Latest news with #midwest
Forbes
2 hours ago
- Climate
- Forbes
OTUS Drones Are The Next Big Thing In Storm Chasing, Just Ask The Tuckers
The OTUS Project group via drone approaching a multi-vortex tornado near Parmelee, South Dakota, ... More July 20, 2025. The tornado season in the southwestern U.S. typically runs from late March to mid-June. But as June morphs into July, tornado alley tends to meander up into the midwestern plains, particularly the northern part. Earlier this year, I spent time storm-chasing in Texas, encountering half-a-dozen twisters with Tim Bovasso, Jeff Anderson and Chris Coach. Along the way, I also met a unique chaser group called the OTUS - Observation Of Tornadoes By UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) Systems - project. They seek out tornadoes, then actually fly special drones into the funnels to gather valuable information regarding near-ground wind speed and direction, barometric pressure, humidity and the like. I was so intrigued by OTUS' science work that I profiled the group last month (link below) with the idea that I might tag along next year to watch them in action. Lo and behold, they decided to give chasing one more go this year, in the midwest, so I met them in Omaha, Nebraska, this past weekend to chase for a few days. OTUS team member Louis Tucker prepares his special drone to fly into a tornado, South Dakota, July ... More 22, 2025. The first day, Sunday, according to weather models had the lowest odds of producing a tornado - zero - while Monday and Tuesday looked substantially better. Sunday, however, was eventually upgraded to 2%, later to 5%. Armed with drones and a rental car, our group set out toward South Dakota in the morning to intercept one of two promising supercells projected to initiate later in the afternoon. Louis Tucker, the pilot, readied his drone in the car while younger brother Nelson, closely monitored the weather and directed father Louis Sr., a former Navy Seal, to maneuver various back roads to position ourselves for the best potential intercepts. It was a family affair, if you will. Two other OTUS members, due to previous commitments, couldn't be there - Erik Fox and Tanner Beard. Once a decision had been reached as to which supercell to chase, we hightailed it to the desired location, just outside of Parmelee, South Dakota, to be close enough to deploy the drone if a tornado were imminent, basically a 5-mile radius. As we watched the wall cloud at the base of the supercell form, tension within the group mounted. Everything has to be perfectly right for a tornado to drop, and you never know. Sometimes you're absolutely sure - and poof, nothing. Other times you are taken completely by surprise. Louis (left) and Nelson Tucker at work identifying the best locales to chase twisters, South Dakota, ... More July 2025. The more we watched, the better we thought our chances were. Suddenly a small bowl of dancing dust appeared on the ground, then began to rise and tighten up. We had ourselves a tornado, a multi-vorticed one at that! Louis immediately deployed the drone, sending it at over 100 mph toward the thing which was probably three miles away. En route, though, there was a slight glitch, and Louis had to return it to base before penetrating the core. That said, he captured some stunning images of the tornado as it was forming, and valuable meteorological data as well, to be analyzed later this summer. Louis Tucker of OTUS flies his drone toward a supercell in Minnesota, July 22, 2025. The next two days, which were supposed to have the highest tornado probabilities, were total busts. We traversed South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska and even Minnesota scouring, putting in more than 1,500 miles in the process, to no avail. The only reassuring news was that no tornadoes were reported on those days, so it wasn't us at fault. In fact, the Sunday tornado we had found was the only one reported that day. These folks know their stuff. The extra time did give OTUS a chance to locate a precious drone worth a few thousand dollars that had been lost a month back. We also got to see and photograph some majestic supercells. So next spring it is. I'm hoping we can get close enough to some big twisters so Louis can fly us inside with his drones, allowing both scientists and the public alike to see things nobody has ever seen, or measured. Spectacular mothership structure in South Dakota, July 20, 2025. Make no mistake: What these OTUS guys are doing is pure exploration, not simply walking in the footsteps of others as is the case with the insane and dangerous overcrowding on Mt. Everest. Pay attention. You will hear more about OTUS again, I can assure you, and not just from me.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Tracking storm chances Sunday afternoon in central Indiana
Good evening and what a night it turned out to be! We saw heavy storms earlier this afternoon, but since the storms have left, the night has been quiet. We will continue mostly quiet conditions the rest of the night, but an isolated shower or storm will be possible in the overnight hours. Lows are expected to fall into the mid-70s and areas of patchy fog will be possible. Storms are expected to return once again tomorrow afternoon, and a few of these storms could produce gusty winds. The main threat will be flash flooding as heavy downpours are expected tomorrow afternoon. Highs will be in the mid 80's. Storms continue into the overnight hours on Sunday and will persist through Monday. Heat will then start to build on Wednesday with a heat index near 100°. This is likely to persist through Friday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hear Shane Gillis' Caitlin Clark Joke That Had the ESPYs Audience Uncomfortable
Shane Gillis took the stage at the ESPYs tonight as the show's host, and the comedian made the sports world the butt of his jokes. There were a number of quips aimed at various attendees and major sports figures, and while social media had varying opinions about his barbed humor, the audience didn't seem super receptive. Numerous jokes arrived to tepid, often-uncomfortable laughter, with Gillis repeatedly telling the audience to lighten up. There was perhaps no better example of this dynamic than his joke about the WNBA's Caitlin Clark. While the ESPYs named her WNBA Player of the Year, Gillis decided to include her in his opening monologue. The first joke was relatively tame. "It's a big year for the WNBA. I love Caitlin Clark," he said. "Caitlin Clark, she and I have a lot in common. We're both whites from the midwest who have nailed a bunch of threes."He then winced reading the follow-up from the teleprompter, before saying: "When Caitlin Clark retires from the WNBA, she's going to work at a Waffle House, so she can continue doing what she loves most: fist-fighting Black women." His joke comes just after Clark had a heated confrontation with a referee during a recent Indiana Fever game against the Connecticut Sun. She also received a flagrant foul earlier this season for a much-discussed altercation with Chicago Sky's Angel Reese. Gillis also cracked jokes about Shedeur Sanders, Jeffery Epstein, Donald Trump, and more. Watch his joke below: Hear Shane Gillis' Caitlin Clark Joke That Had the ESPYs Audience Uncomfortable first appeared on Men's Journal on Jul 17, 2025 Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
15-07-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
Storm threat ends tonight; more storms expected across Maryland Tuesday & Wednesday
Severe thunderstorms that impacted the region Monday afternoon are moving out, with rain expected to end across all areas by midnight. As skies begin to clear overnight, patchy fog will be possible. Temperatures will fall into the low to mid-70s. Tuesday will bring a mix of sun and clouds, with hot and humid conditions returning. Afternoon highs will reach around 90 degrees, and heat index values could climb into the upper 90s to near 100. While storm activity will be more isolated compared to the widespread storms seen Sunday and Monday, any storms that do develop may produce torrential rainfall capable of causing isolated flash flooding. Another upper-level disturbance will approach the region on Wednesday, increasing the coverage of showers and thunderstorms. Some of these storms may become strong to severe, bringing the threat of gusty winds, heavy rainfall, and flash flooding. Highs will once again top out near 90. A brief lull in storm activity is expected Thursday. Highs will rise into the low 90s with continued high humidity, resulting in heat index values above 100. Storm chances will be isolated during the afternoon. By Friday, storm chances return and may become more widespread. A First Alert Weather Day is possible due to the potential for severe storms and flooding. Temperatures will climb to near 90 before afternoon storms move in. The active weather pattern continues into the weekend. Isolated storms are possible Saturday, but a greater threat for storms is expected Sunday. Highs each day will be in the upper 80s to near 90, with overnight lows in the 70s. Looking ahead to next week, more storm chances are expected, particularly during the afternoon and evening hours.
Washington Post
18-06-2025
- Climate
- Washington Post
D.C. faces intense heat and humidity next week. Here's how hot it could get.
After a relatively mild start of the summer — with just a paucity of hot days and generally below-normal temperatures since May — a punishing heat wave will arrive this weekend. And it could last for up to a week. Starting Sunday, high temperatures are predicted to reach at least the mid-90s, and could flirt with 100-degree levels early next week.
