Chase Logs 2008
Twilight Spectacle: Rainbow Squall Line and Sunset Mammatus
July 11, 2008
1:00am-10:00pm
Wright County, MNThe memories of the previous day's storm chase were still fresh when Andrea woke me up shortly before 1:00am on July 11. Another severe storm system was on its way and would arrive in less than 10 minutes. Worried about the threat of hail, we moved our cars into her farm shed and ran back inside just as the rain started. I unpacked my DSLR and weather radio (and broke the antenna in the process) and headed to the front door to take photos of the lightning (photos below). I managed to capture a few bolts before the rain picked up in intensity and forced me back inside.
The storm brought little more than heavy rain and gusty winds, and I was back in bed by 2:30am. Later that morning I went with Andrea's family to a family gathering at a relative's house in St. Michael (eastern Wright County). The afternoon was hot and muggy, perfect for swimming in the lake, or hanging out in the air conditioned house. By 5:00pm storm clouds were building to the west and we turned on the TV. The new stations were already airing live coverage of the impending storm and showing video of a tornado the system had dropped a few hours earlier in Willmar. I went outside shortly thereafter and began taking photos of the huge mammatus studded anvil as it obscured the sun and covered the sky (photos below).
It took another hour from the time the storm's anvil covered the sky to when the gust front arrived. There was nothing very impressive about this front, with its elevated base and lack of lightning (although the rainshafts behind it had an eerie yellow glow). We watched the gust front move overhead (photos below) before heading inside as the rain began.
Heavy rain and small ensued for the next 30 minutes, but overall the storm was nothing too impressive. As the rain cleared and the setting sun broke through the cloud deck, a stunning double rainbow developed across the eastern sky (photos below). Cloud-to-ground lightning bolts arced through the rainbow for the next hour. I snapped numerous photos of the rainbow and shot video of the lightning with my PowerShot A630 camera. That video will soon be posted in the Weather Videos section of this website. The setting sun cast a yellow hue on the departing storm, further magnifying its beauty.
With the storm clearing and the day coming to a close, we left the house and drove back to Andrea's farm. On the way back, the mammatus clouds on the storm's backside anvil caught the last light of the setting sun and burst out in a yellow/orange glow (first row of photos below). I continued taking photos of the mammatus as they changed from orange to pink and then to light blue as the sunlight finally faded (bottom row of photos).
