• July 30th, 2011 Minnesota Storm Chase – Supercell With Several Wall Clouds

    • 07-30-11 CHASE LOG:  MINNESOTA   This turned out to be a fantastic day that many, including myself, were thinking would be more of a straight line wind and hail threat and not worth the bother to chase.  However, morning storms moved through central MN into WI by early afternoon and laid an outflow boundary right [...]

  • JULY 26TH 2011 SOUTH DAKOTA STORM CHASE – PAIR OF SUPERCELLS & INTENSE LIGHTNING

    • 07-26-11 CHASE LOG:  SOUTH DAKOTA Really was not sure if I was going to be chasing this day as I had worked the overnight shift the night before and did not have a chase partner, so this ended up being a spur of the moment chase. However, I convinced my wife, MaryLynn to take off [...]

  • July 1st Minnesota Supercells and Shelf Clouds

    • 07-01-11 CHASE LOG:  MN Computer models had slowed down the progression of a system that was expected to originally blast through MN the night of 6/30, but the days leading up to 7/1 led to increasing confidence that a severe weather event was going to take place.  Temperatures across MN both on 6/30 and 7/1 [...]

  • June 21st Minnesota Storm Chase – Several Wall Clouds Near Twin Cities

    • 06-21-11 CHASE LOG:  MINNESOTA MaryLynn and I left Burnsville, MN around 12:30pm and headed down Hwy 52 as showers were approaching from the south.  These showers were developing on a northward lifting occluded front and a triple point lifting north along the MS River, while the warm front was further east into WI.  The area [...]

  • MAY 25TH, 2011 MISSOURI AND ILLINOIS STORM CHASE – NEARLY A ST LOUIS TORNADO

    • 05-25-11 CHASE LOG:  MISSOURI AND ILLINOIS After seeing 3 tornadoes the day before, MaryLynn and I left Tulsa, OK the morning of the 25th and headed up I-44 towards the St. Louis area.  There was another High Risk in place for severe weather, this time across southeast MO, northeast AR, western TN, western KY, southern [...]

  • May 24th Tornado Outbreak – Oklahoma

    • 05-24-11 CHASE LOG: OKLAHOMA This log details our chase during a High Risk for severe weather with a whopping 45% hatched area for tornadoes! What will later be known as the May 24th Tornado Outbreak. The set-up featured a vigorous upper trough and shortwave ejecting out of the Rockies and becoming negatively tilted in the [...]

  • May 23rd Western Oklahoma Storm Chase – Homestead Tornado

    • 05-23-11 CHASE LOG:  OKLAHOMA This was a Moderate Risk for severe weather and a 10% risk for tornadoes through much of western and northern OK and far southeastern KS.  The set-up included a weak shortwave trough ejecting out of the Rockies into west TX during the morning and reaching our target area of northwest OK [...]

  • May 22nd East Central Minnesota Storm Chase – Forest Lake Tornado

    • 05-22-11 CHASE LOG:  MINNESOTA This was not your typical chase day as I flew in from a work trip and landed at the MSP airport shortly after noon.  MaryLynn and I had planned on leaving for Kansas City to spend the night and chase on Monday, May 23rd, but knowing that there was a Slight [...]

  • May 10th Central Minnesota Storm Chase – Strong Supercells With Hail

    • 05-10-11 STORM CHASE:  MINNESOTA   Going into the day, the main concerns were the capping and if a shortwave would arrive in time for thunderstorms to be able to break this cap, as well as weak mid and upper level winds (even rather weak inflow winds to some degree).  An upper trough and low was [...]

  • March 22nd Southwest Iowa Storm Chase – Defiance Tornado

    • 03-22-11 CHASE LOG: IOWA This log describes the details of my first March tornado!  Our chase team included Beau, Donya, and Ephram Gjerdingen, Mike Nardozzi and me.  We began the day driving south on I-35 at 8am, heading for a target area of west-central IA.  With a strong, spring system already impacting the region, we [...]