Midwest Chasing

I’m budgeting between $1300 to $1500 for the COD trip next year. That includes the trip fee plus my meal ticket and anything extra I buy on the trip. As of now, I’ve got $427.66 to be stashed in my HSBC account. Not bad for July.

Nothing much is going on in weather land lately; just the usual popcorn thunderstorms.

I found out when COD’s planning on chasing in 2008, so I’ve got to start thinking about that in the coming months.

I’ve been experimenting with a new lens I purchased for my Canon Digital Rebel XT, an Canon EF 50mm F1.8 lens. The gallery will be updated occasionally with new pictures I take around town so feel free to check them out.

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED  
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 536  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
730 PM CDT WED JUL 18 2007  

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A  
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF   

       NORTHERN ILLINOIS  
       NORTHERN INDIANA  
       SOUTHERN LOWER MICHIGAN  
       LAKE MICHIGAN  

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY MORNING FROM 730 PM  
UNTIL 300 AM CDT.  

HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER…THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70  
MPH…AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.  

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 60  
STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 50 MILES WEST  
SOUTHWEST OF MEIGS FIELD ILLINOIS TO 20 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF  
FORT WAYNE INDIANA.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE  
THE ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU6).  

REMEMBER…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE  
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH  
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR  
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS  
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY  
DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.  

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 529…WW 531…WW  
532…WW 533…WW 534…WW 535…  

DISCUSSION…TSTMS/POSSIBLE EMBEDDED SUPERCELLS EXPECTED TO  
CONTINUING DEVELOPING E/SE ALONG WARM ADVECTION WING ASSOCIATED WITH  
ERN IA MCS.  SUFFICIENT SHEAR AND LOW LEVEL MOISTURE ARE PRESENT FOR  
A BRIEF TORNADO OR TWO…BUT EXPECTED QUASI-LINEAR STORM MODE AND  
EVENTUAL ARRIVAL OF FORWARD-PROPAGATING/BOWING PART OF IA SYSTEM  
EXPECTED TO KEEP WIND/HAIL THE PRIMARY SVR THREATS.  

…SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED OVER PARTS OF THE MIDWEST THIS  
AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT…  

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER IN NORMAN OK IS FORECASTING THE  
DEVELOPMENT OF WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL OVER PARTS  
OF THE MIDWEST THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.  

THE AREAS MOST LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE THIS ACTIVITY INCLUDE  

       MUCH OF IOWA  
       NORTHERN ILLINOIS  
       NORTHEAST NEBRASKA  
       SOUTHEAST SOUTH DAKOTA  

SURROUNDING THE MODERATE RISK AREA…THERE IS A SLIGHT RISK OF  
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS FROM SOUTHEAST MONTANA…ACROSS THE MID  
MISSISSIPPI VALLEY…INTO PARTS OF OHIO AND KENTUCKY.  

A VERY MOIST AND EXTREMELY UNSTABLE AIR MASS IS FORECAST TO DEVELOP  
THIS AFTERNOON ALONG AND SOUTH OF A SURFACE BOUNDARY EXTENDING FROM  
PARTS OF SOUTH DAKOTA AND NEBRASKA…ACROSS IOWA AND INTO NORTHERN  
IL.  AN UPPER LEVEL IMPULSE WILL APPROACH THE AREA FROM THE WEST BY  
LATE AFTERNOON…LEADING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCATTERED  
THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE BOUNDARY.  FAVORABLE WIND FIELDS  
ALOFT…EXTREME INSTABILITY…AND APPROACHING UPPER SYSTEM WILL  
PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF ONE OR MORE LARGE CLUSTERS OF SEVERE  
THUNDERSTORMS.  THESE CLUSTERS WILL MOVE RAPIDLY EASTWARD ALONG THE  
BOUNDARY WITH A RISK OF WIDESPREAD DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL.  

RGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED  
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 506  
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK  
145 PM CDT TUE JUL 10 2007  

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A  
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF   

       NORTHERN ILLINOIS  
       SOUTHEAST WISCONSIN  
       LAKE MICHIGAN  

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 145 PM UNTIL  
900 PM CDT.  

HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER…THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70  
MPH…AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.  

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 75  
STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 25 MILES NORTHEAST OF  
OSHKOSH WISCONSIN TO 45 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF ROCKFORD  
ILLINOIS.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE  
ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU6).  

REMEMBER…A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE  
FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH  
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR  
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS  
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY  
DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.  

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION…CONTINUE…WW 504…WW 505…  

DISCUSSION…THUNDERSTORMS WILL INTENSIFY GRADUALLY THROUGH THE  
AFTERNOON ALONG A SURFACE COLD FRONT IN WI AND A SEPARATE  
PRE-FRONTAL TROUGH ACROSS NRN IL/EXTREME SE WI.  THOUGH MID LEVEL  
LAPSE RATES ARE NOT PARTICULARLY STEEP…BOUNDARY LAYER DEWPOINTS IN  
THE LOW 70S AND SURFACE TEMPERATURES WELL INTO THE 80S ARE  
SUPPORTING MLCAPE VALUES OF 1500-2000 J/KG IN THE WARM SECTOR.  THE  
STRONGER LOW-MID LEVEL FLOW AND ASSOCIATED WIND DAMAGE POTENTIAL  
SHOULD BE ACROSS THE WI PORTION OF THE WATCH AREA…WITH A SOMEWHAT  
LOWER THREAT TO THE SOUTH IN IL WHERE WIND FIELDS WEAKEN WITH  
INCREASING DISTANCE FROM THE PRIMARY MID LEVEL TROUGH OVER MN/NW WI.  

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
   SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 498
   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
   225 PM CDT MON JUL 9 2007

   THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
   SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 

          NORTHEAST ILLINOIS
          LAKE MICHIGAN

   EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 225 PM UNTIL 800
   PM CDT.

   HAIL TO 1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 70
   MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

   THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 40
   STATUTE MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 55 MILES NORTHEAST
   OF MEIGS FIELD ILLINOIS TO 30 MILES SOUTH OF ROCKFORD ILLINOIS.
   FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE ASSOCIATED WATCH
   OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU8).

   REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE
   FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
   AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
   THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
   AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY
   DO PRODUCE TORNADOES.

   OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 494…WW 495…WW
   496…WW 497…

   DISCUSSION…THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A COLD FRONT AND OUTFLOW BOUNDARY
   WILL DEVELOP SEWD FROM WI INTO NE IL THIS AFTERNOON.  THE STORMS
   WILL BE FED BY A VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS…WHICH WILL
   SUPPORT A THREAT FOR AT LEAST MARGINALLY SEVERE HAIL AND DAMAGING
   DOWNBURSTS…DESPITE RATHER WEAK VERTICAL SHEAR.

Currently in the 90s but supposed to reach almost 100 tomorrow; very humid as well.

Just thought I’d post this as it’s the 4th tomorrow: