Matthew Cumberland's Photography

May 22nd Iowa Funnel / Wall Cloud

2011-05-23T20:24:00.002-05:00

May 22nd, Iowa Chase

Here are a few of my photos from this chase

Storm Chase Photo Expedition May 8th - May 11th

2011-05-13T20:27:00.002-05:00

May 8th - May 11th Photo Expedition

The Big Question....Funnel Or Not....

Happy Accident

St. Louis MO Tornado April 22nd

2011-04-23T16:10:00.002-05:00

April 22nd 2011

St. Louis MO Tornado

Here are a few of my photos leading up to the events that took place the evening of April 22nd in St. Louis MO Prior to the destructive tornado that tore through the city.

Photo Taken By Adam Lucio

http://aerostorms.com/

Mapleton Iowa Tornado Out Break Part 2 April 9th

2011-04-11T21:46:00.004-05:00

April 9th Mapleton, Iowa Tornado Out Break Photos

Continued

I had taken a photo of debris around a pole and realized that the barn behind the sign had been removed off its foundation

This Hail was found about an hour after the storm had passed, can't imagine how large it was before it melted down

Mapleton Iowa Tornado Out Break Video

Re-Edited Video can be found on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/user/Kalel082?feature=mhum

Dual Gustnadoes - While recording these gustnadoes, I had to get back in the car as another gustando came over us.

Re-Edited Video can be found on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/user/Kalel082?feature=mhum

Tornado Near Mapleton Iowa, 1st Tornado of the day

Mapleton, Iowa Tornado Out Break April 9th Part 1

2011-04-11T16:21:00.004-05:00

April 9th Mapleton, Iowa Tornado Out Break Photos

Part 1

Multiple Gustnadoes and Tornadoes

After looking at models for a few days and talking with Adam Lucio (aerostorms.com) and Danny Neal (nrnilstormchaser.blogspot) we decided to leave the night before and stay a Jesse Risleys house. With the latest runs we decided we would be heading further west into Iowa and change our plans and stayed at a hotel in Monmouth IL to be closer to our target in the morning. We left in the morning and made our way into Iowa....yes I did say Iowa...
We stopped at a great spot in Avoca IA with a great view to wait for initiation to begin. While we relaxed waiting in beautiful weather, not the chilly Chicago temps, Jim Rood, Sam Augustyn and Matt Piechota joined us.

This road had a sign for Adam and Danny to keep on the road....

We made our way along I-29 towards WIA while storms started to fire up, I could not believe how quickly things came together! We stopped in near Whiting with a great view as the storm was approaching.

Little Funnels started to form around us

Clear slot starting to come together

We have a Tornado!

Gustnado after it passed over us

We moved on to keep up with the storm, however were limited to roads and had to head south and shoot back north, during this time we had missed the Mapleton IA Tornado. However as we came up on top of a hill and were greeted by other chaser we had a view of another tornado for a short time. Unfortunately I was not able to capture this one, but Danny Neal got a great shot

As we were going to make our way to get some food, we realized there were still multiple reports coming in of large Wedge Tornadoes. We were able to view these in the Lightning Flashes which was a weird feeling to view large Tornadoes at night.

NWS Survey would later report this tornado to be between 2-3 miles wide

We came across a home that had taken a hit from one of these tornadoes. Danny was quick out of the car and I jumped out behind him to ensure everyone was ok. No one was hurt but very shaken up, after I realized everyone was ok, I snapped a quick photo of the damage a Tornado can do.

As the storms moved on we stopped and enjoyed amazing lightning and incredible structure. This would have been an incredible view if it was day time!

After taking photos we decided to call it a night and grab some food. The nearest town was Ford Dodge IA, not much open except for a bar. We grabbed some food and were joined by other chasers and we talked about the insane day before finding a hotel to crash at for the night.

April weekend chase 4.9.11

2011-04-09T10:28:00.000-05:00

Woke up this morning in Moline Il, heading west to Omaha with Adam and Danny. Should make it there before storms initiate. You can follow along with us today live at aerostorms.com. Thoughout the day I will update our path, watches and warnings. Gonna be a great weekend!

April 4th Iowa Chase

2011-04-06T22:45:00.001-05:00

Late November Chase 11.22.10

2010-11-24T01:34:00.002-06:00

Monday started off with thinking not much of anything was going to happen for the day. SPC had a Slight Risk for the day with possibilities of 2 or more tornadoes. I had thought of heading out west for the day and chasing, but decided to stay at home and see if anything would unfold.

It was when I was in line at the grocery store go figure that the cashier had made mention there was a tornado watch which put me rushing home to see just what was going on. After looking at radar I quickly headed out originally heading for Rockford. I changed course along the way, my thought was the southern storm would produce which also had rotation within the storm already. I should have stayed north as about an hour later it put down a EF2 near Rockford!...

I made good time and intercepted the southern storm near Earlville IL. South of DeKalb and followed it to Hinckley. I started taking photos and watch as things were coming together. I decided to shoot further south so I could trail along side it. On a random gravel road I happen to run into Skip Talbot (http://www.skip.cc/chase/101122/), so we teamed up and I followed behind. As soon as we got back on the road I started to get pelted by severe hail, this is where I picked up a few new dents to the new jeep.

A few minutes later it became Tornado Warned and things were looking good. However I quickly fell into the core and played catch up trying to get a good view, but didn’t have much luck. We stayed on the storm all the way back to South Elgin where a few minutes before the Tornado Sirens had been going off. Looking at radar there wasn’t much that was going to take place and it would be difficult to keep up in the burbs with how fast the storms were moving so the chase was called. It was a great time out for a last year chase in November, no complaints from me here!

If I realized I would have not have been able to keep up, I would have pulled over and taken some photos. These are some shots taken while trying to keep up, it is not easy to hold the camera out the window while driving at 60+mph..

Elburn Tornado 10.26.10 Revisited - New Photos

2010-10-29T23:34:00.000-05:00

I revisited the Tornado Damage in Elbun today from the Tornado on 10.26.10; I was more amazed today with the sun up and seeing just what had taken place. I hadn't realized that not only did it effect the home owners Barn, but their home as well. It is sad to think in an area that is a majority of farm land and a few homes this Tornado took path directly at every structure on this owners land. This may have only been an EF1 Tornado, but the photos taken truly do not show what has taken place here. I did not want to take photos of their home, so here are some additional photos of the barn that took the most damage and debris that was scattered throughout the field.

Debris that is scattered from the Barn across the field

Debris from the first Barn scattered across the field

Additional Debris scattered across the field from the first barn the Tornado hit

Another photo of debris from the first barn the Tornado struck

Another angle of the debris path the Tornado took after it struck the first barn

The debris trail after the Tornado struck the second Barn

Another angle of the debris trail after the second barn

The debris from the second barn continues into the field across the street

Debris that is scattered across the field from the second barn

Debris that goes from the farm across the field.

Tornado Damage To Elburn IL / Wind Damage 10.26.10

2010-10-28T01:03:00.002-05:00

On Tuesday Oct. 26 2010 The Midwest experienced a record breaking Storm. The Warnings started to post a few days before due to High Winds that would be experienced during this storm, and by early morning the Tornado Watches were being posted.

At 2a.m. I left my home to meet up with Adam Lucio with the thought of going to IN, SPC has issued a High Risk for just about the entire state. I arrived at Adam's house at about 3:30a.m. at which time we looked over models and runs trying to figure out why SPC had issued this risk and were we were going to head. We decided to take an hour power nap and once got up reviewed the models again. Due to the terrain and timing of this storm we decided not to chase for the day. Of course about 30mins after leaving his home the tornado warnings started to be issued, one as close as Peatone IL and Elburn IL. There were a few farther south. Unfortunately I did miss out on the Tornadoes for the day, so I went out today and surveyed some of the Wind damage and Tornado Damage. A families home and farm were in the direct path of the tornado and after visiting their home my heart goes out to their family. It is devastating to be part of an experience like this and thankfully no life was lost.

This was not the first Tornado for Elburn IL, in August of 2009 Elburn experienced two Tornadoes that verified in strength from an EF0 - EF1 just 2 miles from where the EF1 Tornado of Oct 26th 2010 had hit. Here is a google map that shows the paths of the EF1 Tornado of 2009 and the EF1 Tornado of 2010, also here is a link to the Tornado Damage from the EF1 Tornado that took place in 2009 from my previous blog.

http://hewsphotography.blogspot.com/2009/08/elburn-il-tornado-damage-survey-81909.html

Here are some photos of the damage in the area, I ran out of sun light and will be back out again tomorrow.

Shelf Cloud Aug. 13th 2010

2010-08-21T02:12:00.000-05:00

On August 13th I was given a belated birthday gift from mother nature. There had been a line of storms that had been moving from Iowa and Missourie that had been making its way across portions of Il. Around 6pm I headed out as it made its way closer to home to see if there was anything worth photographing. As I came into a clearing I was excited to see a beautiful shelf cloud making its way towards me. Nothing to incredible, but I always enjoy shelf clouds and photographing them. After I got home and pulled up the photos I was a little dissapointed to realize I had the wrong setting on my camera set (such a noob mistake..) The clouds turned out a little grainy....

Here area few photos taken that evening...

I'm Back

2010-08-01T02:36:00.001-05:00

Well I have not posted all season, however it was not much of a season. This was the first season for me with the new promotion, it was a little tough getting time off to get out and chase but you gotta make the money.
I was only able to chase a couple of times this year and of which was a bust, so not much to show. However this season for those that were able to get out it was an amazing season! Beautiful photogenic Tornadoes, Squall Lines and even Record Breaking Hail! I have to admit I was a little jealous watching those on ChaserTV and viewing their photos and videos when they got home, however I am happy others were able to capitalize on this season!
An update on Matthewsweatherstudio.com, this site will be coming down soon and I will be creating a new site over this holiday season to get ready for next year.
Here are a few shots from this year that I was able to get, nothing special but hey it is what it is.

MatthewsWeatherStudio.com

2010-01-18T15:01:00.000-06:00

MatthewsWeatherStudio.com is up and running! This site will have Severe Weather Even Updates, Recent and past Chase Blogs/Photos/Vids, Access to Live Streaming on ChaserTV.com, and more to come. There is still a lot more to do, and I'm sure it will be an ongoing process but I am excited to share my chases and experiences with everyone.
Please share your thoughts pros/cons around the site, this is for the viewer and I am open for any insights that anyone may have.
I truly special thanks goes out to my Aunt Jaime Lyn who has not only dedicated much of her time to support me and this site, but has also taken additional time to help teach me around the aspects of maintaining this site. Without which I would be completely lost and it would have been struggle to get it going.

http://matthewsweatherstudio.com/

Upcoming Events and News For 2010

2010-01-17T11:06:00.000-06:00

It is that time of the year again; time to prepare for the Chase season ahead. This year I have a lot of goals in mind that I want to achieve. The only conflict I have is my current career; its a matter of if I am able to take time off in a very short notice to make it out to chase. I have to plan carefully when looking at the outlooks and make very educated decisions for what I choose to chase and only ask for time that has high probability for Tornadic conditions. I work for a great company; but retail is always difficult to get time off in a short time, but I will work with whatever time I receive off.

Jeep / Equipment Upgrades:
I have added a few upgrades to the Jeep for this season including a Laptop Mount and New Camcorder Mount. I should have new All Terran Tires come tomorrow and I still have to make a visit to Inspeed.com. (Photos Coming Soon!)
I have purchased a new HD Sony Camcorder (CX500V); playing around with it thus far it is an amazing camcorder! Great low level lights recording; amazing stability and a variety of options to work with.
I finally picked up the Wide Angle / Macro Lens I have been wanting and am looking forward to taking some Wide Angle shots this season.

Website:
I am currently putting together a new website ( Matthewsweatherstudio.com) which I have been spending most of my time on to have that up and running before the season starts.
I have also partnered up with ChaserTV.com to stream live this season which I am very excited about. All the chasers on ChaserTV.com are a great group, a lot of knowledge amongst these chasers.

Upcoming Events:
ChaserCon is approaching fast. I will be leaving Feb. 10th and taking the train with a few friends Danny Neal and Adam Lucio to Denver. I have yet to make it out to this event and this year should be a great year! It will be nice to meet everyone I have spoken to over the past year or two over FB/SC.

Come Meet Your Local Storm Chases!! Adam Lucio, Dannel Neal, Matthew Cumberland!

2009-11-08T20:21:00.002-06:00

Come Out A Join Us November 15th 2009 At South Elgin Best Buy! Come share your stories as we share ours! Check out the possiblites with the lastest Technology and what you can do! Also there will be some savings within the store you can't beat that!

Reflecting Back On 2009 Season

2009-10-31T00:39:00.022-05:00

I find myself after this last disappointment from Mother Nature reflecting back on Storm Season 2009. For most it was a disappointing season....For me it has been one of the best seasons yet. I met some great people, made a few new friends, I also had the opportunity to bring others along to enjoy the thrill of the chase and experience what I am able to each season. What truly topped of this season was May 13th Edina MO chase. I intercepted a Tornadic Cell which produced a tornado in Edina, I was out with fellow chasers who from all over Il. and ever a few from other states. (check out more on Edina MO Chase - http://hewsphotography.blogspot.com/2009/05/edina-mo-may-13th-chase.html )

Later in the season I intercepted another Tornatic Cell which just a few minuets before produced two tornadoes in Elburn Il. I met the home owners and offered my help with the clean up from the damage. The home owners allowed me to survey the damage and I gained a even deeper respect for Mother Nature with the effects it can have on our lives. This drew me in even closer than I have been for the past 10 years...It is amazing what in the grand scheme of things a relatively weak Tornado; how much damage can be done. That is the mystery though, that is what brings me and all of the others chasers back year after year, pushing to get closer and closer each year and find out any details to the puzzle so we can help protect and educate those around us to what may save a life some day.

We are all out here for our own reasons; to photograph or film the wondrous beauty of Mother Nature, to educate ourselves and others around us, to protect our communities or just simply the pure thrill of the chase...but we are all united and come back year after year and share our stories to those around us and look forward to the next year. Sometimes nothing else matters but that next possible chase, myself I continue to go to bed night after night thinking about that next chase or next season; reflecting back on what I can do differently. Come next year I look forward to gathering up all of my gear, filling up that tank of gas and calling up a few new friends to hit the road. Thank you to all of those that supported me this season; those I met and provided me with that extra bit of knowledge and allowed me to follow along in their steps.

The finale to this season still lies ahead; I am putting together a event at my work to bring people together and educate the communities that surround. This will also provide a chance for everyone to see how we use new technology to support what we do. I invite everyone to come out and see Adam Lucio, Danny Neal, myself and possibly more to come and hear about all of our experiences. Here's to next season everyone, I'll see ya out on the road...

Here are a few photos from this past season chases:

Elburn IL. Tornado Damage Survey 8.19.09

2009-08-21T01:15:00.012-05:00

I visited the reported area where the Tornado touched down. At this point I was positive that it was not a tornado but a microburst or straight line winds. I spoke with the home owners who were working with their insurance company trying to sort out things. They were gracious enough to allow me to walk throughout their property and take photos.

After viewing the damage I will admit it had a damage path that clearly resembled a tornado rather than straight line winds. The national weather center also confirmed there was two tornadoes. They had aerial view of the damage path the extended 40 yards wide and produced winds up to 105MPH. I am a little saddened that a tornado was so close to home and I was not there before this home was hit. I may have been able to provide further advanced warnings compared to the few mins. he had to get his kids to the basement.

Also as to yesterdays blog....In Huntley IL. there is video of a funnel cloud, so I stand corrected once again. There was a lot I learned from this chase, neither one of these storms showed any indication of a tornado, however it seems within the 5min. loop of radar this storms produced and I was unable to view it. Also I typically stick to radar, however again I realize now I need to expand to other options of GR3 to view different types of storms to see more clearly as to what may be going on......
Here are the paths the tornadoes took:

These photos were taken by the EF1 on the lower left side of the photo. As the tornado passed over RT 47 it passed over two homes. The photos below were taken from the home on the SE side of the tornado, which had larger damage.

Huntley IL. Storm Chase 8.19.09

2009-08-21T00:55:00.017-05:00

Tornado Warnings blared as I left my home to get on the road. I realized as I listened to the tornado sirons this would be a very interesting chase.
I viewed GR3 and saw nothing on radar....I mean nothing! It looked like a blob of rain, but yet the sirons were going off. I was absolutly confused on this chase! On the road I ran into some fellow chasers who as well were confused and could not spot anything remotely resembling severe weather.
I continued north to interecept another cell which had claims of producing a tornado off of RT47 and RT64. I ran into Ben and Cliff who were heading in the same direction as I was, north to Huntley. As we entered Huntley IL. the tornado sirons stared to blair again! We were in awe as we looked around and saw nothing again! Blue patch there, another blue patch there, light rain and NOTHING on radar...
At this point we wanted to continue north on RT47, however Ben at this point realized he had a flat tire and he could not continue. I travled a bit north to see if I could view anything and saw a small shelf, but nothing else. There were many low lying scud clouds resembling a possible funnel cloud but nothing else.
I pulled back around and headed back to Ben and Cliff to see what help I could be. Local law enforcment pulled up to use to check to see if we were ok. We spoke to them for awhile about the sirens going off and we how we were unsure as to why they went off. Turns out the public had reported funnel clouds, which I'm sure were just low lying scud clouds.
After Ben fixed his flat, we knew we couldn't meet back up to the "severe storm" that continued north. So we headed back to view the damage of the possible tornado that was reported. I was fixed on the thought that it had to have been straight line winds or a possible microburst. (However after viewing the damage today, I realized it was in fact a tornado). We couldn't get down the road to view the damage as there was down power lines. So at this point we called it and heading home.

Eagle River WI.

2009-08-17T21:06:00.008-05:00

Here are some photos take while on vacation in Eagle River WI. Provides for some great scenery compared to back home...

Bond Falls MI

2009-08-17T20:16:00.006-05:00

During my vacation to Eagle River we took a drive to Bond Falls MI. to check out the waterfalls. It was amazing and I look forward to the next time I go to try out different filters and angles. Until then....enjoy these.....

Eagle River WI. - Moon, Jupiter and Stars

2009-08-16T22:29:00.005-05:00

It was great being off the river with little light and being able to view the stars again. I took this opportunity to try out taking photo's of the stars, Jupiter and the moon and am happy with the results and look forward the next trip up there and taking better photo's. Here are a few of the photo's I was happy with the results.
Big Dipper Over The House...
Jupiter In The Nights Sky.....

Eagle River WI. - Bald Eagle

2009-08-16T21:44:00.006-05:00

While vacationing in Eagle River WI. I was able to view and photo a few Bald Eagles. It was a great experience as it has been years since I have visited WI. and the past when I have been there I rarely spotted them. Here are a few photo's taken of the Eagles while on vacation.

Local Chase; Woodstock IL. 7.30.09

2009-07-31T18:03:00.012-05:00

This was another day I was not expecting much for severe weather. When I got home from work I was so exhausted I passed out and woke up around 4:30pm. I logged onto the computer and noticed on GR3 there was a storm popping up in Rockford and became Severe Warned. I watched for a bit and up came a tornado warning till 5:15pm. I packed up my things and took off, it normally takes only about 20mins to get there, however traffic got the best of me again!

I arrived just south of Woodstock and the storm was down graded to Severe Warned; there was a trained spotter that reported a Tornado on the ground with a small dust swirl on the ground with no damage. I found a good spot to pull off and snapped a few photos, it produced very small hail for a short time, however had strong wind gusts up to 60mph at some points.

Here are a few photos taken when I arrived:

Updated Photo's Of Chaser Vehicle

2009-07-31T17:55:00.007-05:00

Here are some updated photo's of my Jeep. I have added some edition, but much more to come but not till next season, I'm maxed out for this year. So if you would like feel free to make donations to Matthew Cumberland! If not, enjoy the blog and photos, leave feed back and let me know what you think.

July 24th, 09' Chase

2009-07-25T00:21:00.009-05:00

Today was a day that I didn't really expect much severe weather locally so I hadn't thought much of a local chase. Throughout the day I was watching the storms that were firing up in IA/WI/IL boarder. I was hearing reports of Large Hail up to 4" diameter and a few chasers were reporting severe damage. When I got home from work I continued to monitor the storms for a short time as they were getting closer to the IL/WI boarder and heading S/SE.

I decided last minute to head out for a chase after watching the storms become severe with reports of large hail. I decided to head out and thought this would be a good opportunity to test out the new chase vehicle. My goal was to head to Rochelle and see where the storms were from there. Along the way I hit up Adam Lucio was heading out as well. After talking with him we both had the same thought, get there as fast as we could and plan from there. As I was heading on 38 I spotted some Mammatus clouds and stopped to take a few photos. At this point my trouble started! I realized I didn't grab my charged battery from my camera case and the one in it lasted for only a few photos!GRRRR...... There were a lot of photo opportunities along the way, so this was a slap in the face.

Shortly later I realized my laptop was not charging and the battery was just about to die. I pulled over to take a look and noticed my GPS was not charging as well. I had blew a fuse and lost power to both! I quickly changed out my fuse and jumped back on the road, the only problem I had was I only had a spare 10amp and my laptop needed at least 20amps to run my power inverter, but at least I had power to my GPS.

As I pulled under what was once a great Anvil I was treated to some great views of structure as the sun was setting. At this point I was really kicking myself wishing I had my spare battery for my camera. As I arrived to Rochelle I pulled into a gas station to pick up a few things and set up my camcorder to record some CG as I waited for Adam to meet up. At this point I came across my next issue, my camcorder kept crashing prompting a error message "file corrupt". I have had this trouble in the past but didn't think much of it as it tended to go away. However at this point I realized my hard drive was bad and my camcorder was shot. Now I have a reason to get the new HD camcorder I have been wanting for awhile now.

Adam pulled in shortly after, and we planed out our next move.. Looking at GR3 we realized the strongest line of storms developing would be to our west, so we heading for Dixon and would plan from there. (Man I'm glad I meet up with him, there is only so much phone radar will do for you). Once at Dixon we realized the line of storms that was producing larger hail was a little further to our west so we took off and got in place to wait as the storms arrived to us. Once the line of storms arrived to us there had weakened and we were left with heaving rains so we called it a bust and headed back home.

The drive home was intense, extremely heavy downpours, strong wind gusts with a bit of debris along the highway and crazy CG, which have been the closest I have seen all season. There were a few tense moments as the rain was coming down you couldn't see where the road was at, but it is always nice to come across, it keeps ya on your toes. All along 88 cars for a few miles and Adam and I were the only ones on the road, at this point I decided to just push straight down the middle of the two lanes.

All and all it was a great time to take the new chase vehicle out. I was treated to some great CG lightning and some great views. I realized I have a lot of work to do around forecasting, the chase car and my equipment. Next last minute chase I need to remember to grab my other camera bag with all of my batteries and chargers. I will spend the next few weeks gearing up for a hopefully chase in Aug! You can also view Adam Lucio's Log at: http://www.aerostorms.com/072409.php