Monday, February 7, 2011

Overlooked photos, day 5 - May 30 2008

Today's overlooked photo comes from another local chase back in 2008. This photo was taken just off Interstate 72 outside of New Berlin, IL in the west central part of the state.

I spent the better part of the early afternoon on the north side of Springfield eating lunch and listening to my Chicago Cubs pull off an unthinkable comeback and winning after trailing in the game 9-1. I was watching weak convection pulse up and down along a mid-level shortwave as it pushed into the area just waiting on something to go. Eventually, one little storm began developing a hook near Lincoln. This photo is not that storm. No, that storm went tornado warned quickly and grabbed my attention so I shot north passing on another developing supercell to my south. I intercepted the first storm and quickly lost it's ugly ragged base due to poor road network and quick storm motions.

Bummed, I decided to go after the storm to my southwest which had already produced a handful of tornado reports. I decided to quickly pass through Springfield and make my intercept on Interstate 72. Quickly, I thought, not realizing that I was attempting to do so during the 5 PM rush hour, with construction cutting things down to one lane. Among the more annoying things in the life of a storm chaser is being stuck in traffic a stones throw away from a tornado warned supercell. Those who have my DVD from 2008 know this moment in my life.

Just keep on trucking though, and eventually you'll get there: