08/02/04 REPORTS: Great Lakes/North Plains

[nickgrillo]

Did anybody go out chasing? I didn't wanna bother but their was quite a few SVR's along with quite a few reports of high winds and wind damage across Michigan, along with some marginally severe hail.

Storms are also firing (some already fired out) across South Dakota and several TOR's were issued earlier. Anybody chase these?

Did anybody get out today? Place your reports here!

..Nick..

 

[Kurt Silvey]

About 4:30 a cell began to fire NNW of Ainsworth, NE on the NRN end of a N-S boundary that had set up across central NE. This storm was projected to move ESE into an extremely unstable atmosphere. Since I knew I could not chase today (8/3), I decided to make a run for it and try to intercept somewhere NNW of Norfolk, NE. I thought I could make the intercept and have maybe 1 ½ to 2 hrs of light left. My son and I left Omaha a little after 5:00 and headed up hwy 275, we made Norfolk by 7 and proceeded NW on hwy 13 to Pierce and then W on an asphalt road. About 10 miles W of Pierce we ran into a weak high base system. Over head were some very dark Mammatus that were “swirlingâ€￾ rapidly.

[Broken External Image]:http://members.cox.net/ksilvey/mammatus_1small.JPG

[Broken External Image]:http://members.cox.net/ksilvey/mammatus_2small.JPG

Further to our NW there appeared to be a weak lowering (lower right), but this disappeared before we could get to it.

[Broken External Image]:http://members.cox.net/ksilvey/lowering_small.JPG

Then we notice what I believe were just “scudâ€￾ clouds, but they would begin as a really dark spec of condensation, about midway between the ground and the high base, and rapidly form vertically, almost funnel looking, into a small very dark cloud in 2 – 3 minutes. Then they would dissipate almost as quickly 5- 6 minutes. Not sure what they really were, but very cool to watch. We saw about 8 to 10 of these form and disappear. After this we pushed further N on hwy 14 to see if anything else was happing. Somewhere N of hwy 20 we spotted a mothership, which we thought was probably up near pickstown, SD. With about an hour of daylight left we decided to go for it, and headed N to cross the river at Niobrara. Stopped to take some structure pictures at Niobrara with the bridge and river in the foreground. If they turnout I’ll post later. We continued NNW into Bom Homme County, SD and eventually stopped about 4 miles S of Avon to try some lightning shots, as we ran out of daylight. The cell was still off to our NNW, but we still had some great views of cloud to ground action. After this we picked up hwy 50 E into Yankton for some food and gas and then on further E to I-29 and headed S towards home. Pulled into the garage about 1:15 am, and up for work at 6:50. 8 hours, 410 miles, saw some neat clouds and structure, and spent great quality time just talking with my 13 yr old son. It was a good day.

 

[Robert Dewey]

Originally posted by nickgrillo
Did anybody go out chasing? I didn't wanna bother but their was quite a few SVR's along with quite a few reports of high winds and wind damage across Michigan, along with some marginally severe hail.

..Nick..

I chased in MI, the stuff up in Lapeer county, but it was more pulse-like than anything. Did get a wind gust to about 50MPH and heavy rains, no hail and very little lightning. Then, last night at about midnight, a nice line of storms developed right on top of my house, dumping about and inch of rain in 45 minutes, and TONS of lightning... VILs briefly hit 50-55 and reflectivities hit 55-60Dbz, all of which was pure heavy rainfall...