Photo Library Severe Weather Extra Pics

2:43 pm CDT, May 16, 2016. Gathering clouds of a tornadic storm system, on Highway 325, about 11 miles southeast of Kenton, Oklahoma.

3:01 pm CDT, May 16, 2016. Texas storm chasers and stray cattle on country road in advance of an approaching tornadic storm just west of Highway 325, about 11 miles southeast of Kenton, Oklahoma. Image looks west toward New Mexico.

3:44 pm CDT. May 16, 2016. Looking west at approaching tornadic storm from Highway 406 and Seneca Road, about one mile south of Seneca, New Mexico.

3:46 pm CDT, May 16, 2016. Looking north at strong updraft and approaching tornadic storm from Highway 406, about 3.8 miles north of US Highway 64 in northeastern New Mexico. This storm would produce a tornado in Oklahoma about 45 minutes later.

3:58 pm CDT, May 16, 2016. Looking northeast at approaching tornadic storm as seen from Seneca Road (A081) at Highway 406 in northeastern New Mexico. Storm is moving left-to-right in image.

4:43 PM CDT, May 16, 2016. Looking NW from E0132 Road at US Highway 56/64, about 2.2 miles west of Felt, Oklahoma. Ryan Alliss photographs roping tornado on ground in background.

4:46 pm CDT, May 16, 2016. Mesocyclone looking northeast from US Highway 64, just west of Felt, Oklahoma.

5:50 pm CDT, Wednesday, May 17, 2017. Looking south at approaching line of severe storms from behind the Youngville Cafe, located on US Highway 30 in Benton County Iowa, just east of 24th Avenue, about 3.6 miles SW of Newhall, and about 13 miles west of Cedar Rapids. Most intense part of storm is located about 14 miles distant, just west of Conroy, Iowa.

8:13 pm CDT Thursday, June 15, 2017. Looking NW from the Ross Veterinary Clinic, on North Marion Road, .1-mile north of County Home Road in Linn County, Iowa. The intense part of the storm cell seen at left background was located near the town of Alburnett, about 5 miles distant. Note the possible funnel object just right of the farm silo.

8:17 pm CDT Thursday, June 15, 2017. Looking NW from the Ross Veterinary Clinic, on North Marion Road, .1-mile north of County Home Road in Linn County, Iowa. The intense part of the storm cell was located near the town of Alburnett, about 5 miles distant.

8:27 pm CDT Thursday, June 15, 2017. Looking SW from the Ross Veterinary Clinic, on North Marion Road, .1-mile north of County Home Road in Linn County, Iowa.

8:48 pm CDT Thursday, June 15, 2017. Looking NE at intense storm cloud from Oliver Court, just south of Boyson Road, and .15-mile west of Alburnett Road in Marion, Iowa. The cell is about 1.5 miles distant. A considerable hail core was located about 4 miles to the NW near Robins, Iowa at this moment.

Severe storm cell seen at 9:08 pm CDT, Thursday, June 15, 2017. Image looks ESE from Oliver Court in Marion, Iowa. CC lightning flashes occured every few seconds or so.

Severe storm cell seen at 9:08 pm CDT, Thursday, June 15, 2017. Image looks ESE from Oliver Court in Marion, Iowa. CC lightning flashes occured every few seconds or so. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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Winter Storm Isaiah Mixed Bag of Precipitation

Winter Storm Isaiah, which started in Eastern Iowa on Friday afternoon, January 10, 2020, was prophesied to bring as much as 8-10 inches of snow. Freezing rain started in NE Cedar Rapids, Iowa around 1:15 pm CST. The rain, which coated outdoor objects with a glaze of ice, turned to snow around 7:30 pm. The hefty snow prediction amounts would fall far short, however, as only 2 inches or less were deposited at this location from Isaiah. The image above looks south from Brentwood Drive NE in Cedar Rapids at 8:22 pm. Image is an 8 second exposure at f/8, ISO 100, 18mm focal length.

Similar capture and settings at same time as at top. 42mm focal length. Air temperature was 28 degrees F.

Black and white version of image above it. Nik Collection Silver Efex Pro 2 process.

8:31 pm. Looking west over Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids. 0.8-second exposure at f/4.2, ISO 500 and 28mm focal length. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

Radar image of the system for 8:23 pm. Target icon indicates my position. White arrows indicate storm track.

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Lone Wolf

The first full moon of the year is known as the "Wolf Moon." For the year 2020 it occurred on Friday, January 10. The moon reached its fullest state at 1:21 pm CST. This full moon was also accompanied by a penumbral lunar eclipse. Unfortunately though, viewing the eclipse in the United States would be very difficult if not possible because the event occurred in daylight hours. Above, the full moon is viewed at 5:14 am CST as it sets in the western sky over Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Air temperature was 28 degrees F, with winds out of the northwest at around 15 mph. Image is a 1/200 second exposure at f/4.2, ISO 400 and 130mm focal length.

Closeup of the moon at 5:15 am. 1/200 second exposure at f/5.6, ISO 400, 300mm focal length. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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Flocked New Year Scene

Trees received a beautiful flocking in Eastern Iowa from a snowfall during the night of Friday-Saturday, January 3-4, 2020. The image above is seen from Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at 7:57 am on Saturday, January 4. Air temperature was 25 degrees F. Image is a 1/200 second exposure at f/9, ISO 250 and 18mm focal length. Below is an identical image converted to black and white. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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I'm Dreaming of a (WHAT?) Christmas

Probably the best Christmas ever (weatherwise) for me! On this day in Cedar Rapids, Iowa the temperature topped out at 59 degrees F, an all-time record by one degree. Records indicated it was even warmer than the previous Mother's Day! Above, the sun shines over a rural Shueyville, Iowa pond at 12:30 pm on Wednesday, December 25, 2019. Despite the warmth, the pond still had some five-inch-thick ice covering it.

Similar capture at the same time. iPhone 6-Plus camera.

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Moon and Planets on Frosty Night

A full moon is shown rising from behind Noelridge Christian Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at 5:21 pm CST, Wednesday, December 11, 2019. This image is a 1/40 second exposure at f/5.6, ISO 400 and 55mm focal length. The moon was rated 99.9% full at this moment.

In the southwest sky, two minutes later, the planets Venus and Saturn were positioned within two degrees of one another. The brighter Venus gleamed at magnitude -3.95 while the fainter Saturn shown at magnitude 0.57. This image is a 1/40 second exposure at f/5.6, ISO 1250 and 55mm focal length. Air temperature was a frosty 15 degrees F. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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Cold Front Creates a "Snow Squall Warning"

A sudden burst of falling snow officially became a "Snow Squall Warning" in Cedar Rapids, Iowa during the early afternoon of Monday, December 9, 2019. A Radarscope capture from 12:39 pm CST, complete with a blue polygon is shown above, indicating a very thin but intense line of precipitation moving east.

Meanwhile, on the ground, this was the view looking west toward Bowman Woods Park in Cedar Rapids during the snow squall. The above image was captured at 12:35 pm.

This image, and the one below it were 12:37 pm captures. Air temperature was at 28 degrees F, falling from 41 degrees just a few hours before. Air temperature would continue to fall to 16 degrees by day's end. Snow squalls are sometimes accompanied by gusty winds and whiteout conditions, and are in essence a winter version of a severe thunderstorm warning from warmer months. Nikon D7200 DSLR camera.

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