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May 9 Illinois storm structure and funnel
I've lost more than $1 million to copyright infringement in the last 15 years, and it's finally brought an end to my professional storm chasing operation. This page is a detailed account of the biggest threat to my photography and video operation that I had to battle daily to just barely survive, and eventually could not overcome. It's a problem facing all of my colleagues as well. |
I had been watching this day as a possible backyard chase opportunity. Respectable upper support was situated atop of a moist, unstable boundary layer, with a slow-moving cold front providing the focus for convection. An initial round of storms fired early in the afternoon, which I ignored - partially due to having a full work project list, another due to the storms firing a little too early. I hoped a second round of storms would fire later in the evening along the boundary to the west, which they did. I never ventured more than 5 miles from home as two storms moved through and put on some interesting displays.
Sculpted updraft west of New Baden:
Funnel southeast of New Baden:
Rainbow and small hail south of New Baden:
Weakening storm and rainbow north of Trenton:
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