2009 hasn't exactly been a stellar year for storm chasers so far. The last half of May has been a real sleeper in the severe thunderstorm department. Chasing storms by air has also proven to be uneventful. If my living depended on it, I'd be looking for work elsewhere. Well, actually it does. Is anyone hiring?
Memorial Day in the St. Louis metro area presented the first flyable sigmet from a photographers point of view. Previous thunderstorm activity was accompanied by extreme haze or strong surface winds, both of which prevented safe flight and/or good photography. Needless to say, I got my fix on May 25, 2009.
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Departing St. Louis Regional with the intention of photographing the tornado-warned cell east of the airport.
Level at 8,500 feet, it became obvious this cell meant business.
Nine inches of rain fell over Edwardsville, IL from this slow mover.
Okay, so it's not a landing in the Hudson. I certainly didn't expect to come back to this! I shouldn't be surprised though as this was the product of the same low that dumped two feet of rain on parts of Florida last week.
Stop back occasionaly. With any luck there will be more aerial chase reports to add this season.
Aerial Storm Chasing by Wayne Meinhard
Aerial Storm Chasing 5-30-09 by Wayne Meinhard
The rumble of pre-dawn thunder signaled the beginning of what was to be a significant aerial photographic event in the St. Louis metro area. Sleeping in on a Saturday morning is what normal people do. But chasing storms with airplanes disqualifies me from anything considered normal behavior. The REO song "Time For Me To Fly" resonates in my head as I start the coffee pot and turn on the desk top.
A very weak shortwave in the northwest flow was responsible for elevated convection along a frontal boundary this morning. Certainly not worthy of a ground chase but the potential for good aerial stills and video was present.
Aerial Storm Chasing 6-10-09
We are currenty filming in Kansas and Oklahoma. Check back this weekend for our aerial chase report!
