June 6, 2015: Nebraska

This day the Storm Prediction Center placed an enhanced risk out for Eastern Nebraska. The talk was that tornadoes could happen. They even threw out the 10% hatched for tornadoes.

It started a fun, relaxed chase day early on and seemed more and more all day that something BIG was going to happen. All based on these things we saw coming together.

But it turns out we were correct all along, it just ended up being a fun chase day even though we were hoping it would produce and isolated tornado or two.

We were on the initial cell near O'Neill and Page; which showed healthy signs of rotation. It even produced one legit funnel cloud but it could never become a full tornado.

It was still good to be back on the plains - with great company and friends, and back on some severe storms!

Below are some pictures from the day.

The beginning of this initial supercell beast just Northwest of Page in Holt County Nebraska.

We saw this product a legit small funnel cloud just Northeast of Page; and then that was the day as it just cycled over and over before finally gusting out.

Brief tiny funnel cloud that entertained us for a few seconds near the town of Page. It never did much of anything else afterward. You can see the cool clear slot on the edge of the occlusion.

Making a run at it - just north of Paige, Nebraska. It tried, but it just couldn't fully produce a tornado which to all of use was very surprising!

This is a good skywarn slide. This is scud. It is a funnel look alike. It was actually doing a wild upward rising motion into the updraft base. There was rotation at times, but it produced it way earlier in the day before going through all of the cycling.

Here Nick is taking video on a quiet road in rural Nebraska,

Large scud tag once again... going up into the updraft base just north or Royal, Nebraska.

Now the storm turned into what we call a big convective mess. All the tornado potential is gone here on Nebraska Highway 14.

Here it is, gusting out and trying to attempt to make a shelf cloud over Creighton, Nebraska.

It was time to head home.

5-17-2015: Central Minnesota Chase

May 17th, 2015.

We sat in Buffalo, MN awaiting towering cumulus to pop up. There was a chance of storms in the area today. After missing out on the tornadoes yesterday, we thought we would give it a shot.

Here is the start of the thunderstorms that popped up in Central Minnesota that day.

Overlooking Buffalo Lake in Buffalo, MN

We didn't see a whole lot with these storms as they really didn't produce, small hail and lots of rain is all we saw. We headed home to the Twin Cities later that afternoon.

Here is a few pictures from the rest of the day.

5-16-2015 Eastern South Dakota Chase

We started our weekend out way west on Friday in South Dakota. With the storms firing way to our south and in Colorado; we licked our wounds and prepped for Saturday's chase in Eastern South Dakota.

We stayed the night in Pierre, SD in position for Saturday's storms.

Saturday proved to be hard as well with the models telling us to move east - and continue to move east. Our targets changed on the fly. We made the best of what the Prairie Coteau of Northeast South Dakota offered to us.

We missed out on the tornadoes back in western Minnesota - but are thankful no big damage occurred and was happy for our fellow chasers who experience these storms.

We instead were treated to some low topped supercell structures and at times - the storms trying to produce but just couldn't along the warm front draped across South Dakota.

Below are some of the pictures from the day.

South Dakota storm trying. Small wall cloud in picture.

Clark County South Dakota Storm

Clark County South Dakota storm

Cumulus clouds forming again in South Dakota.

Storm moving off to the North.

Looking East towards Minnesota, near the border.

Chippewa County Minnesota, tornado warned at this time.

Tornado Warned storm, looking to the south. Chippewa County Minnesota.

Looking to the west as the storm approaches in Chippewa county Minnesota.

The storm went linear and formed a shelf cloud. Chippewa County, Minnesota.

Better look at the shelf cloud. Chippewa County, Minnesota.

A Rainbow to end the chase day - along Highway 40 in Chippewa County.

May 10th, 2015: South Dakota Mother's Day Chase

Nick and I officially kicked off the storm chase season by setting up shop Saturday night in Sioux Falls, SD. We didn't want to venture in Southern Kansas with not the possibility of getting back up to NE Nebraska/Southern SD in time for Sunday.

Instead we went and visited Blue Mounds State Park; where we hiked a few trails and saw numerous of birds along the way.

For Sunday we targeted Southern SD and watched the cells fire in Nebraska and head south towards the border.

It was a day where things just didn't quite end of right. We were able to get on cells that were not warned on; and missed the tornado that touched down in the town of Delmont, SD in the morning; as well as the one on the SD/IA border that a few others captured.

It was a fun chase day however; and we were able to fully test out the equipment in full chase mode.

Below are some pictures from the day.

Shot looking to the west of the low topped cells of the day in the afternoon.

Low topped convection trying again to do something; with the warm front earlier that afternoon. It was struggling significantly near the town of Parker, SD.

the closest this cell came to try to produce anything; but just couldn't. The cell was moving North and was headed toward I-90 near Mitchell, SD.

April 12, 2015: First Chase of the Season

After the MN Severe Storms Conference on Saturday, we were itching to see some storms. The Storm Prediction Center put out a Marginal risk for up into Southern MN/Central MN.

























The marginal risk was mostly for marginal hail and wind with any storm that would fire on the cold front.

Nick and I set out after Noon for destination Stearns County. We were watching radar and saw a nice little more isolated cell started to come up from the Southwest. We went to Hwy 23 and into the town of Richmond.

There we experienced small pea sized to pencil eraser sized hail; and heavy downpour of rain.

These little storms were moving northeast fast - and they kept popping up along this line.

We followed this storm up Hwy 23 to Pleasant Lake near St. Cloud. There we dropped the storm and went back South to see about getting on another semi-isolated cell coming up.

Near Kimball; we went through heavy rain and very small hail. Here we then left the storms be and heading East back towards home.

Below are some additional pictures from the day.

Country wide angle view of the storm.

Rain shaft clearly visible with this storm.

Severe Weather Awareness Week Coming up for Minnesota

The header says it all. Spring has sprung in Minnesota - even though with the recent snow showers in the past couple of days doesn't seem to think we'll ever loose our grip on winter.

Severe weather however, is not that far away. Tornadoes and Severe Storms have already occurred as close as Illinois - hitting a small town of Fairdale.

That town - could be any town in MN. Are you prepared? Are you ready?

April 13 - 17th is Severe Weather Awareness Week in MN. Each day has different topics for you to become more weather aware and prepared for the upcoming storm season.

Below is an article that Nick wrote. Remember - be safe, be ready and be prepared.

Looking back at the 2014 Season

Looking back at the 2014 Severe Storm chasing season for us... wow what a whirlwind the year was.

It seemed that summer went way to fast.

Stats of the year
Start chasing on April 26 in Nebraska
Ended chasing on September 30th in South Dakota

Chase dates were:
April 26: Nebraska
April 27: Iowa
May 8: Southern MN
May 10: Iowa
May 11: Nebraska Tornadoes
May 25: Rapid City, SD Rain Shower
June 1: Kansas
June 3rd: Moderate Risk Nebraska
June 14: Southern MN Shelf / Iowa Slight Risk
June 16: South Dakota Shelf to Southern MN Shelf
June 21: South Dakota Slight Risk
June 28: Rain Shower and Rainbow
July 7: Central MN Slight Risk
August 23: Faulkton County, SD Tornado
August 24: Benton County, MN Tornado
August 31: Northwest Iowa Slight Risk
September 3: West Central MN Slight Risk
September 20: Sargent County, North Dakota Slight Risk
September 30: South Dakota Slight Risk

States we traveled to this year for chasing:
Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Iowa.

Lots of miles; lots of memories; and 5 tornadoes witnessed. Lots of slight risks; and a couple of moderate risks thrown into there as well.

Below is some of the favorite shots from the season.

September 20, 2014: North Dakota

June 21: South Dakota

June 21, South Dakota

August 24th: Benton County, MN

August 24: Benton County, MN

August 23: Faulkton County South Dakota

August 23: Faulkton County South Dakota

May 11: Nebraska Tornadoes

May 11: Nebraska Tornadoes

May 11: Iowa Night Tornado