While watching a still-tornadic supercell recede into the eastern distance, the opposite side of the sky blazed with one of the prettier sunsets of the 1990s for me. Being forced by an intense mid/upper-level trough, a surging dryline related to the historic central Illinois tornado outbreak fronted some dust lofted from far away that nicely diffused the sunset light around a lone cumulus humilis … [Read more...]
Post-Prison Vortex
After witnessing the Winchester tornado, we had to scoot south several miles, east, then back north again, to avoid both the core of the supercell and a potentially tornadic mesocyclone that occupied the straightest road path. Doing so put us somewhat behind the fast-moving supercell, and also took us through a heavy shower that merged with the forward flank of the supercell. Still, we got just … [Read more...]
Cirrostratus
Thick cirrostratus seems a dismal scene to a man of lower latitudes, when framed by trees that are still leafless in April! One thing you can count on up north for nearly half the year: lots of stratiform clouds—anything gray, grim and overcast. But even the gloomy can be beautiful in a stark sort of way. Cirrostratus can be hard to judge for height, and thus difficult to distinguish from … [Read more...]
Holy Mammatus!
A field of mammatus spread overhead, beneath the anvil of an approaching, southeastward-moving supercell. The mammatus display soon would be supplemented by another supercell forming behind the first, in nice near-sunset light. The historic church is Saint Mary's, a beautiful and well-maintained little Catholic church out in a completely rural area. 8 NW Offerle KS (20 Jun 20) Looking … [Read more...]
Dusty Illinois Tornado
The first of four tornadoes we would see this memorable central Illinois outbreak day (but only shoot passable film slides of two), the Winchester event spun up a little too close for comfort after we let the expanding mesocyclone approach. The tornado developed (not "touched down"...tornadoes actually spin up!) in the field at left, as a narrow, horizontal dust jet helically whirled into the … [Read more...]
Pretornadic Winchester Wall Cloud
We headed east out of Kansas City on the first of two days off to sample a well-advertised, synoptically evident outbreak with "High Risk" outlook. That became a "Particularly Dangerous Situation" tornado watch for this area by the time we had arrived. With storms forecast to be fast-moving (and verifying that way!), we positioned well ahead of a surging, arc-shaped dryline, on the Illinois side … [Read more...]
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