8/12/10 REPORTS: MN

[Chad Cowan]

Jenna Blum, Woodrow and I caught a brief rope yesterday just outside of Madison, MN. This was the storm to the south of the one that everyone else was on. It tornadoed just as crossed over a boundary and then weakened extremely rapidly. We then went after the storm to the north and saw what I believe were a couple weak spin ups under a rapidly rotating wall cloud.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

A rather fun chase was had in western MN yesterday. Looked like a great setup along a nice outflow boundary draped from Aberdeen through Watertown. If only the storm wasn't having to eat repeated storms in that mid-level band, it would have been an amazing day for certain.

Watched the elevated(very) storm move over Watertown then root as it crossed the boundary in MN. Right away it looked to produce a tornado, for good reason given the shear there was rather amazing. Convective plumes could be seen racing nw into the main tower along that ofb/wf.

Somewhere east of Stockholm it got a big cut with spiraling mass at the end of it. This got more and more tornadic eminent just in time for the first storm that would slam into it. As that happened it got tornado warned. I had to jog north two miles ahead of that in the core of the one slamming into, then jet east. Wasn't crazy about that given the sort of shear in place there and knowing the one lifting into it could spin rapidly. Sure enough as I cleared that just west of Bellingham great sculpted structure was coming into view to the southwest.

There it went more crazy with periodic cone formation, one at least half way down. It looked like it wouldn't only plant a tornado at any moment but it would have great structure at the same time. Tyler Burg had pulled up then and we watched it from just north of the track, or in any track for a while as a bigger and bigger bowl area was being carved out around us. Soon we could see leaves falling from the sky. A good indication one of those cones was down. While that was happening rather amazing north to south motion was happening due west of us down that county road. Thought for sure we'd get something amazing out of that. Report of a porch ripped off a house there.

Sat there too long watching it all incase something formed and wound up just barely behind it as its core started to move over. Jumped north 1 mile then east again in a bad location at a bad time but had just enough visibility I figured it wasn't a big deal. Going east strong north winds start buffeting the car, then bam immediate switch to strong south winds. This was in the wrap not driving out ahead of a gust front of a storm. Gust front was still out ahead a good bit. Wasn't thrilled with that whole deal right then lol. It didn't help as I was about to exit that I see the severe studios guys lol. Was like, oh great Gabrielson is probably filming a real close tornado again and I'm leaving the thing. Certainly the most interesting wind shifting deal I've ever came across. Seemed it was out of nowhere real strong northerly winds, as I went east, then bam that instant switch to south...and seemed just after I got a hair further it was strong west.

Just after this there was a curled sculpted wall cloud with extremely intense vertical motion on its ne side. There was a big lack of good areas to pull over in that whole area. Find one and the corn was too tall to see over. I pulled onto one deal and there was a damn set of trees in the perfectly bad position. I could see that lifting on that wall cloud edge but not under or sw of that ne side. The road was mud so I didn't want to drive up it. I shot that lifting stuff for a bit then went east again. Soon as I do that and look back wnw I see a nice dark cone tornado on the ground. Then corn blocks the view again. Grabbed the vid cam and flipped around and went back west. Soon as I could see again it wasn't down. Great! Would have been my best MN tornado which isn't saying anything lol.

Went back east to just sw of Appleton. The storm had been the biggest freaking tease for so long now. I've seen some teaser storms that try to produce but this thing took the cake and will so for a while. It had a big massive occluded deal spinning like no other. It would get wisps touching the ground as they spun around. The stuff seen there at Appleton I guess at times would be rather difficult to not call a tornado. And of course as it was all ready to go crazy there it was again having to eat another storm at the wrong time....or right time for Appleton's sake.

I'm more and more picky on what I think was a worthwhile chase. This one was actually quite worthwhile. The tease factor though, in the one sense that is what made it so interesting is it was half crazy with motion and looking to plant all the damn time....yet it was repeatedly getting robbed by storm eating. Take those storms away and seems for sure you'd have had at least 2 significant tornadoes out of that. Oh yeah we again saw falling leaves on the Appleton action. Course those probably got up there from the full on dark cone before that.

 

[Tyler Burg]

I was little late since I was up the previous night watching perseids, but woke up around 1pm and had an email from Mike about the potential of the day, wouldn't have chased if he didn't mention anything. Blasted west on hwy 212 to Madison and intercepted the storm west of Bellingham, I could see the lowered base and even a funnel from 212 back at Dawson, MN. Mike pretty much explained the rest, easily the biggest tease I have ever seen. Will get the full report up later but for now here are a few pics and screen caps...

West of Bellingham

South of Appleton

 

[Kory Hartman]

...I shot that lifting stuff for a bit then went east again. Soon as I do that and look back wnw I see a nice dark cone tornado on the ground. Then corn blocks the view again. Grabbed the vid cam and flipped around and went back west. Soon as I could see again it wasn't down. Great! Would have been my best MN tornado...

Just copy Mike's log word for word and you've got my experience yesterday.

Saw the tornado but due to a couple "local volunteers" blocking both sides of the road (one with the car in REVERSE), I was pointing the wrong way when it touched down... and the darn corn got in my way, too

 

[Tyler Burg]

Video and Full report up...

http://tonightssky.org/accounts/081210.html

 

[Dean Baron]

Here's my video from the day. Pics aren't anything special so I don't think I'm gonna post them, the storm wasn't too photogenic IMO. I did see a brief tornado southwest of Appleton, MN but it was brief and didnt get it on video. The video includes a timelapse of the base/rotating wall cloud near the SD/MN border. Chased the storm from just after birth near Milbank, SD to Appleton, MN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU23qdzxPgk

 

[Dean Baron]

Was going through some photos tonight and found some pics from August 12th I hadnt really looked through before. Found this one. Taken from Appleton, MN looking west.