A shelf cloud rollin' along the horizon just outside Peoria, IL
On June 22nd, I once again monitored the weather-situation locally as it appeared by late-afternoon we could once again be dealing with a Mesocale Convective System (MCS) near Peoria, IL. Storms by early-afternoon had already initiated in southeast Iowa and later in west-central Illinois. By evening, these storms began to form a cold pool. They initiated new severe thunderstorms near the Illinois River that tracked northeast over Peoria, IL as well. These storms formed in an area characterized by 3,000J/kg of CAPE, 0-6km shear less than 30kts, and a moist boundary-layer with dew points near 70°F. Once I could make out a nice shelf cloud in the distance I headed out of my apartment to snap a few photos as it moved closer. I literally drove not a mile on this day and was rewarded with another nice shelf cloud and an ominous looking sky. I've added photos I shot of the shelf cloud on this day below:
Quite a stormy scene looking west!
Closer-view...
And another...
Scud along the shelf cloud making for an ominous looking sky!
Some pretty potent updrafts along the leading edge...
Quite a cool shot here!
Looking south as the shelf cloud begins to move overhead!
Another view of the whale's mouth underneath the shelf cloud...
Gusty outflow providing another photogenic shot!
Once the storms moved overhead I headed indoors enjoying the last remaining hours of my weekend. I'll update with another post as soon as another photography opportunity presents itself.
