Chase Logs 2009
Deja Vu: The Hunt Continues for the First Successful Chase of the Year
June 18, 2009
12:00pm-11:00pm
Anoka, MNAs I looked at the forecast for the next day after my first storm chase of the year, I couldn’t help but be pleased that Anoka was in a moderate severe weather risk. However, as I learn every year, the SPC severe weather risk also indicates my risk for failure. I had high expectations going into Thursday morning, and toted my cameras along with me to work in case anything developed. The morning started out warm and muggy, with scattered showers in the distant east (remnants from the previous night’s action). I took some photos of the sunrise reflecting off these showers and some gravity wave-type clouds that I noted on my way into work (photos below). The morning was quiet weather-wise, but shortly after noon a system began developing southwest of Alexandria and quickly attained severe and then tornadic status. This was the highlight of the early afternoon, watching the slow moving cell traverse northeast through the Lakes County around Alexandria. By the time I left work at 3:00pm, this cell (now located in Otter Tail County) was still the only significant weather in Minnesota. A secondary squall line associated with an approaching surface trough was sitting over eastern North Dakota.
I arrived home at 3:30pm and began watching the radar, and watched, and waited, and groaned as the hours ticked by. Nothing. Partly cloudy skies dominated the afternoon over the southern half of Minnesota. Meanwhile, the Douglas County storm tracked eastward over south Pine County by 8:00pm, maintaining severe status and every now and then developing a mesocyclone. I drove out to the AHS parking lot and snapped a few photos of the distant storm north of Hinckley (last three photos below) and of other cumulus clouds that lay scattered across the sky near sunset (first two photos below).
Meanwhile, the aforementioned trough over eastern North Dakota spilled southeastward and gained strength, briefly producing a tornado in SE ND. The squall line, still holding onto severe status, entered Stearns County shortly before 9:00pm and I left to go film/photograph lightning at 9:45pm. The outline of the thunderheads to the northwest nicely contrasted the fading blue light of the evening. I noted a nearly continuous stream of cloud-to cloud lightning bolts as I pulled into the AHS parking lot once again, but soon after the cameras began rolling the lightning began to decrease in intensity and frequency. Within 15 minutes, the storm was hardly producing any bolts, but the severe thunderstorm warning continued. I waited out for awhile long, but gave up when the warning was not renewed. Sure enough, just after I left the house the storm began weakening and was hardly detectable on radar by 11:00pm. The photos and video from this chase are below.
