Additional May 2 Hills Iowa Severe Weather Pics

More of my images captured from the severe weather event in southern Johnson County Iowa during the evening of Wednesday, May 2, 2018. In the image above, I'm southbound on Interstate 380 in south Cedar Rapids, just north of the US Highway 30 exit at 7:09 pm CDT. I'm hoping that I can get south of the approaching storm cell--already tornado warned and approaching fast from eastern Iowa County--without having to cross its path in the process!

7:11 pm. Still southbound near the Eastern Iowa Airport exit (Exit 13) on I-380. Clouds in the distance in front of me are exhibiting a very turbulent and ominous appearance.

7:50 pm. Now at my stop-off spotting position, which was at the Casey's General convenience Store in the town of Hills, located in southern Johnson County. A wall cloud has formed in the west sky. Note the greenish color of the sky at right, denoting the presence of hail.

Same time and again looking west. Wider panoramic image of the view.

Again 7:50 pm. A view of the tornadic lowering in the NW sky. Hail-laden green sky at right background.

7:51 pm. Very pronounced lowering in the west sky. The illuminated area at right is the result off CC lightning. The sirens in Hills would sound in just a couple of minutes. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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Headed For (the) Hills

First storm spotting opportunity of 2018. In the morning hours of Wednesday, May 2, 2018, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued its Day One Convective Outlook that that included a severe weather Moderate Risk for the extreme SW part of the state of Iowa and a Slight Risk for most of the eastern (above left). At 3:55 pm CDT, Severe Thunderstorm Watch 63 was issued for the southeastern part of Iowa and all of the northern part of neighboring Illinois (above right). At this point, I began monitoring radar from my home in Cedar Rapids for a possible spotting move.

At around 5:35 pm, a small storm cell began popping up just south of New Sharon, Iowa, in Mahaska County, moving ENE. Twenty minutes later its radar signature was that of the lower left portion of the radar screen capture shown above. At 6:35 pm these line of storms went severe-warned and at 6:50 pm tornado-warned. It was time to head south. But would I get there in time? The nearest intense cell was less than 20 miles west of US Highway 218 in southern Johnson County.

Arrive ahead of it I did. I chose the Hills, Iowa exit and then the parking area of the town's Casey's General Store, with a open view of the west--in perfect position. This image looks west at 7:46 pm and the approaching storm cell already had a tornadic appearance and motion.

7:50 pm. Looking southwest at the southern part of the storm, showing its shelf cloud appearance in that area. From the camera's perspective, the storm was moving from the background to the right of the image. Its forward speed was 20 mph. Temperature was 70 degrees F, dew point 66 degrees, humidity 88%.

Panorama looking west at 7:51 pm. The forming lowering that would pass in front of me in mere minutes is more pronounced now. This is the last sequence of shots I would take outside my vehicle, as CG lightning was becoming more frequent and I no longer had the desire to tempt fate!

7:53 pm. Now a wall cloud in the northwest sky. Taken from my open driver's side window. The adrenaline was beginning to kick in now!

7:53 pm. At this point I was alternating still shots with video from my Nikon D7200 DSLR camera. This image is a video frame capture. Sirens were now wailing in Hills. The ever-tightening tornadic lowering was now about two miles to my northwest, with a hail core about a half-mile farther.

7:55 pm. Video frame capture. Looking very threatening and approaching Oakcrest Hill Road SE (foreground). The lowering passed about two miles to my north. Inflow winds now picked up as did the rain and hail. I estimate at least 60 mph winds buffeted my vehicle, with pea-to-dime size hail falling. Vehicle headlights seen in the distant background are from US Highway 218.

As the lowering passed to my north, driving rain rendered visibility to near zero. Moving at this time would have been foolhardy. Rain and hail were pelting the vehicle so loudly I was barely able to make myself understood to the NWS Davenport severe weather report dispatcher. Above, the interior of my vehicle seen at 8:02 pm, as I waited out the deluge. iPhone 6 Plus image.

Radarscope image capture from 7:46 pm CDT, showing the severe and tornado-warned boxes, and my position in relation to both (blue target symbol) at Hills, Iowa.

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Jupiter Not Lost In The Wash This Night

Despite mighty planet Jupiter being 411 million miles from Earth on this night, it more than held its own in the light wash from our full moon on the night of Sunday, April 29, 2018. Above, -2.49 magnitude Jupiter (just above trees at bottom) shines gainly in the glow of our satellite--only 241,000 miles distant and -12.69 magnitude. This image looks SE from Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at 9:29 pm CDT and is a 1/5-second exposure at f/5.6, 2000 ISO and 55mm focal length. Air temperature for photography was a mild 54 degrees F. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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Unused Captures From May 16, 2016 New Mexico/Oklahoma/Texas Storm Chase

Previously unused images from my Lightroom catalogue of my storm chase through the states of New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas on Monday, May 16, 2016. All are captured from my Nikon D7200 DSLR camera. Above, supercell anvil west of Boise City in the Oklahoma panhandle at 2:56 pm CDT.

3:01 pm. Same location.

3:44 pm. Anvil of tornadic supercell from Highway 406 in New Mexico.

3:49 pm. Strong updraft in New Mexico, becoming tornadic in Oklahoma.

4:43 pm. West of Felt, Oklahoma. Roping tornado.

4:43 pm. Same location. Wall cloud with trailing hail core.

4:46 pm. West of Felt. Supercell hail core. From US Highway 56/64.

4:47 pm. Hail core and wall cloud.

4:51 pm. West of Felt. Wall cloud and trailing hail core.

5:21 pm. Inflow cloud from US Highway 385, just north of the Texas/Oklahoma border.

5:28 pm. Escape south from RFD winds on US Highway 385 near the Texas/Oklahoma border.

5:40 pm. Distant tornado seen from US Highway 385, north of Dallam, Texas.

5:58 pm. Inflow cloud near Dalhart, Texas.

5:58 pm. Supercell, where inflow cloud is feeding.

7:39 pm. HP supercell with outflow shelf cloud seen from Highway 281 SE of Spearman, Texas.

7:40 pm. Abandoned farmhouse and shelf cloud from same location.

7:40 pm. Same as above.

8:18 pm. HP supercell seen along US Highway 83, NW of Canadian, Texas.

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Show Before the Snow

With knowledge of the forecast for a significant winter weather event the following day I was pleasantly surprised to find the skies over eastern Iowa clear on the evening of April 17, 2018. This was especially pleasing for the fact that a crescent moon and brilliant planet Venus would be in conjunction with one another just after sunset this evening. The image above, shot at 8:45 pm CDT,  looks west from Oliver Court in Marion, just south of Boyson Road and just west of Alburnett Road. It is a one second exposure at f/5, 400 ISO and 70mm focal length. Venus shone at magnitude -3.92 in chilly weather conditions which registered 38 degrees F with ENE winds at 10 mph or better.

I added Venus (right) to this zoomed-in image of the moon, and it appears much closer to its conjunction partner than it actually was. Both images were shot using the same settings: one second exposure at f/5.6, 400 ISO and 300mm focal length. Time was 8:47 pm. Note the Earthshine on the moon. Left and above the moon is the dim 4.12 magnitude star 5 Tauri. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

Snow, snow go away, come again some other...month!: The much anticipated winter weather system arrived here about 12 hours after the top images were viewed. The system came with rain, freezing rain, sleet and snow. Above, the wintry mass was well under way when part of it was captured at Bowman Woods Park looking south in Cedar Rapids at 3:18 pm CDT, Wednesday, April 18.

Radar screen capture of the system as it appeared around the time of the above image on Wednesday. The Cedar Rapids metro area received about one inch of snow when it ended early the next morning.

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Xanto-ed Out

On February 2 of this year what actually happened was this: The groundhog emerged from his burrow, saw his shadow, returned to his burrow, woke up again forgetting his first foray above, emerged again and saw his shadow for a second time--giving us 14 more weeks of winter. So while we're enduring that, Winter Storm Xanto, the back edge of a system that produced severe weather in the midsection of the U.S. last Friday, began wreaking havoc throughout much of the country's upper midsection--with snow and high winds. Above, the storm is shown in progress looking south on White Road north of Marion, Iowa, between N. Alburnett Road (W58) and N. Marion Road at 12:03 pm CDT, Sunday, April 15, 2018.

A similar view, closer to the ground, a minute later.

Same position, but looking east 12:05 pm.

12:11 pm. Looking south from White Road, about .4-mile west of N. Alburnett Road. Weather conditions were: snow, 32 degree F temps and 22 mph winds. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

Radar screen capture of the state of Iowa at this time. White target icon is my photographer's position.

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I Was On My Way To A Global Warming Meeting But Got Stuck In The Snow...

...not really. But you get the idea. Unabated unseasonably cold weather gripped all of March and the first week of April in Iowa in 2018. Cedar Rapids saw 10 straight days of 40 degrees F or less up until April 9. The image above shows a snowfall event under way on Sunday afternoon, April 8, which did not end until the next day (another Cedar Rapids April 8 in 1973 comes to mind). This storm deposited just over three inches when it was all said and done. I placed my tripod in a shallow part of Dry Run Creek, which at this location is the border between Cedar Rapids and Marion, and faced south. The image is a stack combination (StarStaX2) of 14 separate exposures, all with identical settings: 8 seconds at f/22, 100 ISO and 16mm focal length using a 6-stop X2 77mm ND filter. Total elapsed time was 4:34-4:36 pm CDT. The water was not moving fast but the extended exposure allowed by the filter "calmed" the surface. On the down side, the exposure also "erased" the heavy snowflakes that were falling at the time.

Using the same settings as the top image but deciding to shoot only 8 separate exposures (4:46-4:48 pm) to stack is this image, which looks east at a footbridge a little further downstream.

A black & white version of image 2, using one of the Nik Collection Silver Efex Pro 2 options.
Tokina AT-X Pro DX 11-16mm f/2.8 lens, Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

Radar screen capture of the winter storm system taking place at the time of photography, with the target showing my position.

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