This is really part two of the previous post. After chasing a potent, monster hailer of a supercell north of Saint Joseph, Missouri, I overnighted at a hotel outside of Des Moines, Iowa. When I stepped outside the next morning, the air was much cooler and drier, a stable atmosphere that wouldn’t produce so much as a sneeze, let alone a tornado.
But I knew that the SPC had outlooked the area to my east across northern Illinois, and for several days I myself had been eyeballing my home state of Michigan, where the NAM-WRF had been consistently indicating the possibility of tornadoes. With a little luck, I hoped to make it back in time to chase whatever convection might pop up along the warm front.
As I approached Davenport, I observed towering cumulus muscling up through the troposphere. However, I didn’t pay them any attention–that is, until Bill Oosterbaan called to inform me that the SPC had just issued a mesoscale discussion for the area just east of me. Even as we talked, I noticed a lowering on a cumulus tower a mile or two to my northeast. When it continued to develop, I decided to investigate. Leaving I-80, I parked across from a truck stop at the Atkinson exit to watch.
The next cell to my west quickly grabbed my attention. It had a nice rain-free base, and as I watched, scud began to form and ascend in an obvious updraft, coalescing into a small, ragged wall cloud. Grabbing my camera and getting out of my car, I noticed right away that the air was very different from back in Des Moines–considerably warmer and with plenty of moisture. The wall cloud fell apart before I could get a pic, but the overall structure remained interesting.
A mini-supercell approaches Atkinson, Illinois, just north of I-80.
More brief, non-rotating wall clouds formed and dissipated one by one, so I figured I’d head north of town and observe. With surface winds veering and the overall flow unidirectional, I had no expectation of seeing tornadoes, but the mini-supercell made for some fun and interesting viewing.
Ragged, non-rotating wall cloud.
Distant wall cloud and glimpse of updraft tower.
I was tempted to follow the storm, but decided it was a red herring. If at all possible, I wanted to make it back to Michigan in enough time to chase the setup there, and that left me no time to play around on the western Illinois backroads. So I headed back to I-80 and busted east.
The first Michigan supercell fired up earlier than I’d hoped, and I bit my lip as I followed its progress on GR3 and watched it hit Lansing. If only I had driven east last night for two more hours, or left in the morning two hours earlier… But the previous day’s chase had left me exhausted. And you know, one of the downsides of being a Michigan-based storm chaser is, you just don’t have very high expectations when it comes to your home state. I mean, it’s Michigan. Home of convective table scraps, squall lines, and embedded supercells that don’t produce squat.
As it was, I watched several more storms fire up and develop rotation along the warm front that stretched across mid-Michigan. I was making decent progress and still had hopes of catching up with some of the southernmost cells. But by the time I crossed the state line, the action all had shifted well to the east, and it became clear that I wasn’t going to see any of it.
Instead, taking fellow chaser Mike Kovalchick’s suggestion, I headed toward the lakeshore at Allegan Beach to intercept a short but potent squall line. I’m glad I did. The backdrop of Lake Michigan and its dunescapes lends a breathtaking drama to incoming storms. The following photos depict the progress of the arcus cloud moving in across the waters. What these images can’t convey is the full, awe-inspiring sweep of cloud, big lake, and shoreline; of the solemn foreboding of some great event about to unleash itself upon a landscape cloaked in storm shadow; of the shelf cloud moving silently overhead like the furrowed eyebrow of a dark, scowling giant; and of sand spray blowing and trees thrashing in the wind as the gust front arrived.
I’ll let the photos tell their story as best they can, and leave the rest to your imagination.
An arcus cloud advances toward the Lake Michigan shoreline at Allegan Beach.
View to the north.
Looking south...the storm closes in.
Looking north...closer still.
Almost overhead.
One last shot to the north, then it's time to make a dash for the car.
Saw you ahead of me on SpotterNetwork. I ended up intercepting in South Haven – Seemed like the best place to do so. I got some decent video, but I wish I had gotten my behind out of bed earlier and gotten on the road earlier. The 4 inches deep of hail was a report from literally 1/4 mile from my house or less.
I also wish I hadn’t taken the bait, and gone up I-88. At the time it seemed like a good idea, now I just feel like an idiot.
I also feel like an idiot because I was watching mesoanalysis all day, and I kept thinking ‘It’s Michigan… It’s not going to happen’. Gah. That’ll teach me.
I’ve seen you around a few times now – Maybe some day we will run into each other under a storm in Michigan.
I saw you up there along I-88 and figured you were onto something. The Illinois cells were all firing up north of I-80, and you looked to be in the right area for them. It did seem to me, though, that Illinois was just a diversion with the winds the way they were.
I had been thinking for several days that Michigan was going to be the place, and had even started a forecast thread in Stormtrack, but when it came down to the wire, I didn’t take the tornado potential seriously enough. So I know what you mean about feeling like an idiot, because I felt like a complete moron. It’s the Michigan Syndrome: get your hopes up over a system and nine times out of ten you’ll get them dashed; let your guard down and that’ll be the time when an F3 hits Potterville.
You get around quite a bit, Ben, so your name is familiar to me even though we haven’t met. In fact, I’ve got your blog listed on my blogroll. I look forward to bumping into you, and if your cell phone number is listed on SN, I may give you a call next time we’re both out in the field.
Yeah, the cell phone is listed in SN. Maybe we’ll be out Friday! Although the 12Z runs both put everything in Southern IN/IL, and I’m not sure I want to venture out that far.
I’ve read your post about the Potterville tornado. It was heartbreaking to read, knowing you were sitting in Hastings just ignoring it. Then again, April 11 last year is a good example of why getting your hopes up for a Michigan event leaves you disappointed.
If it makes you feel any better, I got home from work on Aug 24, 07 and went to bed because I had run 3 Skywarn nets in a row and wanted some rest. I was woke up by the Tornado warning, and ran net #4, so I missed out as well.