Driver/Chaser: John Jensen
Target: Mason City,IA
Total Hours: 12 Hours 16 Minutes
Total Miles: 701
Chase Log:
Well the SWODAY2 on 6/29/2001 showed Northern,IL and Southern,MN with a
slight risk so I checked models and with some help and advise I decided
Mason City in IA was going to be my target. Well I got up at 6:30 am and
checked things out and decided to stay with my initial target area. Yes I
know that things were very marginal in the state of IA today but we are
close to the end of season so I gambled :) Well as I was crossing the
Mississippi River coming into Dubuque I received a call from Keenan Campbell
my nowcaster for today. He thought that Des Moines,IA was going a be a good
target. So I changed my target area to Des Moines,IA. Well I had to stop in
Farley to get gas at a $1.29 not bad and stopped once on I-80 to get data at
a rest stop that had DTN. Well of course it was showing nothing yet. As I
arriving east of Des Moines Keenan called and said the cells he was hoping
would be there coming out of SD had died and that stuff was popping north of
me and to take state route 117 to I-65 and head north on 65 so off on 117 I
go and I am heading north. Well I am driving on 117 and hop on to north I-65
and I am starting to see towers to my North and West. I get into Iowa Falls
and need more gas at a $1.37 still not bad eh. I was only at half empty but
topped of in case I got something good. So Keenan and I decide that I should
hit state route 20 and head back east and maybe try to have the cells come
to me as I am heading home and then Keenan called at 4:30 pm and told me he
was going to a birthday party but I needed to be in Parkersburg which is the
direction I am heading. Now as I get into Parkersburg the cells and small
towers I am seeing are still to my northwest. I decide that they are not
really worth waiting for because they have not developed much more in the
time I was driving. So as I am heading home I have NOAA on in my care out of
Lacrosse,WI they cover parts of NE,IA and they issue a warning for Fayette
County 2 counties to my northwest so I am taking my time because I can see
these storms from where I am at and hope that they will come SE to me as
that is the direction they were heading. Well this storm dies out and that
is the only warning issued. As I arrive into Earlsville I get a call from
Eddie who now has become my Nowcaster for a bit and he tells me to head
north and then back west to try and get to see a backshear anvil if there
are any. Well I take state route 136 north which turns into state route 52
and as I am coming over this huge hill into a valley I see a developing roll
cloud that I got on video. and winds are picking up out of the north. So
after this passes I decide I am going head home because I can see that
things are clearing to the NW of me and I hear that storms are diminishing
as they enter IL they are now to my east. So I head back to state route 20
and head east to head home thinking the storms are to far in front of me to
get to see anything else. Well as I was entering Stephenson County in IL I
look to my Northeast and low and behold what do I see I very nice backshear
anvil which is my first in the time I have been chasing so I get pulled over
and videoed it but I have not looked at my tape yet to see if it turned out.
I am driving along and watching for overshooting tops but this cell is be
sheared bad and dies out also. I stop in Belvedere to fill up for the lat
time today and paid only $1.118 :) Man was I happy to see that.
Final Thought:
Well let's see. To me this was not a bust because I did get to see and video
a couple of neat things and I did learn ALWAYS,ALWAYS,ALWAYS STAY WITH YOUR
FIRST TARGET AREA. I would like to say a special thanks to James and George
for helping me decide where to head out to when the models made making a
decision so hard. I also would like to thank Keenan and Eddie for nowcasting
for me great job guys.
*************************************************
John Jensen KB9KQN
Woodstock,IL
Storm Chasers Of America Founder
www.stormchasersofamerica.org
Proud Member of
ILCHASE
www.ilchase.org
INCHASE
www.inchase.org
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat Sep 01 2001 - 13:05:11 EDT