CHASE LOG

DATE: May 22, 2004�� TIME: 19:00 to 21:00�� STATE(S): Iowa

COUNTIES: Boone, Story, Polk

CHASE CREW: Loren Karr, Travis Stevenson

BASE CREW: Fenner Stevenson, Evie Stevenson����� CHASE # 4

��������� Day began with warm temps, highs in lower 80�s, and dew points in lower 70�s.� Storms developed over central Iowa, with the first warning being for Boone County, first a Severe Thunderstorm warning and then upgraded to a Tornado warning.�

��������� As we left Boone, the tornado sirens were going off, which was uncalled for as the tornadic portion of the storm was actually near Madrid in Southern Boone County.� Heading South on IA highway 17, marble size hail was noted about one mile South of Luther.� See location 1 on the map.� The hail region only lasted 1000 feet, but there was enough to make the shoulder of the road white.� As we continued south, we heard on the scanner that there was baseball size (2.5�) hail one mile North of Madrid.� See location 2 on the map.� When we arrived the hail had stopped falling but there was plenty on the ground and it was still close to baseball size.� At Madrid, we pulled into the Casey�s gas station to contact the base crew for help on avoiding the baseball size hail.�

��������� There was rotation reported near Sheldahl, so we needed to go east.� At the time we were in Madrid, it looked like IA highway 210 would be our best bet of getting to East while avoiding hail.� As we left Madrid and headed east, we could tell there was precipitation ahead.� There was a report on the scanner of baseball size hail about one mile West of Slater on IA 210.� We continued eastward, but slowed our pace so we wouldn�t catch up to the hail.� Near the Garst Seeds plant West of Slater we did catch up with the hail, but luckily it was just ending.� See location 3 on the map.� We held our position in the Garst Seeds driveway and watched for rotation.�

��������� At Slater, we headed south on Polk county road NW 44^th Street.� We traveled several roads in Northern Polk County watching the rapidly moving clouds.� While the clouds were ominous, we didn�t see anything resembling a tornado.� At one point we had to wait for a train in Elkhart.� Leave it to the Union Pacific to be running trains during a tornado warning.

As the daylight started to fade away, we decided to head back towards Boone.� We traveled North on I-35 from county road E22 and then left the interstate at IA 210.� Just west of the interchange there was a large tree down in the front yard of a residence.� See location 4 on the map.� We continued west on IA 210 to Madrid, and then headed north on IA 17.� About one mile south of Luther we came across high water.� While it wasn�t over the road at this time, it was close and it did go over the road later in the evening.� See location 5 on the map.

��������� While this chase didn�t present us with a tornado, there was plenty of large hail and some very interesting clouds.� It was a difficult storm to chase it kept evolving above us.� One minute it would look like we were in a safe area, and then the next minute we were moving to get away from hail and heavy rain.

Map of Chase Route.