June 24, 2015
Statistics
Initial Target
Start
End
Storm Intercepts
Tornadoes
Hail
Wind
Features
Miles
Chanton, IA
Coralville, IA 10:37 AM 6/23/2015
Lincoln, NE 10:45 PM 6/24/2015
Massena, IA
0
0"
0 mph
Gust Front
450
Summary
Low end tornado play in Iowa with mixed storm mode favoring an MCS. Intercepted storm near Massena noting a large gust. Called the chase as large MCS formed.
Crew and Equipment
Chase partners: Sean Casey, Mike Browne. Equipment: Canon 60D, Canon t2i, Canon EFS 10-22, Canon EF 50mm, Sony HDR-xr500v.
Video
Details
We loitered in Chanton for the afternoon with other chasers in the area before storms erupted to the northwest. A brief tornado report came in on the initial activity but we didn't see any photos or hear much about it. By the time we got on the storms, a large gust front was already forming. It looked dramatic, but it meant that the tornado show was probably already over, and our chances of getting a usable shot for the IMAX film were bleak.
As the storms started to congeal into a messy and weakening complex, we decided to call the chase and make for Lincoln, NE for the night. Passing pretty sunset thunderstorms along the way:
Conclusion
This was a pretty lackluster bust for us, even by Iowa standards.
Lessons Learned
- Try to get on storms at initiation when an MCS transition is forecast.