Unique Weather

This page showcases some amazing weather images and photos I have found over the years. Also included are reports I have written about various weather events.

Images

Reports

Weather Images

Below are images I have saved of historically significant or interesting weather.

	July 1, 1997: A massive bow echo is observed on MPX radar as a powerful severe storm ravages the northern suburbs of Minneapolis. This storm downed two trees at my house and sparked my love for severe weather. (NOAA)
	June 24, 2002: A small, yet severe storm complex closes its vise on the Twin Cities. (NWS MPX)
	September 10, 2002: This is a screen capture of the NWS MPX radar software displaying the hook echo produced by the Albertville tornado (denoted by white arrow).(NWS MPX)
	March 4, 2003: A hole forms in a snow storm system over the northern Twin Cities as seen on the Minneapolis radar. See the Twin Cities Block report below for more info on this phenomenon. (NWS MPX)
	April 18, 2004: A radar image of a continuous line of severe thunderstorms slices through the entire state of Minnesota. It is rare to find such a long line of severe storms. (NWS MPX)
	June 23, 2004: This is the Minneapolis/Chanhassen weather data graph, which shows how each different weather element changed with the passing of a cold front around 4pm. (NWS MPX)
	July 23, 2005: A squall line of severe thunderstorms spearheads the Minneapolis metro area, followed by a massive rain squall. (NWS MPX)
	September 20, 2005: A velocity radar image of Hurricane Rita as it passed south of the Florida Keys. Note the obvious counter-clockwise rotation of the hurricane and the calm eye. (NWS BYX)
	September 30, 2005: An arrow on radar? I just had to include this image. (NWS FGF)
	April 19, 2006: In mid-April 2006 a low pressure system drifted over the Upper Midwest. Even though it was weak and brought little more than showers and windy conditions, its appearance on satellite and radar was oddly similar to that of a tropical system. It maintained this appearance for several days before dissipating. The top image is a radar loop of the system over South Dakota and the second image is a visible satellite photo of the low pressure taken during the same time as the radar loop. Note the banding on the satellite image. (Intellicast and NCAR)
	May 29, 2006: Just my luck. I went storm chasing this day, but ended up in the small dry slot located between the two storm cells in eastern Minnesota (just north of the Cities). (NCAR)
	September 16, 2006: This is the SPC watch layout graphic from the afternoon hours. Quite impressive for mid-September. This storm complex produced the Rogers tornado (see below). (SPC)
	September 16, 2006: This is a animated GIF I put together showing the sudden development of the Rogers tornado during the late evening hours using velocity radar images. (NWS MPX)
	September 16, 2006: An impressive radar precipitation map showing the paths of the Sept. 16 storm cells. (NWS MPX)
	November 6, 2006: A huge fog bank appears on visible satellite imagery, stretching from Duluth, MN all the way through Nebraska. Note the sharp cut off line between the fog and clear skies. (NCAR)
	November 22, 2006: Someone at the Minneapolis NWS had a little too much free time on his hands when he put together this Hazardous Weather product. (NWS MPX)
	November 28, 2006: A weather balloon goes MIA, as shown on this Skew-T Log-P map (the readings just stop at 340mb). (NCAR)
	November 30, 2006: A strong cold front pushes through the southern US, bringing the first arctic blast of the season. Note the temperature difference between southern Ohio (77 degrees) and Kansas City, MO (16 degrees). (NCAR)
	February 26, 2007: Does the city of Fargo, ND weaken snowstorms? According to this snowfall total map from a winter storm, it does. (NWS FGF)
	April 1, 2007: The weather played a cruel April Fools Day joke on the Upper Midwest, dumping several inches of snow throughout the day. Here is an IR image of the low responsible for the snow. (NCAR)
	May 6, 2007: It would be hard for storm chasers NOT to find a storm in this severe weather outbreak over the central US. (NWS)
	July 24, 2007: Yet another hurricane-like signature appears on visible satellite imagery over west central Minnesota. The "eye" is centered near Fergus Falls, MN. Also note the maritime fog bank over the western half of Lake Superior. (NCAR)
	August 26, 2007: Radar images (base reflectivity and storm relative velocity, respectively) of a supercell that produced an EF4 tornado in the town of Northwood, ND. It is interesting to note the presence of a "debris ball", or area of higher reflectivity values, in the center of the hook echo on the base reflectivity image. This results from airborne debris in the tornado being seen by the radar.
	April 7, 2008: A late season winter storm pounds the Northland. This is a visible satellite image of the storm system as it exited the region. The snow from this storm appears as the narrow white band extending from north central Minnesota to northern South Dakota. (NCAR)
	June 5, 2008: A visible satellite image of a dryline over west central Kansas. It is clearly denoted by the boundary separating the moist air/clouds to the east and the clear, dry air to the west. (NCAR)

 

Weather Reports

Here are several reports I have produced. Many of these are fairly old (5+ years), but they still contain some useful information. All reports require the Adobe Acrobat Reader (.pdf format).

A Severe Weather Climatology Comparison Study for the Grand Forks, ND and Duluth, MN National Weather Service Forecast Office County Warning Areas My UND Atmospheric Sciences Senior Project from May of 2009 that delved into the history of severe weather events in the Duluth and Grand Forks areas.

May 4, 2003 Severe Weather Outbreak A thorough look at the history of the historic May 4 outbreak over the central United States (111 pages, may take several minutes to open).

Chase Logs Summaries A summary of all my storm chases from 1997-May 2004.

The Twin Cities Block 2003 An investigation into a phenomenon I dubbed the Twin Cities Block using images and weather data from 2003.

Hurricane Signature on Radar A collection of radar images from MPX showing a hurricane-like signature on August 19, 2003.

The Storm A pictorial documentary about storms that I wrote in 1997 and updated in 2003. The report was never completed, thus there are parts of the report that contain only notes.

My Passion for the Weather I A weather autobiography covering the years of 1987-2002. Updated in 2003.

My Passion for the Weather II A continuation of my autobiography from 2002-mid 2004. The report has not been updated since then and contains many notes near the end.

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