Tag: Tornado Chaser

Illinois surpasses 100 tornadoes for fourth year in a row

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dramatic lightning over palmas brazil

Severe weather season has been off to a very active start in Illinois, with everything from flooding, hail, and damaging winds – and more than 100 tornadoes statewide. As of April 22, the preliminary count for tornadoes across the state of Illinois stands at 101 and counting, easily leading the entire country by far. That’s nearly double the annual average of 54 tornadoes in Illinois. With our severe weather season just getting started and lasting through September, that number has the chance to go up.

The typical count for tornadoes per year across Illinois is 54, so we already nearly doubled that. As of April 19, there have been at least 20 tornadoes in the National Weather Service Chicago forecast area, which includes parts of northwest Indiana. The typical number for that forecast area is between 10 to 20 tornadoes per year.

  • March 10th An EF-0 tornado north of Pontiac, IL.
  • An EF-U tornado near Cayuga, IL (midway between Pontiac and Odell).
  • An EF-U tornado in Kankakee Township. This brief tornado occurred prior to the start of the Kankakee-Roselawn
  • EF-3 tornado. An EF-U tornado in Otto Township. This brief tornado lifted just before the start of the Kankakee-Roselawn EF-3 tornado. 
  • An EF-3 tornado that tracked through southern Kankakee and Aroma Park in Illinois and Lake Village and Roselawn in Indiana before ending west of DeMotte, IN.
  • An EF-1 satellite tornado just southwest of Sun River Terrace. This was a southward-moving satellite tornado associated with the Kankakee-Roselawn EF-3 tornado. 
  • An EF-U tornado immediately south of Sun River Terrace. This was a brief satellite tornado associated with the Kankakee-Roselawn EF-3 tornado.
  • An EF-U tornado in southeastern Ganeer Township, southeast of Sun River Terrace. This was another brief satellite tornado associated with the Kankakee-Roselawn EF-3 tornado.
  • An EF-U tornado in Momence Township, north of Hopkins Park. This was an anticyclonic satellite tornado that initially moved north, stopped, then tracked south before ending very near its starting location.
  • An EF-1 tornado that tracked from southwest of Wheatfield to near Dunns Bridge, IN.
  • April 2nd EF-1 near Palmyra and Woosung in northwest Lee County. 
  • EF-1 in Pine Creek Township in southern Ogle County. 
  • EF-0 in Holcomb in northeast Ogle County. 
  • April 17th EF-U in Pecatonica
  • EF-1 in Harrison EF-1 in Roscoe
  • EF-1 in Gibson City
  • EF-1 near Loda and Buckley
  • EF-2 in Darrow
  • EF-1 in Kentland, Indiana

Source: Illinois surpasses 100 tornadoes for fourth year in a row – CBS Chicago

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
1 Corinthians 15:22

Storm chaser captures video of tornado in southern Minnesota

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cloudscape with gray storm clouds

Most people run to their basement during severe weather, but Melanie Metz instead runs toward the storm. The National Weather Service confirms three tornadoes hit southern Minnesota Monday night in Amboy, Matawan and Elmore. That’s on top of dozens of hail reports and even some gusts of wind nearing 60 MPH in southern parts of the state.  The weather allowed Champlin based meteorologist and storm chaser Metz to capture some seriously captivating footage. Metz has been chasing storms for 25 years. “I can’t believe it, honestly. I mean, that’s a long time when I started chasing it was before we even had smartphones, so I couldn’t see radar when I was on the road.

It’s been a long time,” she said. Monday night, her vantage point was from Truman, Minnesota — near Fairmont. She met up with a fellow meteorologist and friend to stake out the storm. She captured some incredible videos, including one which depicted an intact, super cell tornado. Metz believes it the tornado NWS pegged in Amboy.  “We ended up chasing this storm for quite a while until it finally started to organize and became a supercell and produced a couple of tornadoes right in front of us,” she said. Metz says the chase is thrilling, fascinating and combines her love of storms and photography. But—it’s not something to try without experience.

Source: Storm chaser captures video of tornado in southern Minnesota – CBS Minnesota

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5