5/12/2014 - Southeast Iowa Supercells

Monday featured a slight risk ahead of a strong cold front progressing through Iowa.  Ingredients that were maximized the previous day were now marginal for severe storm organization. Despite the low chances of tornadoes, we made a chase of it, targeting the area of southeast Iowa.  We intercepted a storm moving out of Missouri south of the town of Bloomfield, IA. We happened to time it right as it seemed to wrap up and strengthen as it passed to our west. Unfortunately, the strengthening process produced a surging RFD, which caused the storm to choke. Luckily, a new storm developed behind the initial storm and, as with the previous, seemed to intensify as it neared us (near Mt. Pleasant). We followed this storm to Wapello, IA, where it sent out a bomb of cold outflow.  Thereafter, we called it quits due to lack of bridge crossings along the Mississippi, heading back to Des Moines for the evening in "preparation" for a number of down days due to the cold, dry air across most of the U.S. Radar animation of the day is available here.