Four Supercells, One County / Going Viral

It has definitely been a September to remember and I am extremely grateful to everyone on Facebook for having been patient with my excessive weather related musings. Per the first part of the title, back on the 21st we had a fast moving clipper type low drop through the region which generated some marginally severe weather. Hail was the greatest threat however, wind profiles were such that the SPC went with a 2% tornado risk in their Day 1 outlook which would later be upgraded to 5% closer to initiation. This caught my attention so I made it a point to sleep with one eye open. Early that afternoon as a few cells to the north were ongoing with severe warnings, a small cell lifting out of the SW from near my home appeared healthy so I followed it. Though elevated, it proved to be interesting and would eventually earn a severe warning for hail. At one point I observed an ominous feature per the inset that even after ILX review, remains inconclusive although it could simply be a hail shaft. Aptly named "Supercell I", it was the only local storm to earn an official warning. I would abandon it at nearby Argenta IL only to pick up another to drop in from behind.

Supercell I








Supercell II (still near Argenta IL)






Going linear.


Shedding its outflow reveals new development downstream.


Zoomed in on possible funnel cloud.




Abandoning this cell, I would pause to run an errand for Ava after which I would intercept yet another to drop in from the NW over near Niantic IL making it Supercell III.


Two wall clouds!


The closer one would prevail as the other dissipated.




Losing definition as well as visibility in the heavy rain.


Upon passage, facing E.


Facing SSE, note the tiny rainbow as well as possible shear funnels.


Inbound from the same location, another developing cell and although compact and elevated, Supercell IV would prove to be the storm of the day.


Quick 300mm snap.




Structure! Note the two areas of rotation in the time lapse video below.


Lack of moisture was the mitigating factor for today's "outbreak" potential.


Small funnel concludes the session from entirely within Macon County borders.




Per the second part of the title, "Viral" might not be the correct descriptive for a little fish like myself but in comparison to my usual traffic stats (or lack thereof), the morning shelf from earlier this month received some very generous support last night on the Reed Timmer: Meteorologist and Extreme Storm Chaser Facebook Fan Page. The screenshot with emphasis on the associated like/share figures is from near the time of this post and I am glad that people from around the world have had the chance to experience this unique event for themselves.

Southern Illinois Lightning

Spent some time on the back side of a training complex of heavy thunderstorms draped along the I-70 corridor in Southern Illinois. No time lapse or stacking with this session, just some moody stills to convey the solitude. Earlier in the evening from this same complex, my friend Dan Robinson documented an incredible TORNADO from way down near Okawville.

Steam Devils On The Sangamon II

Sunday morning lows were in the lower 40's so I headed back down to the river but this time to a new location that was better than the previous. Aside from getting some of my best stills yet, I was treated to an exceptionally large spout that can be seen in the end video.










Licensing of the best segment available through KDR Media

Steam Devils On The Sangamon

Morning lows in the mid to lower 40's coupled with the still relatively warm waters of the Sangamon River produced a local steam devil opportunity on Wednesday. With a reinforcing shot of cold air forecast for the weekend that will result in lows in the 30's by Monday, this phenomena will be widespread on area waterways. The best time for viewing these ghostly whirlwinds is anywhere between dawn and around 9:30 AM while the sun angle is fairly low and winds are somewhat calm.

Goodbye Summer

Although autumn doesn't technically begin till this coming Saturday the 22nd, a sharp frontal boundary dropping through the region has brought some of the coldest air of the season. Prior to the arrival of the overnight squall line, early morning fog and heavy dew on Monday resulted in somewhat of a photographic opportunity. When the squall line arrived, it did so with little more to see than a striated shelf that I was unable to get from an ideal angle even though the city light pollution made for a unique perspective. Today's morning low of 47 will be trumped by lows in the upper teens tomorrow which may result in patchy frost and another idea that I hope I am able to follow through on.

Morning Shelf, NKP 765, Revisited!

To recap per the previous entry (with this as having the full image series), on the morning of Wednesday the 5th, we were treated to an amazing sight being the passage of multiple arcus clouds that formed as result of collapsing storms entering the state from Iowa. This phenomena is not uncommon, however, to have limited cloud cover in advance of this feature with a sun angle enabling it to be illuminated from the front is unique. The timing was fortunately perfect in that I witnessed this event while heading home through the country. The pictures speak for themselves but from the associated video you can gain a more detailed understanding of the evolution from a radar perspective.

First one.


Note the moon, didn't quite fit in the panorama sequence.






A secondary one would immediately follow.






The thin lines pushing out ahead of the precipitation indicate the gust front and are the signature for what you are viewing. Upon passage, the straight-line winds picked up in earnest and though non-severe, they can at times reach severe criteria depending upon the size and strength of the dying parent storm.


As if that weren't enough, on Monday the 10th, the NKP 765 Steam Locomotive coming from St. Louis paid us another visit. For this encounter, I was amazed by the amount of convergence though not entirely surprised as its local popularity has soared for being widely advertised since the first trip through. I wasn't feeling the midday light or power lines but calm weather conditions allowed for it to belch out some cool looking smoke rings!


(inset)


(no inset) Planes, Trains and Automobiles!