Chase Log: July 09th, 2003

Click on any of the SPC products below (Convective Outlooks, Watches, or MCDs) to see the SPC's "Severe Thunderstorm Events" page pertaining to this event.

MAP

Total Distance: 500 miles
Target Area: Northcentral IA
Chase Area: Story City to Estherville to Lake Mills, IA
Maximum SPC Risk category: Moderate
Watches: Tornado Watches 698, 699, 700, and 706
Mesoscale Discussions (MCDs): 1737, 1745, 1749, and 1753

A day of good hopes but few results. I headed southward into central Iowa, hoping to hope onto any supercell that would develop west of I35. A few storms developed along I35 between Des Moines through Story City, but they appeared disorganized. Since I couldn't catch up with a nice supercell west of DSM, I opted to head back northwest into an environment that hadn't been tapped yet. A few storms developed along the IA/MN border, and I hopped on one that crossed the border south of Blue Earth. This storm didn't really do much, and I meandered eastward along the border before hopping on a potential supercell near Lake Mills. Overall, nothing looked too impressive. Interestingly enough, there were numerous tornadoes in western MN under a mid-level low and near an occluded surface low.