On the final day of our trip, the pressure was on to chase a storm. I woke up early to update Morning News viewers on what happened the day before then went back to the hotel to see what the day’s plan was.
The briefing brought up an interesting discussion. The team was given two options:
- Have a rest day and reposition for storms in Kansas on Thursday, or
- Chase storms in northern Iowa/Minnesota and start making our way back to Manitoba.
While the team debated, the radar indicated severe weather about an hour from where we were, so we decided to chase while the team thought about what they wanted to do with the rest of the week.
We drove about an hour when we were informed the cell we were chasing petered out. Another cap burst. But we were assured there were a number of cells still worth chasing.
We stopped and waited for a bit at a rest stop. The humidity was palpable; something was going to happen.
The skies darkened and we decided it was go time. I took over the wheel so my camera guy could get the shots we needed.
The drive took us down gravel roads and through small towns. The clouds grew more and more ominous. I was shown examples of towering and up draft, both things that contribute to tornadic-type weather. We pulled over to snap some photos and it was still so hot. Then in a matter of seconds, it cooled right down, to the point I thought I needed a jacket.
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There was a severe weather warning in place for the area, including risk of a tornado. That didn’t happen though there was rotation in the clouds. The result was a massive downpour.
As quickly as it came, it cleared. I started getting ready for the evening newscast. At this point, part of the team departed for Minneapolis; they would start the trip to Manitoba. The other part decided they would spend the night in Omaha and potentially carry on to Kansas the next day to chase one more day.
As we make the trek back hom,e I can’t believe I got to take a trip like this. I feel very fortunate to have learned a small portion about active weather from some real pros.
Though we didn’t see a tornado, the whole storm chasing culture is interesting to observe. There’s lots of waiting and driving but I understand how the chase can be addictive.
It was a pleasure working and travelling with the team from the University of Manitoba. A special thanks to them!
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