Stormy Weather

I don't know how long this post will be because I have so many exciting things to share with you! First we got rain yesterday in spurts, which was probably a pulse storm. It would rain heavy then...silence....then more rain. At one point in our house, we looked out our west window and it was pouring, and when we looked out our east window there wasn't a drop of rain. I can prove this by a picture I took below, which in my opinion is really cool. You can see a burst of rain falling from the cloud to the field. The whole storm was very interesting. All in all I think the farmers were happy for the rain. This story doesn't end though. During that pulse storm, north of us was a strong storm, possibly a super cell. There are pictures below, with captions. That storm north of us was cool to see. It was far enough away, you could see the anvil, the flanking line, and the rain-free base. Once again, this isn't the end of the story. After the rain died off and it was around 8:15, I walked past our east window. When I walked by I thought I saw something, then shook my head because never in my whole life have I personally seen Mammatus clouds. I scooted back to the window and sure enough! I was so excited. I have seen pictures online, but never in person. Mammatus clouds are pouches hanging underneath the base of a cloud. Since it was about dusk there were hues of purple and pink in them. It was amazing! Below are some picture of the Mammatus clouds, and some mixed in pictures from previous days and weeks.

Part of storm north of us

Cloud jutting out from coming storm

View from west of pulse storm 

Dark clouds from last week

Big storm north of us

Enlarged view of anvil

Dark clouds contrasting against storm north of us

You can see rain in the distance from the storm north of us

Mammatus clouds

Clouds from last week

Clouds from last week

This was supposedly a super cell from a few weeks ago

Another view of the supposed super cell from a few weeks ago

Cool clouds from a few weeks ago

Pulse storm moving in

Mammatus clouds

Pulse storm burst of rain

Mammatus clouds

Barn!

Below are six photos of a barn I love to include in my cloud photos. The photos are from dawn to dusk. Each photo is unique in its way. My personal favorite is the fifth one down. Feel free to comment and share which one you like the best! 

Severe Weather Potential

Keep your eyes out between six and eight for some nasty weather heading our way. According to the Doppler Radar, three single cell storms that are powerful are moving our way. The first of the three should hit at six, the second at seven and the third at eight. Hail and heavy rainfall has been reported from these storms.

A Good Laugh....And Scare

This video is quite recent. A couple had their wedding in Kansas in the country. Nearby a tornado is swirling! How would you like that?

This second video is a favorite of the Weather Tracker! Enjoy!

Severe Thunderstorm Watch and Wind Advisory

Straight from Accuweather....

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
in effect until Thursday, May 24, 10:00 PM

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 296 IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS

IN ILLINOIS THIS WATCH INCLUDES 3 COUNTIES

IN NORTHWEST ILLINOIS

JO DAVIESS MERCER ROCK ISLAND

IN IOWA THIS WATCH INCLUDES 20 COUNTIES

IN EAST CENTRAL IOWA

BENTON CEDAR CLINTON IOWA JACKSON JOHNSON JONES LINN MUSCATINE SCOTT

IN NORTHEAST IOWA

BUCHANAN DELAWARE DUBUQUE

IN SOUTHEAST IOWA

DES MOINES HENRY IA JEFFERSON KEOKUK LOUISA VAN BUREN WASHINGTON

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...ALEDO...ANAMOSA...BETTENDORF... BURLINGTON...CEDAR RAPIDS...CLINTON...DAVENPORT...DUBUQUE... FAIRFIELD...GALENA...IOWA CITY...INDEPENDENCE...KEOSAUQUA... MAQUOKETA...MARENGO...MOLINE...MOUNT PLEASANT...MUSCATINE... MANCHESTER...ROCK ISLAND...SIGOURNEY...TIPTON...VINTON... WAPELLO AND WASHINGTON.

WIND ADVISORY
in effect until Thursday, May 24, 7:00 PM

...WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 7 PM CDT THIS EVENING...

* TIMING...REST OF THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING.

* WINDS...STRONG SOUTH WINDS SUSTAINED AROUND 30 MPH AND GUSTS TO 40 TO 45 MPH.

* IMPACTS...THESE WINDS WILL BLOW AROUND LOOSE OBJECTS...AND POSSIBLY DAMAGE TREE BRANCHES. IN ADDITION...DUE TO THE RATHER DRY SOIL CONDITIONS WE MAY SEE ISOLATED AREAS OF BLOWING DUST OR DIRT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WIND ADVISORY MEANS THAT WINDS OF 30 MPH OR GREATER ARE EXPECTED...WHICH CAN MAKE DRIVING DIFFICULT...ESPECIALLY FOR HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES. USE EXTRA CAUTION IF YOU ARE TRAVELING TODAY.

Potential Severe Weather Alert

Straight from Accuweather...

Thunderstorms this afternoon and Thursday night will bring the greatest potential for tornadoes in recent weeks and will targetareas from central Iowa to parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

**People in the risk area will need to keep an eye on the sky for rapidly changing weather conditions. Heed all watches and warnings and have a plan in place before the situation become dangerous.**

After storms produced strong winds, large hail and drenching downpours from southern Minnesota to eastern Nebraska on Wednesday, the threat for severe weather will shift eastward and southward into parts of the Upper Midwest and central Plains into Thursday night.

The upcoming severe weather outbreak brings the risk of tornadoes.

Cities in the threat zone for severe thunderstorms include Rochester, Minn.; Marquette, Mich.; Rhinelander and Eau Claire, Wis. and Des Moines, Davenport and Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Other threats within this zone and farther south into western Missouri and part of eastern Kansas include straight-line winds strong enough to cause power outages and property damage, along with hail up to the size of golf balls.

Several inches of rain can fall in the pattern. As a result, there is also the potential for localized flash and urban flooding.

If you are driving and approach a road that is submerged in water, turn around and seek an alternative route to reach your final destination.

A strong storm system will push into central Minnesota this afternoon and southwestern Ontario Thursday night. A cold front associated with this system will slice to the south and east and spark intense thunderstorms.

Ahead of the front, building heat and moisture will provide the fuel for towering clouds and thunderstorms to ignite. Once the fuse is lit, the storms will carry over well into the nighttime hours.

For the Upper Midwest, this has the potential to be the most significant severe weather outbreak thus far this season and could rival that of other outbreaks throughout the nation this month.

According to Severe Weather Expert Henry Margusity. "On May 19 there were 25 reports of tornadoes over the central Plains and on May 10 there were 22 reports of tornadoes concentrated over Texas."

The tornado reports from earlier in the month are still being investigated for duplicate sightings of the same storm and for tornado versus straight-line wind damage.

"In terms of what typically happens during May, this month has been relatively quiet in terms of severe weather due to a lack of very strong weather systems in general," Margusity said.

Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski contributed to the content of this story

Straight from the Weather Channel...

Toe Crud and Stratus Clouds

Toe crud and Stratus clouds?  See the relationship?  Well I always wear black socks, because, well, I am not sure why.  Anyways, I do clip my toenails.  (I hope you do, too.)  On with the story.  All that black fuzz collects in the corners of my toes, making them look dirty, but they really aren't.  Last night I got the tweezers and pulled the crud out.  When I was finished I had a tiny pile of crud that was grey and black, and it looked identical to Stratus clouds you would see in the sky.  Stratus clouds are the clouds you see on dreary days. Stratus clouds are usually never associated with severe weather either.  Light to moderate rain usually falls from these clouds.  Anyways, now you know the relationship between toe crud and Stratus clouds!

Severe Thunderstorm Watch

Straight from Accuweather....

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WS 258
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
145 PM CDT SUN MAY 6 2012

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 258 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT
FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
IA
. IOWA COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

DES MOINES HENRY LEE
LOUISA VAN BUREN
ATTN...WFO...DVN...EAX...LSX...ILX...LOT... 

Severe Weather Alert

Straight from Accuweather...

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
FLOOD WATCH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
407 AM CDT SUN MAY 6 2012

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...

.A COLD FRONT WILL BE ADVANCING ACROSS IOWA WITH NUMEROUS
THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING AHEAD OF THE FRONT...ESPECIALLY THIS
AFTERNOON INTO TONIGHT. THE AIRMASS WILL BE VERY UNSTABLE AND
WITH A HIGH MOISTURE CONTENT. THE STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING AT LEAST 1 TO 2 INCHES OF RAIN IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME
WHICH MAY LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. THE RISK OF FLASH FLOODING WILL
BE THE HIGHEST WHERE RECENT HEAVY RAINS HAVE SATURATED SOILS.
REPEATED ROUNDS OF STORMS MAY ALSO CAUSE RAPID RISES ON SOME
TRIBUTARY RIVERS AND POSSIBLE RIVER FLOODING.
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON
THROUGH LATE TONIGHT...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN QUAD CITIES HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF ILLINOIS...IOWA AND
NORTHEAST MISSOURI...INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS...IN
ILLINOIS...BUREAU...CARROLL...HANCOCK...HENDERSON...HENRY IL...
JO DAVIESS...MCDONOUGH...MERCER...PUTNAM...ROCK ISLAND...
STEPHENSON...WARREN AND WHITESIDE. IN IOWA...BENTON...
BUCHANAN...CEDAR...CLINTON...DELAWARE...DES MOINES...DUBUQUE...
HENRY IA...IOWA...JACKSON...JEFFERSON...JOHNSON...JONES...
KEOKUK...LEE...LINN...LOUISA...MUSCATINE...SCOTT...VAN BUREN
AND WASHINGTON. IN NORTHEAST MISSOURI...CLARK AND SCOTLAND.

* FROM 2 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH LATE TONIGHT

* NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND
CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT AS A COLD FRONT MOVES SLOWLY ACROSS THE
REGION. THESE STORMS COULD PRODUCE AT LEAST 1 TO 2 INCH PER HOUR
RAINFALL RATES...AND WITH SATURATED SOILS FROM PREVIOUS HEAVY
RAINS MAY CAUSE FLASH FLOODING.

* PERSISTENT OR REPEATING THUNDERSTORMS DUMPING HEAVY RAINS MAY
ALSO CAUSE RAPID RISES ON SOME TRIBUTARY RIVERS AND POSSIBLE
RIVER FLOODING.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT FLASH FLOODING IS POSSIBLE.
MONITOR FORECASTS AND TAKE ACTION IF FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS ARE
ISSUED OR FLASH FLOODING DEVELOPS. 

Tornado Watch

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WT 234
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
710 PM CDT THU MAY 3 2012

TORNADO WATCH 234 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM CDT FOR THE
FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
IA
. IOWA COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

ADAIR ADAMS APPANOOSE
CASS CLARKE DAVIS
DECATUR DES MOINES HENRY
JEFFERSON KEOKUK LEE
LOUISA LUCAS MADISON
MAHASKA MARION MONROE
RINGGOLD TAYLOR UNION
VAN BUREN WAPELLO WARREN
WASHINGTON WAYNE
ATTN...WFO...DMX...EAX...LSX...DVN... 

Severe Storm Alert