Some (bad) shots of the Wisconsin storm I drove through last night

[opus]

This is a post chronicalling a storm; not to show off some great photographs...

I live in Wisconsin. But I was in Chicago overnight (after the Chicago Pizza gathering), and of course in Chicago they don't report on Wisconsin weather unless it's immediately threatening them. I knew SE Wisconsin was under a Tornado Watch much of the day because of my cellphone alert, but other than that I was clueless about what was happening up there.

At around 7pm I finally finished my shopping and was about to head home, when I got a phone call from my husband telling me there was a tornado warning in Fond du Lac county, and that the storm was heading right for the town where my son is at wakeboard camp this week. So I immediately called him (no answer), then looked at my radar on my cellphone and sent a text message that the storm was heading for him and he should take cover. I did notice a little round red cell in southern Wisconsin that over time lapse seemed to elongate and then get round again, but I figured that it would be out over the lake long before I ever got to the state line and had to worry about it. I also noticed that it was moving southeast while the rest of the storms in Wisconsin were moving northeast.

So I started to head home, when I noticed a huge thunderhead building off to my W/NW. As I drove I watched it build and then dissipate, but it was fascinating anyway because of the sun behind it.


Then, once I got on the tollway, the sun started playing with the edges of a cloud more to the north that I hadn't noticed before because of the haze and smog. As the sun sank lower, it became more evident that I was looking at an anvil. But still, I was unaware of the entire picture and I was more interested in getting the colors of the sunset on the cloud. Darnit, because this picture would have been SO MUCH BETTER if I had swung it more to the north and left that mostly dissipated cloud out of the picture altogether.


Finally, I became aware of the big picture, and managed to snap this of (mostly) the entire cloud that I was heading right into.


And still, I had no idea of the history of this storm or what was underneath it. I crossed the state line, switched to a Milwaukee radio station, and drove under the eastern edge of the cloud and was starting to pay attention to the awesome lightning when the radio announced a tornado warning for the county immediately west of me (although, unbeknownst to me at the time, the rotation was actually northwest of me, moving southeast). But I could tell that the worst of the storm was to my northwest because of the shape of the cloud. But by that time I also figured out it was a very slow-moving storm and that I'd be out of its path before any danger came my way.

So I watched the lightning play tag across the sky, in short, horizontal strokes that streaked west to east above my head, and pondered why tornado storms always had such unique, short-stroke lightning (in my experience at least). Then my son called so I knew he was safe. (He told me he saw two funnel clouds. I'll see if he really did once he shows me his video.)

I tried to get more pictures of the lighting but it was getting too dark for my camera to capture anything. So I drove on, and by the time I reached Milwaukee county, a tornado warning was being issued for the county I had just left. And I continued on home.

I only discovered at home that the very storm I just drove under was the same one that had dropped the tornadoes that crossed the state all day doing so much damage.

Here's a couple more from my cellphone (bad quality but interesting nonetheless):






And then there's this one, which is really bad but cool to me, because this is what it looked like while I was under the cloud. Well OK, I'm driving out the north end by this time. Underneath it was completely dark. Notice how blue the sky is (once you get past the light trails from the passing cars and the reflection from my dashboard) ...




Oh, I got through the storm safely and all. But then today I was rear-ended.

[mjs1973]

Kelly, it's good to hear you and the family are safe. I was wondering about you and Adina when the storms were heading towards your neck of the woods. I was sitting here yesterday afternoon when Amy came home and said that the tornado siren was going off. I didn't even notice it with the AC on and all the widows and doors closed. She said we should go to the basement, but my first thought was to grab my camera, and go for a ride. Everything was already past us by this time tho. There was some damage from straight line winds in the county south of us, and some tornado damage to the north, but nothing to close to us. I have a couple cousins living in Stoughton, but I haven't heard anything about their situation. I'm hoping for the best for them.

I did manage to take the camera out later last night to shoot some of the clouds, but I used film, so I don't know what I got yet.

Is that your speedometer in that last pic? It looks like your going about 100!!

[opus]

Everything's backwards in that pic (on the dashboard), but, uh ... let's just say I was really excited about the storm.

(I think I might have been hitting 80 in spots ... shhhhh! I didn't just say that! ... but I guess I was anxious to get out of harm's way.)

And in case anyone is wondering, I just did what the camera is made to do: I pointed and shot. Didn't even look at what I was doing, I kept my eyes on the road (and the lightning). Just picked up the camera and held it over my shoulder and hoped to get *something*. I figured I'd go through them at home and be surprised if anything turned out.

[ken1953]

Glad to hear all my neighbors are ok...I was at the hospital watching the clouds, and holding my grandson, but nothing ever developed down here. Nice pics Kelly.
Ken

[another view]

I was wondering about you guys, thanks for posting this. Last night, I was doing some Photoshop stuff and not paying attention to what was happening out the window. I went outside just after the sun had set and saw amazing clouds and a rising moon, but there was no time to get anywhere to take a shot.

Then this morning I heard about Stoughton WI on the national news, which was a big surprise. I talked to someone I know who lives there and one of the many tornados was less than a mile from his house. His place is fine, but a friend lost his six month old house. Glad to hear everybody's safe!

Kelly, I guess you really are a weather weenie! ;) That's cool - amazing stuff that happens sometimes and it's good to know what you're seeing, and whether (pun!) or not it's going to be dangerous. I need to learn more...

[adina]

missed us completely. A little bit of rain, but other than that, it went to the north and south of us. I did stay up and watch the weather warnings though.