June 15 Spinup?

I was firmly entrenched in my spotting position at Ross Veterinary Clinic on North Marion Road, just north of County Home Road and north of Marion, Iowa as the severe storm cell approached on Thursday evening, June 15, 2017. Suspicious ground activity at 8:13 pm CDT behind the farmstead in the distance (above) instantly caught my eye as a possible weak spinup as it sported a very tight funnel-like appearance.

A cropped-in version of the top image. Image looks north. The funnel resides in a rain-wrapped area.

8:14 pm. Still keeping a wary eye on this area. Storm was moving from upper left to lower right in the image. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

Radar image corresponding to 8:10 pm. The target icon is my position, with the arrow pointing to the area of interest.

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In Position For The Storm

Now finally well south of the approaching storm on Thursday evening, June 15, 2017, I chose one of my favorite spotting locations. The location was at the Ross Veterinary Clinic on North Marion Road, about .1-mile north of County Home Road, north of Marion, Iowa. This spot afforded an unobstructed view in all directions, and was only about four miles from home. At 8:00 pm CDT, the approaching severe cell was showing an energetic structure as seen in the image above. The most intense part of this cell was located about 18 miles distant, near the town of Walker in Linn County. On the storm's western flank was a small wall cloud, which can be seen along the horizon at left center.

Another view of the approaching storm, captured about 5 minutes later. The setting sun combined with the southeast track of the storm provided a brilliantly lit horizon to the west. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

Radar capture from 8:00 pm. The target icon at lower right shows my position with the white arrow pointing in the direction seen in the two photographs above. The black arrows show storm movement.

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A Quick Stop For A Photo Op On Way Home

Realizing I was too far north to stay ahead of the leading edge of the severe storm with its movement now to the southeast, I retreated south along Highway 13 in Eastern Iowa on the evening of Thursday, June 15, 2017. Maintaining a safe distance ahead of it, I was able to pull off on several side roads to capture brief photo opportunities. Above, the (left) image looks west from Railview Road near Paris Road, about a quarter-mile west of Highway 13 and about 2.2 miles north of Central City in northeastern Linn County at 7:32 pm CDT. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera. The right panel shown above is a radar capture of the moment, with the white arrow pointing in the direction of the camera's view from my position.

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June 15 Eastern Iowa Severe Weather--The Little Cell That Could

A small cell, alone and by itself, began to form around 5:00pm CDT, Thursday, June 15, 2017, about 40 miles north of Ames, Iowa. An hour later it had grown to what the radar image above shows, complete with a sizable hail core. It was time for me to depart Cedar Rapids and intercept it, and I traveled north on Highway 13 as the system continued to move on an easterly track.

Near Coggon, Iowa at 6:35 pm, the anvil cloud of a smaller cell out ahead of the main cluster exhibited this bizarre wave pattern on its edge. Image looks northwest, captured through my windshield. Below, a radar image of the moment, with a white arrow indicating the smaller cell.

A couple of minutes later and now looking northwest at ground level. Though this cell was not severe-warned, it still sported an inflow cloud (seen at left). The location here was just south of Ryan, Iowa in SW Delaware County. The most intense part of this cell was located about 19 miles distant, near the town of Winthrop. Behind it, the main severe system had split. The northern half tracked roughly NE toward West Union, Iowa. The southern half of the split moved southeast.

7:05 pm. Looking west from 255th Street (D34) at Highway 13 and about 5 miles south of the town of Manchester in Delaware County. After staying at this location for about a half-hour, I realized the leading edge of the southern part of the split was moving too far south of me. It was time to pack up and head back from whence I came and get ahead of the storm. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

Above is a radar image corresponding to the photograph above it. The target at right represents my position with the white arrow pointing to the intense area seen in the background.

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Fast Flashes

These two images are video frame captures from a Nikon D7200 DSLR video clip of frequent CC lightning around 9:15 pm CDT, Thursday, June 15, 2017, as seen in the ESE sky from Marion, Iowa. The severe storm cell is moving directly away from the camera, located on Oliver Court, near Boyson Road and about .15-mile west of Alburnett Road. Note the inflow cloud at bottom right of each image. Earlier, pea-size hail fell here.

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Drone Trail

A participant in a Noelridge Christian Church camping event navigates an illuminated drone through a starry sky at 9:55 pm CDT, Saturday, June 3, 2017. This image looks northeast and is a 15 second exposure at f/5.6, 400 ISO and 18mm focal length. The event was held on the church's grounds, located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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Vanishing Act

An SPC Moderate Risk was posted for the southern two-thirds of the state of Missouri on this day, Saturday, May 27, 2017. A Slight Risk extended up into the extreme southern and southeastern part of Iowa. Above, a small cell (arrow) begins to form between New Sharon and What Cheer, Iowa around 3:00 pm. It would become a "Tail-end Charlie" of a comma-shaped line of lesser storms forming in Mahaska County and moved in a generally easterly direction. At 3:20 pm I decided to depart Cedar Rapids in an attempt to intercept this cell, and hoped it would continue to hold its strength. On my way south on Interstate 380/US Highway 218, the storm became severe-warned at 4:00 pm, and I found my spotting position--a favorite spot in Washington County on Yucca Avenue, about 1 mile east of US Highway 218 and about 2 miles east of Ainsworth, Iowa.

This image shows my vehicle's severe weather equipment as I waited at 4:48 pm on Yucca Avenue, facing west. The approaching storm cell had become tornado-warned just minutes before.

The radar capture above shows the tornado-warned storm at 5:04 pm. Its most intense core was located about 32 miles distant, between the towns of Sigourney and Harper. My spotting position is the blue target at far right.

5:18 pm (above) and the most intense area has now moved east over the Harper, Iowa area.

Two minutes later. A funnel had been reported by other spotters with this storm. Its impressive structure began to materialize along the horizon to my west. I felt I was in perfect position here--if the cell stayed on its current track its southern edge would pass to the east just north of me. Temperature at this time was 73 degrees F, dew point 63 degrees, 69% humidity and the winds were out of the SSE.

5:25 pm. The structure is looking better than ever, and I was filled with anticipation. I had no reason to believe the storm would not maintain its current strength. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

By 5:30 pm my weather radio announced the storm had weakened and the tornado warning had been lifted (radar capture above). From 5:30-5:50 pm the cell went from tornado-warned to an area of mere light rain! An astounding and frustrating vanishing act, probably brought on by its entry into very stable air. It was time to return home.

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