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After about overheating in Des Moines(radiator fins all smashed down and it was extremely hot out) I find this supercell sw of Waterloo near Belle Plaine. I was driving north to it when a tornado warning was issued for it. Evidently it produced a tornad near Tama a couple minutes before I could see its base. The tornado was likely produced just before the warning was issued, or right when it was issued. I'm pretty sure I was driving east on highway 6 to its south when this happend and just could not see it. It pays to be on storms right as they go up as things like this happen. The storm hadn't even had a chance to be severe warned before producing that tornado. But anyway this shot is just north of Belle Plaine looking northwest. The rfd and rest of the base curled on around to the left side of the image.
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Same spot as above, looking north up the highway. It had a nice e-w inflow band now. There were several cgs happening in the area now, including some back in the rfd--which I really haven't seen that often. Any rotation in the lowered area was quite weak and short-lived.
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A bit of a verticle perspective. The lowered area just seemed to have that too cold look to it. The rfd was becoming quite round with it now however.
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I sat in this spot hoping for some large hail but the core slipped just east of me. As the storm moved se a lowering tried organizing a bit.
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Heading se somewhere near Koszta IA I hit road construction....arrrrgghh! I was stopped right here for a loooong time, to put it mildly. I was getting more and more upset as the minutes passed and the pilot car was still nowhere in sight. So note how far north the storm is in this shot. I'm parked on the highway waiting behind another car waiting for our turn.
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I'm still waiting.
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Hey guess what? I'm still waiting. The storm is now almost to the freaking highway. Note the stop sign turner guy to the far right. I bet he wasn't all that happy they were still working either.
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So after at least 15 minutes(that is a long time to wait for a pilot car) we get our turn. But guess what? Now that its raining they decide to end their day and we get to drive behind this piece of equipment doing 10 mph. I was the most upset I've ever been while trying to stay with a storm. Finally at Marengo we get to the end of this thing. The core of the storm was just coming into town from the north. I was just glad to be free to drive again.....
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Then I got to the east side of town and see a cop pulling up to block off the highway!!!!!! I was out of that construction crap for 1 full minute and already hitting something else. God I love this hobby. To add to this I could have at least went south on a highway if this was a 1/4 mile futher east. I could see the highway that went south right up there. Then I see another cop pulling up on this side of that highway, blocking off the westbound lane. So I began wondering about a way through this town to get over there. I have no idea what was on the highway as I could see it and it looked clear. A big bulldozer was pushing something to the north but I couldn't see what it was. Perhaps something was spilled here, I'm not sure. I don't think it was wind damage....yet.
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So I drive north into town and find a way around to the other side of the road block. I then head se down highway 6. Not far out of Marengo I get hit by the core from the north and get into very intense winds. I imagine they were occasionally gusting to around 80 mph. Each area with trees I'd go by I'd wind up being smacked with small branches. Some business in Marengo lost its roof during this. Many large trees in the area were blown down as well. On radar the storm took a hard right and got a hook right at this point. I go a few miles and turn south. I didn't care for the crosswinds I was in with trees along the highway. I figured it'd be a bit safer to go south with the winds.
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I get to I-80 at exit 220 and all the lights are out, including the traffic lights. I didn't see any cops around though. So I head east, trying to get ahead of the storm. I could see it to my ne about ready to nail I-80 and slide just west of Iowa City. It was quite green as it was moving over I-80. I again wind up in the core and am not able to get infront of it. I couldn't believe some of these semis decided to keep moving in those winds. At one point I'm driving slower in the right land and a semi passes me on the left/north side. I didn't care for the thought of one of them blowing over on me so I got off at the next exit. It was now weakening so I drive back west on a highway then back north to I-80 where I was earlier. Still the lights were out and there wasn't a cop in sight. I head down I-80 for home and see why the cops weren't there. Some RV was flipped over in the median.
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