News Highlights

Student meteorologists watched storm from beginning to end

Three MSU meteorology students used high-tech forecasting tools and excellent judgment to predict where the June 29 tornado would touch down.

2006-04-09
By Shane Frederick, Free Press Staff Writer [published in The Free Press, Mankato, MN, 7/1/2005]

Joshua Jans, Scot Winter and James McGrath have chased tornadoes in Texas and Nebraska this summer, but this week they finally got to follow one close to home.

The three Minnesota State meteorology students followed Wednesday evening's storm for three hours, driving from Windom to St. Peter and witnessing "the entire life cycle of the twister and parent supercell," as Jans wrote in an e-mail.

The group from the WALTER (Weather Analysis Laboratory for Teaching and Educational Resources) weather lab at MSU photographed the tornado that touched down in Watonwan County near Madelia.

"It was a very long forecasting day, and a lot of chasers got burned," Jans, the lab director and lead storm chaser, said later in a phone interview. "You can make or break your day by your forecast. ... We chose not to go to South Dakota (where some thought the storms would begin) and picked out a target area (north of Windom)."

Eric Wolle also observed and photographed the tornado - using his camera phone.

Wolle was house-sitting his vacationing parents' home in rural Madelia when the storm came through. He went outside alone and watched the weather.

"I usually don't take a lot of pictures (with the phone)," the Midwest Wireless employee said. "But I decided that was something you don't see every day. ...

"That was the first time I'd seen a decent funnel and seen it touch down."

Wolle said the tornado did no damage to his parents' - Bryce and Dorothy Wolle - property.

Jans said his group saw two tornadoes touch down and a dozen or more funnel clouds on their chase.

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