Storm photos from Sunday evening

[polarsusd81]

Sorry it took so long to get these posted up, we lost internet connection at the house and I was out and about all day yesterday. This storm was truely amazing. From the reports I heard, it started as an EF1 in Coon Rapids. My neighbors just happened to be in the parking lot when it first dropped down. They watched it push some cars around and pick a couple of people up off the ground in the parking lot and throw them through the air. From what I have heard those two were okay after some medical attention.

It went through the neighbor hood just to the north of my house. Out of respect for the victims of the storm, I am not going to run over there with the camera and peak into their lives. I was over at my mom's place in Lino Lakes though, and got some shots of the funnel cloud forming that turned into the tornado that hit in Hugo. From what I have heard, it touched down on the Eastern shoreline of Peltier Lake and went through some fields and then accross 35E and into the new developements in Hugo. It missed my friend's home in Centerville by a very narrow margin.

Here are the photos and I will give a short description under each...

This was the back of the wall cloud forming, there was a cloud that was rolling kinda like a barrel. It was purple in color and stood out big time, it is to the left and right of the nearest power line pole. The wind was coming from the south east, hitting that cloud and at my feet I could feel it coming back, much colder than the air temp. I knew something bad was happening with this one.

This shot shows the purple barrel shaped cloud pretty well. The white whispy clouds you can see right behind the barrel shaped cloud is what started to come down from the down draft of the storm and started to form the funnel.

Here is another shot while the white clouds were coming down and starting to spin and take shape. The wind was really starting to pick up at this time.

Here you can see that the whispy white clouds have started to form the funnel and it is taking shape. At this point I decided to snap one more shot as I ran into the house to take cover in the basement.

Here is the last shot I snapped, it is the purple barrel shaped cloud again as it was right over the top of me running into the house. That thing was rolling pretty fast. Right as I got to the door, the rain started and about two minutes later, we could hear the tornado. To me it sounded like a low rumble of thunder in the distance. It was a constant rumble though and lasted about 10 minutes until we could no longer hear it.

Pretty crazy day for weather, and I feel very sorry for the families effected by this storm. It could have been any of us. To the family that lost the little boy, I am sure words can not even begin to describe your loss. My lil boy is the same age, and I couldn't imagine losing him. Possessions can be replaced, but life never can.

[Steve Foss]

Great shots, Tom. Being near a tornado is a wild experience for sure.

And my condolences for for the victims' losses. We have some very good friends who told us about a couple they are friends with who just moved to a new house they bought in Hugo. Hadn't even made the first house payment when the tornado flattened it.