Illinois_Weather_

  • Home
  • Illinois_Weather_

Illinois_Weather_ page run by Instagram account .
(1)

Supercell thunderstorm yesterday afternoon near Steward, IL. An active pattern has come to a close as a fall-like cold f...
06/08/2024

Supercell thunderstorm yesterday afternoon near Steward, IL. An active pattern has come to a close as a fall-like cold front has swept through the area, bringing cooler temperatures and windy, cloudy conditions. Storm chances will return in about a week or so with heat and humidity. Enjoy the fall-like conditions! shon on

The lightning show that accompanied Monday’s derecho was fantastic! Here is a textbook example of “spider lightning” or ...
18/07/2024

The lightning show that accompanied Monday’s derecho was fantastic! Here is a textbook example of “spider lightning” or an “Anvil crawler”. These examples of lightning are typically seen on the backside (or frontside, depending on which direction the anvil is being sheared) of powerful linear systems like derechos or MCSs, and are the most dramatic types of lightning. A continuous bolt can stretch miles upon miles in length, with the longest documented anvil crawler clocking in at a ridiculous 477 miles off the Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Sometimes these bolts can initiate upward moving bolts off the top of tall man-made structures. There is a wind farm to my south that frequently produces these, and I have been trying for years to capture a picture of one there with no such luck. Enjoy the break from storms! Beautiful summertime weather will stretch for the next week or so before storm chances pop back up. shot on

Last night’s storm system will almost certainly meet the criteria for a derecho once it’s all said and done. It was an a...
16/07/2024

Last night’s storm system will almost certainly meet the criteria for a derecho once it’s all said and done. It was an absolute beast of a storm. The first picture is the view I had as it tracked into Dekalb county. Menacing mothership structure was apparent as I watched a Meso vortex almost drop a tornado in the field right in front of me. That same Meso vortex would go on to cause damage near Cortland, and areas further east.

The lightning was also fantastic on the backside after it passed through. I have a bunch of good lightning pictures!

This storm was so strong that it caused some weather models to recognize it as a tropical depression, which caused them to lay out tropical depression probabilities shown on the 4th slide. Wild stuff.

NWS Chicago has highlighted at least 25 separate tracks that they will survey for tornado damage from last night, including one that went directly through the loop, two through Sugar Grove, and three through the Joliet area. Additional tornadoes occurred outside of NWS Chicagos area, with several occurring in NWS Quad Cities area, and one or two in BWS Lincoln’s. When it’s all tallied up, 25+ tornadoes may be confirmed from this one derecho alone. Extremely impressive!

The final picture shows the mass air traffic diversion away from the derecho. Pretty cool to see. If you have any damage pictures, feel free to send them my way and I’ll relay them to the NWS. Hopefully everyone stayed safe!

⚠️URGENT UPDATE⚠️ A MODERATE risk has been issued for Northern IL in anticipation of a derecho this evening. 45% hatched...
15/07/2024

⚠️URGENT UPDATE⚠️
A MODERATE risk has been issued for Northern IL in anticipation of a derecho this evening.
45% hatched wind probabilities have been issued as well as 10% tornado probabilities.

The first severe watch has also been issued for Western portions of Northern IL. There is potential for pre-frontal supercells with tornado potential west of I-39. These areas of rotation would serve as foci for tornadoes moving into the Chicago region. Timing for these storms is included at the end. STAY SAFE TODAY!

SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER TODAY: This afternoon into evening, a potential derecho is expected sweep through southern WI...
15/07/2024

SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER TODAY:

This afternoon into evening, a potential derecho is expected sweep through southern WI/Northern IL including Chicagoland. This storm system will be capable of all hazards, with 75+ MPH wind and tornadoes being the main threat. Extremely heavy rain will also accompany this potential derecho, meaning even more flooding is in the cards for much of Northern IL.

This storm may be a tornado producing machine due to very favorable shear. These tornadoes will be spinup tornadoes along the leading edge of the storm. Areas of rotation will not only have a tornado threat, but will also have significant wind gusts.

This will be the 5th bow echo to move through Northern Illinois in the past 48 hours, and will by far be the strongest, topping last nights severe bow echo.

The SPC has issued an enhanced risk (level 3/5) for this potential derecho, however there should be a moderate risk (level 4/5) by now. The conservative forecast is rather misleading.

This is just about AS DANGEROUS AS IT GETS severe wind wise. Millions may be without power by the end of tonight. If you live next to large trees, consider sleeping in the basement tonight. Stay weather aware today and STAY SAFE! I will be providing updates on the storms today, as well as chasing with a friend.

One year ago today, twin tornadoes tore across Elgin, IL as a part of a localized tornado outbreak across the greater Ch...
12/07/2024

One year ago today, twin tornadoes tore across Elgin, IL as a part of a localized tornado outbreak across the greater Chicago region. I caught these twins as they tracked south of 20 in south Elgin, narrowly avoiding higher populated subdivisions and busy roads. There was also a thick rainbow visible next to them. It was a surreal experience seeing tornadoes track through areas just down the road from my hometown. Chicago got very lucky as these tornadoes were relatively low-impact.

Overnight storms brought very frequent lightning last night, so I stayed up and shot it on my  , and man this camera con...
25/06/2024

Overnight storms brought very frequent lightning last night, so I stayed up and shot it on my , and man this camera continues to impress me. Check out the lightning bugs in the first pic! Both the first and the third pictures I shot handheld (without a tripod). You can tell on the third picture but the lightning is good enough to make up for the blurry foreground. More storms on the way this afternoon! Landspout tornado potential exists along I-88 from Chicago west towards Dixon. More updates to come on my story!

SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER TODAY: The SPC has issued a level 4/5 risk for severe weather across Northwestern IL and most...
21/05/2024

SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER TODAY:

The SPC has issued a level 4/5 risk for severe weather across Northwestern IL and most of Iowa this afternoon. Currently there is a line of storms moving east across Iowa which may make it to Illinois around 12-2 pm. It may also die, leaving opportunity for additional storm development later on. I shared a few models where this scenario is realized, and a supercell or two forms and moves into Western IL.

A second line of storms appears possible later on for IL. This line of storms will have significant severe wind potential (75MPH+) and appears slightly more certain as the first round of storms. This second line may end up being a derecho by the time it’s said and done. It will also be capable of tornadoes along the leading edge. This is a difficult forecast due to the nature of the setup, and thus predictability is low. The environment however is capable of significant severe weather in the form of tornadoes (possibly strong), significant wind as mentioned, and large hail. Be weather aware today! Updates will be posted to my story. I will be chasing today as well. Be safe!

The last month or so photography-wise and natural event-wise has been AMAZING. Since the Eclipse in early April, I’ve wi...
17/05/2024

The last month or so photography-wise and natural event-wise has been AMAZING. Since the Eclipse in early April, I’ve witnessed 10 tornadoes, 2 straight nights of auroras and an incredible sunset thunderstorm with lightning and a rainbow to boot.

Hoping for this trend of amazing stuff in the sky continues for a while! I have been putting this to use and I can’t be happier with how it’s performed. In the last 5 months I’ve taken the best pictures of my career, and this year is only getting started!

(Hopefully nobody steals my pictures this time)
shot on

Someone was watching last night! A face appeared in the first corona of the night last night right at dawn in Southweste...
11/05/2024

Someone was watching last night! A face appeared in the first corona of the night last night right at dawn in Southwestern WI. This was the first of many insane coronas right overhead. Yesterday was everything I’d hoped an overhead Aurora display would be, and more. We were out until about 2:15 am, shooting the Aurora since 8:45pm that night. I snapped about 4600 pictures last night, with the majority of them being in a Timelapse sequence. I captured the most incredible Timelapse of my career so far last night, along with 3-4 other Timelapse’s of the same caliber. Many pictures and timelapses on the way in the coming days! shot on

The double rainbow yesterday at sunset was extremely vibrant! Since it was at sunset, it had a blood orange tint to it a...
08/05/2024

The double rainbow yesterday at sunset was extremely vibrant! Since it was at sunset, it had a blood orange tint to it as well. With the intermittent lightning forming through the sky, it was an amazing experience. I posted a picture earlier that features this same rainbow, the sunset colors, and lighting underneath the rainbow. You should check it out if you haven’t already! shot on

Lightning forks through a rainbow at sunset today in Northern IL ⚡️A third round of storms initiated near Davenport this...
08/05/2024

Lightning forks through a rainbow at sunset today in Northern IL ⚡️

A third round of storms initiated near Davenport this evening and made their way to the Chicago area. At sunset, I took a stroll to the south by Waterman, IL and caught the storms at sunset. Because of the immense amount of dry air in place, the updrafts were exposed on the backside, and all the lightning was clear for viewing. Since there were no storms or clouds behind the storms, a vibrant, blood orange rainbow was visible as well. Today was full of treats in the sky! shot on

More severe weather on tap: Before the last week of April, I posted a map depicting the most likely areas for severe wea...
03/05/2024

More severe weather on tap:

Before the last week of April, I posted a map depicting the most likely areas for severe weather for the April 25th-May1st timeframe. It is important to go back and verify your forecasts as a meteorologist, so I put the approximate locations of all tornado reports within that timeframe on the map I made (second slide). My forecast verified quite well! This April ended up being the second most active April for tornadoes on record right behind 2011 (which is on a whole different level). There were several tornado outbreaks that occurred well within the red area highlighted. Another active stretch of severe weather is coming up, so I decided to make a forecast for that timeframe as well.

The May 4th-May 8th timeframe will feature a large trough moving in from the west with an extremely moist airmass ahead of it. The combination of high shear + high instability will likely lead to several severe weather outbreaks across the central US, with the big day being Monday in the central plains where a tornado outbreak appears possible. That system will move east into the Midwest on Tuesday, and another round of severe weather will occur Wednesday. These two days will have ample shear and high instability, leading to severe weather outbreak potential in the areas shaded on the map.

I chose to only plot tornadoes on the verification map due to that being the most prevalent threat, but when I verify this forecast, I will likely plot all severe hazards since tornadoes most likely won’t be the main threat from most days outside of Monday. Locally, significant severe weather may be on tap for Tuesday and Wednesday. Both days may turn out to be big time days for Illinois. More details coming soon!

Thank you to all my new followers after my tornado reel blew up! I hope you enjoy my weather forecasts!

Here are a couple of massive wedge tornadoes I snagged in Iowa on Friday. The first and second pictures are the wedge ne...
02/05/2024

Here are a couple of massive wedge tornadoes I snagged in Iowa on Friday. The first and second pictures are the wedge near Harlan, IA. The third picture is a second wedge near Manilla, IA. Didn’t get the best pictures of them, but I’m still happy with them. Still have some more things I can post from Fridays chase. Planning on getting around to it soon! Finals are pretty much here for school though and my time will become a bit more occupied. Enjoy! captured on

UNREAL chase yesterday in Nebraska/Iowa! Caught a visibly violent tornado Northeast of Lincoln Nebraska, then 3 more tor...
27/04/2024

UNREAL chase yesterday in Nebraska/Iowa! Caught a visibly violent tornado Northeast of Lincoln Nebraska, then 3 more tornadoes from that cell alone.

After that we ditched that supercell and caught 3-4 more tornadoes from 2 different cells. I got unbelievable tornado footage from the first 4 tornadoes. Once I get home early tomorrow morning I will process the footage and get it ready to post. In the meantime, another storm chase today! Hoping for more beautiful storms today in Northern MO. Stay tuned! Caught with a .

SEVERE WEATHER ON TAP:An active pattern will return to the central US around the April 25th (give or take a couple days)...
20/04/2024

SEVERE WEATHER ON TAP:

An active pattern will return to the central US around the April 25th (give or take a couple days) timeframe. The signal on medium and long range models is consistent for a classic synoptic setup for multiple severe weather setups across the plains, Midwest and into the mid Atlantic as the systems move off to the east. Moisture will be plentiful ahead of any trough that ejects from the western US into the central US due to some ridging that is forecast to set up ahead of these troughs. There is potential here for one or two big time severe weather outbreaks- maybe the biggest we’ve seen so far this year. 2024 thus far has been relatively quiet for the US as a whole, but not so much for the Midwest. Illinois is already at ~38 tornado reports for the year, sitting just behind Ohio with ~43. These two states lead the nation in tornado count thus far, and it’s not looking like that will change anytime soon. This year is just getting started, and the prospects of more severe weather is on the horizon. This activity at the moment is forecast to continue into mid-May. A separate long range forecast will come out for that time frame in the near future. Buckle up!

Warmer weather will return next week momentarily before another brief chilly couple of days, but then this pattern takes hold and we will begin to cook. Late spring is upon us!

Occluding mesocyclone with a ghostly EF-2 tornado underneath as it passes just north of New London, IA on Tuesday. Rain ...
18/04/2024

Occluding mesocyclone with a ghostly EF-2 tornado underneath as it passes just north of New London, IA on Tuesday. Rain curtains were wrapping around this tornado as it weakened, making it hard to see for anyone in front of it. In those situations, often times being behind the mesocyclone leads to a clearer view. This was one of those cases!

TORNADO captured near Salem, Iowa earlier today! We chased this tornado perfectly, and got intense close range footage o...
17/04/2024

TORNADO captured near Salem, Iowa earlier today! We chased this tornado perfectly, and got intense close range footage of this tornado as it came in. Video will be posted tomorrow more than likely. After waiting for hours, this supercell finally got its act together right before getting to the Mississippi River Valley, and we were able to intercept accordingly. Cool video coming later!

SEVERE WEATHER TODAY (Tuesday, 4/16)An enhanced risk of severe weather is in place today for most of Iowa into Northwest...
16/04/2024

SEVERE WEATHER TODAY (Tuesday, 4/16)

An enhanced risk of severe weather is in place today for most of Iowa into Northwestern IL. A 10% tornado risk has been issued, meaning a 10% chance of a tornado exists within 25 miles of any point within the yellow zone on the map. The black hatched area means that any tornado has the potential to be strong (EF-2 or greater). There will be 2 rounds of storms, the first one forming around 1pm and tracking eastward into Northwestern IL around 5-6pm. There, storms may break up into more isolated storms, which would increase tornado potential, but cut down on wind potential. The second round of storms will fire around 2-3pm and will track into Illinois around 7-8pm. This will likely pose more of a hail and wind threat, but will still be capable of tornadoes. I will be storm chasing today! Everyone stay safe!

A supercell thunderstorm churns over the southern Illinois farmland on March 14th, 2024. This supercell would go on to p...
13/04/2024

A supercell thunderstorm churns over the southern Illinois farmland on March 14th, 2024. This supercell would go on to produce a likely tornado that was never confirmed by the National Weather Service. Or even investigated, or even acknowledged as a matter of fact. Many possible tornadoes touch down each year that never get confirmed due to various circumstances. The tornado from this storm was likely one of them.

Severe weather looks to make a brief return on Tuesday, April 16th as a large system moves in from the plains. I will continue providing updates as the day draws near. I plan on posting more often so that my updates aren’t mostly confined to my stories. I will likely be chasing on Tuesday! Have a beautiful, safe weekend everyone!

Totality was a mind blowing experience. Even with all the storms and tornadoes I’ve chased, this tops them all for the c...
10/04/2024

Totality was a mind blowing experience. Even with all the storms and tornadoes I’ve chased, this tops them all for the coolest thing I’ve seen in the sky. I shot the zoomed in pictures with an older DSLR+zoom lens, so the quality isn’t optimal compared to my Sony, but that’s ok. I still got some ultra-wide pictures with the Sony during the eclipse. If you haven’t seen totality, I urge you to make an effort to experience it next opportunity you have. It’s more than just “seeing the moon’s shadow”. It’s an experience from start to finish. Observing the temperature change, the cumulus clouds die, the animals change behavior, the silence as totality begins… it’s hard to describe how incredible it was. I’m an eclipse chaser for life now (add it to the list of natural phenomena I chase). What a cool event. Now… back to your regularly scheduled weather.

Eclipse 2024: Totality was a mind blowing experience. I went down to Albion, IL for totality, and WOW was it more than w...
08/04/2024

Eclipse 2024:

Totality was a mind blowing experience. I went down to Albion, IL for totality, and WOW was it more than worth it. The feeling is indescribable watching darkness suddenly descend upon you, and seeing a 360° sunset evolve in every direction. Incredible stuff!

I had a Timelapse running alongside an older DSLR with a zoom lens getting zoomed in pictures. This picture came off the with a 14mm ultra wide. More pictures to come soon! Happy eclipse day!

On this day, 1 year ago: An enormous supercell tore across Northwestern IL from Macomb to Peoria. During its lifespan it...
04/04/2024

On this day, 1 year ago: An enormous supercell tore across Northwestern IL from Macomb to Peoria. During its lifespan it would drop 5 tornadoes, one of them being the Lewiston EF-3. It would also sling significant hail over 2” in size around its monstrous mesocyclone. This supercell was straight out of the Great Plains, and even looked the part due to significant dry air in the mid levels. Unfortunately, the tornadoes were mostly rain wrapped, and I did not get a good view of any of them. The people who did however, mostly ended up with hail damage, or totaled cars due to getting hit by the tornado itself. This chase was a great learning experience, and the structure was great too. Ever since this day, my chasing has been better- both positioning for the chase, and positioning around the supercell. I also couldn’t believe I never shared this picture here.

ECLIPSE CLOUD COVER: What started out as a bleak, cloud filled forecast has trended towards a better solution for the Mi...
03/04/2024

ECLIPSE CLOUD COVER: What started out as a bleak, cloud filled forecast has trended towards a better solution for the Midwest. Models are beginning to converge on a solution that puts a clearing in the clouds over IL/IN/MO- right through the path of totality! We still have some time, but this is a newer trend coming about because of a weakening trend in a low pressure system that will be in the area on the day of the eclipse. Hoping this trend continues! (It very well could still trend the other way, but this is promising)

Severe weather likely today. Severe hail will be the main threats in Southern IL. There appeared to be higher tornado po...
01/04/2024

Severe weather likely today. Severe hail will be the main threats in Southern IL. There appeared to be higher tornado potential earlier on in the forecast, but it has since waned.

Eclipse day cloud forecast: You’re going to see a lot of posts in the coming days about how the cloud cover on April 8th...
28/03/2024

Eclipse day cloud forecast:

You’re going to see a lot of posts in the coming days about how the cloud cover on April 8th (day of the total eclipse) is going to shape up. The truth is, we have no idea yet because cloud cover is one of the major weak points of our forecast models, and they generally have trouble forecasting clouds less than 12 hours out, with NO SHOT over 270 hours out. Anyone posting images like the one shown here are fishing for clicks and attention. The bottom line is that we won’t even have an idea for cloud cover until 3-4 days out, and even the morning before the eclipse we won’t know for certain on many areas in the path. I’ll provide legitimate updates as we near the day of the eclipse, but for now we just have to be patient.

Heavy snow band incoming! Rapid accumulation of heavy, wet snow up to 6” possible in the counties outlined in pink (wint...
22/03/2024

Heavy snow band incoming! Rapid accumulation of heavy, wet snow up to 6” possible in the counties outlined in pink (winter storm warning). Thunder snow also possible!

Address


Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Illinois_Weather_ posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Illinois_Weather_:

Videos

Shortcuts

  • Address
  • Alerts
  • Contact The Business
  • Videos
  • Claim ownership or report listing
  • Want your business to be the top-listed Media Company?

Share