Larry J. Kosch
Storms are firing up near McCook NE and Ames, IA. And severe thunderstorm warnings were posted in Iowa. Storm watches have been issued in MT, SD, ND, NE and IA. This thread has been started for discussion of these storms. 8) LJK.
* AT 450 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF SCRANTON...OR ABOUT 35
MILES SOUTHWEST OF FORT DODGE...MOVING EAST AT 100 MPH.
Originally posted by Mike Peregrine
ok - ben - just this one time ... you've got to remember that the only way to start making judgments on your own is to just start going after stuff at some point (IF you feel comfortably safe - that's always hard for me to offer advice on when someone is new) ... you've got to dive in, even when storms are lining out and you may not catch a tornado ... it's the only way to get a feel for how this works - especially on trickier days like this one ...
honestly, if you're wanting to see tornadoes, I don't think Cedar Rapids is the place to be ... the only hope for them IMHO is up in the NW corner of the state, where there are decent helicities setting up ... in your neck of the woods the storms will form a line and gust through as primarily outflowish ... the only hope in that particular scenario is to be on the trailing 'tail end charlie' that can sometimes take on supercell characteristics. I would still drive off to your east and intercept for lightning and hail if nothing else (look at radar before you go) ... but that's just me.
Now the disclaimer - storm chasing is dangerous and should only be undertaken by those who have an understanding of storm structure and motion, as well as a decent understanding of the environment. You'll have to make the call from here - - -