Storms in North-Central States: Aerosols from Power Plants & Influenced by NEXRAD Frequency

Update: We have recent video footage here, depicting the sky of Upper Michigan that was also closely linked to this storm system. The resident who witnessed this, Jason Asselin, describes it as:

``All of a sudden it got very yellow outside, it felt strange and mysterious. Then it slowly looked very orange, it was the craziest thing I have ever witnessed over my head.``

Skies in Upper Michigan on the evening of July 22

A storm system stretching from Nebraska, to Iowa and Wisconsin has been analysed, and it appears that this storm is being largely shaped by NEXRAD stations working in conjunction with each other. The cloud plumes appear to be originating from power plants along the Nebraska and Iowa border. Please see our playlist,  which clearly depicts the KOAX and KDMX NEXRAD stations involved in generating tapered linear storm systems.

Fig 1: Top image is a satellite portrayal of this storm system with its linear arm stretching into the Northern States and Canada. The bottom image is a satellite showing the current water vapour during this time. Watch the video here.

Fig 2: Moisture being bridged from KOAX to KDMX NEXRAD stations on July 23 at 01:15 UTC. This is shown in more detail using the radar stations (Fig 5) below.

Fig 3: The left image is KOAX Nexrad Station (radar) - Omaha, NE  - July 23, 01.14 UTC. 

The right image is KDMX Nexrad Station (radar) - Des Moines, IA - July 23, 01.15 UTC. 

This is also consistent with the satellite image in Fig 2 above. 

Click the photo above to enlarge. The Walter Scott Jr Energy Coal Plant runs at a maximum capacity of 1635 megawatts (MW), Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power at 478 MW, and North Omaha Coal Plant at 626 MW. Learn more here, and see relevant research paper. 

Fig 4: Radar image showing moisture content of the storm system that we are interested in. Take note of how this storm system is tapered towards active NEXRAD stations, and is connected through numerous radar stations. The images that follow below will portray this in more detail. The stations from left to right are KUEX, KOAX, KDMX, KARX (top), KDVN (bottom), and KMKX. Watch the video here. 

Fig 5: NEXRAD stations in the U.S. The red dots represent those that we are interested in analysing. Use this figure to correlate with the radar images that follow.

Fig 6: Grand Island/Hastings, NE (KUEX) NEXRAD Station. This is consistent with Fig 4.

Fig 7: Omaha, NE (KOAX) NEXRAD Station. This is consistent with Fig 4.

Fig 8: Des Moines, IA (KDMX) NEXRAD Station. This is consistent with Fig 4.

Fig 9: Davenport, IA (KDVN) NEXRAD Station. This is consistent with Fig 4.

Fig 10 La Crosse, WI (KARX). This is consistent with Fig 4.

Fig 11: Milwaukee, WI (KMKX) NEXRAD Station. This is consistent with Fig 4.

More investigation is needed with these radar anomalies and their apparent influence on storm systems and moisture-driven forces. Provided below is a list of useful tools for capturing these type of events. It is important to become familiar with these software tools. We recommend adding them to your bookmarks:

Radar

United States

National Radar Loop for U.S.

6 Km Radar Mosaic for Continental U.S.

NEXRAD Radar Stations 

(click NEXRAD Sites on the left, choose desired station, and then desired frames on the left)

Canada

Current National Radar

Historical Radar

More Canadian Radar

Satellite

Satellite Animation for U.S.

Satellite Images for Canada / U.S.

Intellicast Satellite Imagery for N.America

24-Hour Water Vapour Satellite Imagery

Other

Canada Wind Map

Wind Animation for U.S.

Active Weather Cams

Active Flood Warnings for U.S.

Reported Emergency & Disasters