Yes, I have not updated my blog in a month. I don’t know where to really begin so I will start with what is happening right now. I’m sitting at the 58 Club in Champlin, MN waiting for my Juicy Lucy to cool down while sipping on a Pale Ale for a late dinner.
The proper way to eat a Juicy Lucy is to eat the fries first and to let the burger cool down. If you don’t, you will end up with cheese running down the front of your shirt.
Ok enough about my dinner, this is not a Facebook or Twitter update. I’m not going to talk about the recent tragedy in Oklahoma with my friends. It is personal and hits too close to home for me. This blog is about me and what I have been doing and since I have not updated my blog in over 30 days, lets take a look back over the last month.
On April 30th, after spending the morning at the gym, I drove home and saw smoke on the horizon. Even after the extreme winter, the area was still recovering from the drought last year. The grass from last summer and fall was extremely dry along Interstate 94 and finally caught fire. The smoke was so thick that it caused travel to become to dangerous for travel.
Footage was shot from the county road 136 bridge or Oak Grove Road SW, over Interstate 94 as the high winds and dry grass made the fire expand quickly along the east bound lanes of Interstate 94 towards the county road 75 exit ramp.
Just when I thought I was done with the winter weather and could transition into spring time chasing, old man winter had one last storm to hit me with. I ended up heading down south, yes south, to cover the winter storm.
I spent the evening and overnight documenting the historic winter storm that hit the state.
Just to the south of the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul is a winter storm warning. The heavy snow start falling around 2:30 p.m. this afternoon and is now covering the grass on this first day of May, 2013.
Footage snow in Scott County just south of the metro area along interstate 35.
A powerful winter storm system is creating a heavy wet nightmare for drivers along Interstate 35 in southern Minnesota this evening.
The winter storm warning remains in effect until 10:00 a.m. Thursday morning.
Footage shot on Interstate 35 around the Owatonna, MN area where several inches of heavy wet snow have already fallen and accumulated on the grassy surfaces. The roadways have also cooled off to where they are also becoming covered in snow when it should be the middle of spring.
TRT: 4:44;19
Clip 01 Shot of main street Owatonna at sunset with the power plant sign and traffic.
Clip 02 Pull back shot of a tight shot of buds on a tree trying to bloom covered in ice and snow then pulls back to show the whole field in the back ground covered in ice and snow.
Clip 03 Tree buds covered in ice and snow
Clip 04 Passing tracking shot of a snow plow on Interstate 35
Clip 05 Long pov shot of a snow plow in front of the camera.
Clip 06 Passing shot of a snow plow
Clip 07 Oncoming passing shot of a snow plow.
Clip 08 Pan shot to the right of tracks in the snow and then the car that slammed into the barbed wire fence along Interstate 35.
Clip 09 Tight shot of the barbed wire on the car then pull back to show the whole car. The barbed wire is holding the car like winter has its grasp on midwest.
Clip 10 Alternate shot of the car with the tracks in the snow where it crashed.
Clip 11 Dash cam after the state patrol showed up. Driver was ok.
Clip 13 Tow truck pulling a car out of the ditch.
Clip 14 State trooper in the snow blocking traffic
Clip 15 – 16 Heavy snow with trees
Clip 17 Snow over an open area with tree’s in the background covered in snow.
Clip 18 Statue covered in snow.
Clip 19 POV Drive by shot of a car in the ditch with State Patrol and crews on the scene.
Clip 20 POV Drive by shot of a car in the ditch with crews on the scene.
Clip 21 POV Drive by with a white pickup truck in the ditch.
Clip 22 White Buick in the ditch.
Clip 23 POV Drive by shot of a car in the ditch with crews on the scene.
Clip 24 POV Driving shot in heavy snow.
While Southern Minnesota was still digging out of the major snow storm, back home in Saint Cloud, the weather was almost picture perfect. But the people driving recklessly in the construction zone on Interstate 94, that is always happening.
With the very slow start to the chase season, I had some time to play around with my Aurora projects. I made it up to Northern Minnesota to document the Auroras over a yet still frozen lake.
Now the storm chasing season was heating up down south and I have been getting stuck at the office. I did manage to make it out for the historic ice out event on Lake Milacs.
This was about the time that the severe weather started to go crazy. From the middle of the month of May until today, it has been non stop work for me in the office with my expert crews out in the field chasing. I could not be prouder of the team of freelance professional videographers that I have put together. Between the live streaming setup and the news packages from everyone in the field, I was working at the office every day for the last three weeks. Even my planned chase vacation was put on hold due to the need for me to be in the office.
Things have finally started to calm down but not by choice. The last of the severe weather finalized last Friday with the tornado outbreak in Oklahoma.
On Friday night, after all the tornado footage had come in and I was busy working everything, we were treated to a unexpected show. The auroras filled the sky over central Minnesota.
The strange thing was there was no CME, no source for the auroras, it was a strange rare but beautiful aurora event that nobody knew the source of. Saturday night, we learned the fate of my friends. I would just like to think that this was their way to say goodbyes since they knew I loved watching the auroras just as much as storm chasing the severe weather.
Well, the burger was great, but they are always the best at the 58 Club. Time to make my way back home to Saint Cloud.