense part of the cell was about 11 miles away, just east of Atkins, Iowa.

This impressive looking storm cell was dominating the southeast sky at 8:04 pm. The cauliflower cloud is starting to form an anvil and sports a pileus cloud at top right. Pileus form from strong updrafts at lower altitudes, acting on moist air from above. The most intense part of the cell was located about 24 miles away, about 5 miles south Mechanicsville, Iowa. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

Radar map illustrating the storm cell positions from the camera location.

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