07-07-08 Mason City, IA

Posted by Rich

Drove to Iowa, got as close as the north side of the tornado warned cell that went through Mason City. Cells lined out and started to drift to the SE almost immediatly. Saw lots of flooding. Heard reports of up to 4 inches of rain from one of the cells with lots of road closures just East of Mason City.

Wrote off IA after that and headed back into southern MN. Cu field dried up as I drove north. Kept driving north until I hit the cell moving through Anoka County. Nothing impressive as far as structure. A lot of scud rising into the base and a shelf hanging off the front, but that was about it.

Did get an inch of rain in about 15 minutes from it…. as measured at my house(Blaine), and the porta potties and all the garbage cans were blown around at the NSC. Not sure what the official wind speed measurement is to blow a line of porta potties over. Some brief street flooding.

So….. 350 miles to once again have a cell go through my backyard.