An Independence Day Double-Header: Summer Weather Is Here

It’s July 4, Independence Day. Happy Birthday, America! For all the problems that face you, you’re still the best in so many, many ways. One of those ways, which may seem trite to anyone but a storm chaser, is your spring weather, which draws chasers like a powerful lodestone not only from the all over the country, but also from the four corners of the world.

no images were found

This has been an incredible spring stormwise, but its zenith appears to have finally passed for everywhere but the northern plains. And right now, even those don’t look particularly promising. That’s okay. I think that even the most hardcore chasers have gotten their fill this year and are pleased to set aside their laptops and break out their barbecue grills.

Now is the time for Great Lakes chasers to set their sights on the kind of weather our region specializes in, which is to say, pop-up thunderstorms and

no images were found

squall lines. The former are pretty and entertaining. The latter can be particularly dramatic when viewed from the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, sweeping in across the water like immense, dark frowns on the edge of a cold front. If you enjoy lightning photography, the lakeshore is a splendid place to get dramatic and unobstructed shots. Not that I can speak with great authority, since so far my own lightning pictures haven’t been all that spectacular. But that’s the fault of the photographer, not the storms.

The images on this page are from previous years. So far this year I’ve been occupied mainly with supercells and tornadoes, but I’m ready to make the shift to more garden variety storms, which may not pack the same adrenaline punch but lack for nothing in beauty and drama.

faux_supercell
July 4th is a date that cold fronts seem to write into their planners. I’ve seen a good number of fireworks displays in West Michigan get trounced by a glowering arcus cloud moving in over the festivities. But tonight looks promising for Independence Day events. Storms are on the way, but they should hold off till well after the party’s over.  That means we’ll get two shows–the traditional pyrotechnics with all the boom, pop, and glittering, multicolored flowers filling the sky; and later, an electrical extravaganza, courtesy of a weak cold front. A Fourth of July double-header: what could be finer than that?

July 4, 2010 by
Filed Under: Life, Michigan, Nature, Outdoors, Photography, Storm Chasing, Uncategorized, Weather Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Midwest Storm Chase Shaping Up for Monday

Monday is shaping up to be one of those days that will tear me in two: the first really decent storm chasing setup in the Midwest, beautifully accessible, but my finances are too meager right now for me to do anything about it. Aaargh!

arpeggioexercise
Just look at this TwisterData 12Z NAM forecast sounding for April 5, 00Z, in extreme northeastern Missouri, up near Cantril, Iowa (click to enlarge). It’s near a nice 1 km EHI bullseye. Nice CAPE, nice veering with height, just a dab of CINH–what more could you ask for? The hodograph, not shown, curves beautifully.

However the exact mesoscale details shake out come Monday, the models have lately been coming together nicely to paint a compelling warm-front picture in southeast Iowa, northeast Missouri, and western Illinois.  Somewhere in that vicinity, tornadoes look likely. Maybe farther west, too, though capping may be an issue. Right now, though, I’m not current on the  dryline/triple point play; my attention is focused on my own back yard.

This promises to be a sweet setup for Great Lakes chasers. Maybe there’ll be some fortuitous way I can seize the opportunity, but I have an idea that I’ll be armchair chasing Monday afternoon and eating my heart out. As for Tuesday, well, there’s been talk about that, but right now I’m not as excited about it. Monday’s the day. Oh, man. So near and yet so far–gotta get to it some kinda way.

April 3, 2010 by
Filed Under: Storm Chasing, Tornadoes, Weather Tagged With: , , , , , ,

COD Severe Weather Symposium

The College of DuPage will host its fourth severe weather conference in Downer’s Grove, IL, on Thursday, November 5, through Saturday, November 7. At $220 a pop for non-students, it’s a pricey proposition. But considering its proximity, Great Lakes chasers may want to invest their shekels. I’ve attended two conferences hosted by Paul Sirvatka et al some years back, and they were very worthwhile. With its cast of preeminent presenters, and topics that include the preliminary findings of Vortex 2, this year promises to be particularly rewarding.

According to the FAQ on the symposium website, “This conference is intended to present the latest in severe weather meteorology to a diverse group of severe weather professionals and students. National conferences present some of this material but time contraints do not allow for a detailed look into the state of the science.”

In the words of COD:

The conference is intended for professional operational and research meteorologists, upper-level undergraduate and graduate students of atmospheric science, storm chasers, severe weather spotters and severe weather enthusiasts. We assume that attendees will have some understanding of severe weather meteorology in order to receive maximum benefit from the severe weather sessions. The focus of the conference is primarily on understanding the latest techniques for severe weather forecasting, the use of meso-scale and storm-scale modelling, physical processes leading to the development of supercells and tornadoes and the effective use of remote sensing in severe thunderstorm evolution and behavior.

This symposium will also highlight some of the preliminary results of VORTEX II.

Rooms at the DoubleTree Hotel and Suites, where the conference will be held, are available for $95 per night and will accommodate four persons.

So there you have it. If you can afford the hotel prices and the cost of the conference, which includes an evening banquet, then this is one event you’ll want to make. I’m contemplating my cash flow, holding my breath, and getting set to register.

September 7, 2009 by
Filed Under: Event, Life, Storm Chasing, Tornadoes, Weather Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,