23 Years Ago: The Only F-5 Tornado to Occur in August: Plainfield, IL

On this date in 1990, an F-5 tornado struck the community of Plainfield, IL, causing extensive damage.  The tornado killed 29 people and injured over 300 more.  To this day it is still the only F-5 (now called EF-5) tornado known to occur anytime during the month of August in the United States.Steve L., the pilot of a Cessna 172, took the aerial photos above and below along the damage path in Plainfield a few days after the tornado took...

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Spectacular Photos of Haboob in Phoenix Yesterday Evening...

A dense, widespread haboob (fancy name for dust storm) took place in the Phoenix area yesterday evening.  Numerous (and many spectacular) photos of the phenomenon circulated throughout social media:Jerry Ferguson (via twitter)Rob Schumacher (via twitter)Brian Pivar (via twitter)Jeff Piotrowski (via twitter)If you look closely at the last 2 photos, you can also see a slight "curl" in the flow along the left side of the dust plume.  That...

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Tropics Looking to "Heat Up" - Right on Schedule...

After a relatively quiet start to the season (in the Atlantic), the tropics are starting to show signs of "waking up" as we head toward the traditionally busy month of September...A disturbance over the southwestern Gulf of Mexico has become well organized during the past 24 hours, and is likely to become a Tropical Depression or perhaps even a weak Tropical Storm before making landfall in Mexico tonight into early Monday.  I've circled the...

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Saharan Dust Keeping a Lid on the Tropical Atlantic So far...

Above is an animation from the NASA GEOS-5 model, showing the spread of dust from the Saharan Desert of Africa, Westward across the tropical Atlantic (model data via Dr. Ryan Maue of WeatherBell).The plume of dust is associated with a hot, dry layer of air that continues to spread West into the tropics, eroding the deep moist layer that is needed for significant tropical development.  It will be interesting to monitor this resource for...

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