Chase Logs 2008
Northland Thunderstorms: Thunderheads and Orphan Anvils
June 22, 2008
4:00pm-8:00pm
Northern MinnesotaI left Grand Forks at 2:00pm after visiting Andrea and my aunt for the weekend. The first few hours of the trip back on U.S. Highway 2 to Duluth were uneventful, but as I crossed into the Duluth NWS CWA, I noticed what appeared to be orphan anvils floating in the air just to my north (first, fourth, and fifth photos below). As the hazy air cleared I saw a large thunderhead straight ahead, most likely firing near Duluth on the same boundary that brought storms to Grand Forks the day before.
As I approached Duluth, I realized that the storm was already over Lake Superior so I decided to shoot a few more photos of the storm (photos below) before stopping and buying groceries for the week. By the time I was done shopping, the storm was far off over the lake.
Later that evening after I had eaten dinner, I noticed a rainbow outside my dorm room window, so I headed outside with my camera. Above the rainbow was yet another orphan anvil, complete with a few mammatus clouds. I sat outside and watched the cloud as it moved over Lake Superior (photos below) for the rest of the daylight hours.
