May 19, 2022

Statistics

Initial Target

Start

End

Storm Intercepts

Tornadoes

Hail

Wind

Features

Miles

Rochester, MN

Springfield, IL 7:28 AM 5/19/2022

Owatonna, MN 7:27 PM 5/19/2022

Dexter, MN

0 mph

Non-Rotating Wall Cloud, Mammatus, Gust Front

598

Summary

Warm front play in southeastern Minnesota. Targeted the Rochester area for afternoon supercells. Observed cells struggling along front. One organized with a non-rotating wall cloud near Dexter before the line congealed and gusted out. Observed photogenic thunderstorm towers with anvils and mammatus from hotel after ending chase.

Crew and Equipment

Chase partners: Jennifer Brindley Ubl. Equipment: Sony AX100, Samsung S9.

Video

Map

Details

On the Chase
4 miles E of Sparta, WI
1:14 PM

Brindley and I made a run to Minnesota for a play on the warm front along I-90 followed by a vegan food run in Minneapolis the next day.

Elevated Gust Front
6 miles SE of Stockton, MN
1:57 PM

We passed a photogenic gust front from the elevated remnants of the morning MCS on the way to the target. It would be as pretty as anything we'd see during the main part of the chase.

Struggling Storms
1 miles NW of Dexter, MN
5:17 PM

We ran up to Rochester and north of there before falling back to I-90 to catch developing cells. We waited for at least an hour in the howling yet warm southerly flow, hoping something would organize, but cells were probably stuck north of the capped warm front.

Non-rotating Lowering
3 miles WNW of Dexter, MN
6:36 PM

By evening cells were intensifying nearby. We hopped on the line to see a robust lowering taking shape, what looked like a developing wall cloud. It wasn't rotating, however, and probably marked the start of the line gusting out into a big outflow dominant MCS.

Gust Front
5 miles SE of Sargeant, MN
6:40 PM

We called the chase and started running west to catch our north to Owatonna for the night while the gust front tried to gobble us.

Veggie Rolls
Owatonna, MN
8:15 PM

Veggie roll spread at Mizuki Fusion in Owatonna.

Twilight Storms
Owatonna, MN
8:55 PM

The line of storms with mammatus studded anvils was stunning in the twilight. We sat in the lawn behind the hotel and watched until dark.

Conclusion

This chase was a bust for photogenic supercells and tornadoes, but we made the most of the trip with a bunch of photogenic skies, and a trip to Minneapolis the following day for a vegan food tour and hike through the old river factory and dam.

Lessons Learned

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