Toggle Navigation

A Not-So-Elevated Supercell from Eastern Iowa to the Chicago Area on 4 April 2023

Peter Speck discusses an intense supercell thunderstorm with largely elevated characteristics that formed early on the morning of 04 April 2023 in southeast Iowa, and thereafter took a 200+ mile long track that included parts of two major metropolitan areas over the next seven hours. This supercell alone produced significant severe weather along much of its path, including a swath of over 150 large hail reports ranging from one to nearly four inches in diameter, severe wind gusts reaching 90 MPH, and multiple short-lived tornadoes. For such a long-lived storm, the meteorological impetus for this development was subtle, with possibly gravity waves playing a role. Satellite analysis was one means that may have helped identification of these, and this will be explored.


Page Contact