05/20/12 Illinois Multicells & Sunset

Intense multicells along the Illinois River create a

dramatic sunset in Peoria, IL on Sunday evening...

On May 20th, I headed out to chase and intercept a severe-warned multicell that developed outside Kewanee, IL. I didn't expect much of anything on this "chase day" even though I had the day-off, but I figured I'd grab a few photos before my vacation begins in nearly a week. Sunday's setup was quite marginal with more pulse-type multicell thunderstorms expected due to the rather anemic shear present across the area. I targeted an area across west-central Illinois where it seemed convective initiation would occur during the early-afternoon ahead of an approaching cold front. This area was characterized by nearly 2,000J/kg of CAPE present, 0-6km shear rather limited below 30kts, and a moistening boundary-layer with dew points around 60°F. The potential for any supercell and/or tornado was very low on this day with many factors contributing to a pretty much non-existent tornado threat. Anyhow, I headed out shortly before noon to my hometown to stop in for a quick lunch expecting convective initiation to occur nearby outside Kewanee, IL. This indeed did occur by early-afternoon as I watched cumulus quickly build into a towering updraft to my northwest. Once this storm had some reflectivity show up on radar I began to head north to keep up with this developing severe thunderstorm as it went severe-warned as it entered Bureau County, IL. I shot north to catch up to this intense multicell that put down a hail report or two. I caught up to this thunderstorm outside Walnut, IL near a wind farm across northern Illinois. I stopped here and took a few photos, but would let this storm go to my northeast and pushed back south to intercept some new multicells that were developing along the southern flank of this storm. I shot a few photos at this point along IL-Rt. 26 as I progressed back south near Princeton, IL. I quickly called it a chase and headed back to my hometown for dinner before I began the trip back to Peoria, IL to hopefully view the solar eclipse. Unfortunately, pesky clouds behind convection along the Illinois River really killed my chances. With that being said, I witnessed one of the best sunsets I've seen in quite some time here in Peoria, IL. It was quite amazing! I haven't seen such a vivid sunset like we had last night in maybe a few years that sent many running outside with their camera or phone. It was spectacular and all thanks to some convection that was back-building into Peoria, IL from the east. Near sunset the sun was able to dip below the anvil illuminating these thunderstorms providing a stellar sunset. Mother Nature left me happy despite being unable to view the solar eclipse. I've added photos from the brief chase and last evenings amazing sunset below:

Convective initiation begins north of Kewanee, IL during the early-afternoon...

 Warm-moist air becoming buoyant!

 Multicell thunderstorm over this wind farm

east of Walnut, IL...

 Portrait-shot of the wind farm and convection!

  Developing convection overhead along the southern flank!

 Another portrait-shot!

Atomic bomb anvil! (looking north)

Trying to get more organized...

Another shot looking north southeast of Walnut, IL...

 Convection over a northern Illinois landscape!

 The sun begins to dip below the anvil in Peoria, IL

creating a dramatic sunset!

 Looking east at ongoing convection along the Illinois River

that is back-lit by the setting sun...

 An evening full of dramatic colors!

 An incredible sunset over the apartment complex!

 Quite a golden-sunset in the western horizon!

(Canon 70-300mm telephoto-zoom lens)

 One of the deepest red sunsets I've seen to-date!

 Another colorful shot!

   Looking east at the picturesque back-building convection...

 One last beautiful shot to end on...

That will wrap up this post. Yesterday, was a great day if you are a photographer hoping to capture some beautiful images. Indeed I was quite happy with Mother Nature's spectacular display during the evening. It looks like I won't have "much" storm chasing in store for myself this week as I'm not too intrigued in any chase setup quite yet and won't be able to make long distance trips this week. Hopefully, Mother Nature pumps in some deep-rich moisture soon as it has been fairly non-existent over the last month. I'll be on vacation starting May 28th-June 10th and I'm hoping to non-stop chase during that period, but that depends on good ole' Mother Nature of course...

05/15/12 North-central Illinois Multicell Thunderstorms

A severe multicell develops in rural Stark County, IL

east of Kewanee, IL on this evening...

Tuesday, I didn't plan to even go out and observe some developing convection across north-central Illinois since the setup was rather marginal to say the least with around 1,000J/kg of CAPE present, 0-6km shear around 30kts, and a relatively dry boundary-layer with dew points barely reaching 50°F. As typical though, I talked myself into heading out after I got off work after 6:00PM to take in some convection approaching from the northwest. This convection actually was severe-warned however near the Mississippi River due to spotty damaging wind reports. I was actually semi-impressed with some of the structure looking to the northwest around sunset. I headed out on the north-side of Peoria, IL to capture the view and saw a developing severe thunderstorm near my hometown of Kewanee, IL nearly 40 miles away. I called the folks to get a first-hand account of the conditions in that area. Other than a few downpours that was about it, but I was informed it left a nice picturesque sky in its wake. Anyhow, I shot a few photos enjoying the view in the northwest horizon and shot some time-lapse video of the stout updraft this severe thunderstorm had as it progressed through northern Stark County, IL. I've added a few photos from yesterday evening and some time-lapse video below:

Not a bad sight eh? (wide-angle)!

 A beautiful updraft here surging vertically

into the atmosphere near sunset...

 A pretty awesome anvil stretching

across the northern horizon!

 Portrait-shot of the updraft!

 This one I shot right at dusk before this convection

quickly fell apart as darkness fell...

 One last shot of the anvil as I call it an evening...

 
I've added a YouTube time-lapse (above)

That's all for now. I'm sure I'll be posting more in the coming weeks as their are signs that we may be entering a more active severe weather pattern depending on which numerical weather model you believe. We'll see what happens over the next couple of weeks, but hopefully Mother Nature will keep me fairly busy as we inch closer to June...

05/06/12 Kewanee, IL Supercell

A wall cloud of a supercell progressing

east of Kewanee, IL during the mid-afternoon...

On May 6th, I was able to chase in the local-area since I had the day-off from work. Early on during the morning I analyzed an outflow boundary that was pushing south into an unstable air mass across north-central Illinois. Since convective inhibition was already weakening by noon I headed north out of Peoria, IL with a initial target of Kewanee, IL (my hometown). This outflow boundary would provide a focus for convective initiation and was pushing into an area characterized by 4,000J/kg of CAPE, 0-6km shear approaching 40kts, a supercell composite approaching (8), and the presence of a moist boundary-layer with dew points near 70°F. Convection began to erupt over my target-area by early-afternoon along this outflow boundary. I set myself up east of Kewanee, IL in rural-Stark County, IL as severe thunderstorms began to form with this storm taking on some supercell characteristics at times though its life-cyle. This developing supercell appeared the most organized just east of Kewanee, IL as it had a large rotating wall cloud for a time, but quickly became outflow dominate with transient mesos over the next couple of hours. With that being said I continued to chase this storm all the way to the Illinois River outside Lacon, IL and than let it go and progressed back home to Peoria, IL. I stopped along I-74 east of Peoria, IL for a time as I did some time-lapse video as the outflow boundary tried to initiate new convection in this area. After realizing the main "forcing" pushed off to the east I headed back home and called it a chase. I added several photos and some time-lapse video below:

A wide-angle shot of a developing supercell

over Kewanee, IL shortly after noon...

A closer-view...

Initial wall cloud south of Kewanee, IL...

Progressively becoming outflow dominate!

A wind farm outside Camp Grove, IL!

Whale's mouth of the outflow dominate

convection over this wind farm...

Tornado-warned at the time, but

outflow dominate...grr!

Shelf cloud east of Lacon, IL moving overhead!

Convection struggling to develop

with a stoup cap to the south...

Turkey tower! (Canon 70-300mm telephoto-zoom lens)

 
I've added a YouTube time-lapse (above)
 
I've added another YouTube time-lapse of convection
trying to overcome a stout cap (above)
 
I've added a GoPro video (above)
 
Here's (Part: II) of my GoPro video (above)

That ends this chase log. It sure was nice to get out for a couple of storm chases especially since the weather pattern is rather tranquil for May standards right now in regards to severe weather over the central Great Plains and Midwest. Hopefully, things change soon with a more active pattern especially as we head into June...

05/03/12 Lacon, IL Supercell

A developing supercell forms near Lacon, IL

on this evening...

On May 3rd, I was working till 5:00PM in Peoria, IL, but knew the prospects of my first storm chase of the year were slowly improving throughout the day as it appeared at my location in Peoria, IL that I was in a favorable area for convective initiation by mid-evening. I quickly got off work shortly before 5:00PM and analyzed the situation. I quickly found that I wouldn't have to go too far to find a good storm to chase as my location on the north-side of Peoria, IL was characterized by 3,000J/kg of CAPE, 0-6km shear at 30kts, a supercell composite approaching (12), and the presence of a moist boundary-layer with dew points approaching 70°F. I began to head north as convective initiation was beginning to my northeast. I headed north out of Peoria, IL on IL-Rt. 40 to keep up with the developing convection knowing I'd have to get across the Illinois River at some point. I crossed the river at Lacon, IL and progressed south and east from there along the Illinois River as the storms began to mature to my west. After sitting for a little while chit-chatting with some other storm chasers. We headed north to intercept a severe thunderstorm that was quickly developing to our west just to the southwest of Lacon, IL. Once this storm became severe-warned I punched south on IL-Rt. 89 near Washburn, IL and began to watch this developing supercell outside of town. This storm had some amazing lightning at this point which quickly pointed to storm intensification. Surface winds actually did slowly back towards sunset which led to some rotation from this severe thunderstorm. I sat near Washburn, IL for nearly a hour snapping several photos and then transitioned to lightning photography at dusk as this storm was moving very slowly and became progressively outflow dominate. This supercell was quite a prolific lightning-producer to say the least! Once I had enough I headed back to Peoria, IL in hopes to photograph a developing Mesoscale Convective System (MCS) to my northwest after midnight. I shot a few photos of a shelf cloud passing overhead and then quickly called it a night after a busy evening. I added some of my favorite photos and even some time-lapse video below:

Convective initiation beginning during the mid-evening...

 A rather picturesque supercell near sunset!

 A nice pronounced-lowering here...

 This updraft begins to surge upward leading

to the formation of a supercell!

 Interesting colors from this supercell

as the sun began to set...

 One more wide-angle shot of the developing

convection earlier in the evening...

 Orphan anvil east of Lacon, IL!

 Another shot at dusk...

 The beginning of an intensifying storm

over the next couple of hours!

 Another shot here at dusk of this supercell

outside Lacon, IL...

 This severe thunderstorm had an amazing

lightning display! One of my favorites...

 Another good one!

 And another...

 One more, I wish I could of stayed here longer!

 The storm I chased near Lacon, IL, but this

time looking northeast from Peoria, IL...

 Here comes the MCS shortly after midnight

as it passes overhead!
 
I've added a YouTube time-lapse (above)
 
I've added a YouTube GoPro video (above)

Overall, for my first official storm chase of the year I really can't complain. I was able to snap some good photos and ended up on the right storm during this particular evening and I was quite happy with how it all went. It's not often when you can chase on a half a tank of gas and end up with a nice supercell. I did end up chasing again on May 6th as well. More to come...