Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue

Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences at Purdue We are the people who love to study earthquakes, tornadoes, and the Milky Way! http://www.eaps.purdue.edu/ https://twitter.com/PurdueEAPS

Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences is a multidisciplinary department of the College of Science at Purdue University. Our department is dedicated to the scientific study of the physical, chemical, and dynamical processes that range from diverse events such as continental drift to tornadoes. Opinions expressed on this site may not represent the official views of Purdue University.

06/06/2026

⚡️IT’S ELECTRIC⚡️
The SPOTTR team ended today with some awesome lightning photos! Enjoy⛈️

🌪️ Purdue EAPS SPOTTR 2026: Day 6 ⛈️Day 5 began in Watertown, South Dakota, before the team headed west to Redfield for ...
06/05/2026

🌪️ Purdue EAPS SPOTTR 2026: Day 6 ⛈️

Day 5 began in Watertown, South Dakota, before the team headed west to Redfield for our first radiosonde launch. Along the way, students found a creative way to check the low-level winds with the help of “Ben Franklin,” quickly becoming an honorary member of the forecasting team. We also learned that tick season is in full swing across the northern Plains, making bug spray one of the most valuable pieces of equipment in the field.

From there, we traveled south to Plankinton for a second weather balloon launch just south of a boundary where thunderstorms were expected to develop. As storms began forming, the team initially targeted a storm to our west before quickly shifting north to intercept a rapidly intensifying cell near Miller, South Dakota.

This outflow-dominant bookend supercell became our storm of the day. While it did not produce any tornadoes, it maintained a persistent wall cloud throughout much of our approach.

The team deployed RaXPol and gathered valuable observations as the storm passed just northeast of our location.

Throughout the trip, students have heard real-time explanations of storm processes from Purdue faculty members Dr. Dawson and Dr. Tanamachi, along with Dr. Bodine from the University of Oklahoma. Having such accomplished researchers alongside us provides students with a unique opportunity to learn directly from the experts.

After wrapping up operations, the team traveled to Sioux Falls for the night.

Following a good night’s rest, undergraduate students Chloe and Louie, along with graduate student Phillip, led this morning’s forecast discussion. Today, the SPOTTR team is targeting southeastern Nebraska, where an isolated tornado risk and the potential for large hail exist. Conditions certainly feel supportive of storm development, with temperatures climbing into the mid to upper 80s and dew points already in the low 70s.

🌪️ Purdue EAPS SPOTTR 2026: Day 5 ⛈️Day 4 was a big one!Starting from Chamberlain, SD, we targeted a growing supercell n...
06/04/2026

🌪️ Purdue EAPS SPOTTR 2026: Day 5 ⛈️

Day 4 was a big one!

Starting from Chamberlain, SD, we targeted a growing supercell near Murdo and split into two teams. The “Bingo Bus” and “PIPsqueek” crew successfully deployed two PIPS (Portable In-situ Precipitation Stations) ahead of the storm. The PIPS are small portable weather platforms built by NSSL in collaboration with The University of Oklahoma and Purdue University. Each PIPS has sensors that measure temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction. In addition, the PIPS determines the distribution of particle sizes by using an instrument called a Parsivel (PARticle, SIze, VELocity) disdrometer to measure the number and size of any object that falls through it (similar to the 2DVD).

Meanwhile, “Big Bertha” and “Raxy” deployed the RaXPol radar a couple times to capture detailed scans of the storm as it evolved.

We watched a rapidly rotating wall cloud that repeatedly tried to produce a tornado, with members of the SPOTTR team catching glimpses of a tornado near Ideal, SD. An incredible storm to witness and study firsthand! The tornado was rated an EF 1 by the National Weather Service.

As the storm merged into a line, we wrapped up the day with a beautiful shelf cloud and another unforgettable lightning show on the way to Watertown.

Today, we’re heading back toward central South Dakota. While the setup looks less favorable for large supercells, we’re ready to learn whatever the atmosphere has in store. Undergraduate students Lauren, Jay and Matthew kicked off the day with this morning’s weather briefing. 🌩️📡🎈

06/04/2026

EAPS SPOTTR is currently monitoring a tornado-warned supercell in South Dakota. More updates to come as we continue safely observing and learning from this incredible storm.

🌪️ Purdue EAPS SPOTTR 2026: Day 4 ⛈️Weather can be confusing, but that’s exactly why we’re out here learning!Yesterday, ...
06/03/2026

🌪️ Purdue EAPS SPOTTR 2026: Day 4 ⛈️

Weather can be confusing, but that’s exactly why we’re out here learning!

Yesterday, the SPOTTR team started the day in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, and made our way north into South Dakota. We took in the stunning landscapes of western South Dakota before arriving near Sturgis, where we launched our daily weather balloon and radiosonde to sample the atmosphere. All of us gathered around the laptop to see real time data come in.

Forecast parameters suggested the potential for storm development, but Mother Nature had other plans. Several storms developed over the Black Hills throughout the afternoon, only to weaken as they moved toward our target area. We kept a close eye on a lone storm to our northwest and monitored additional storms to our south and west while discussing why the environment wasn’t supporting the stronger, tornado-producing supercells we had been watching for. Sometimes the biggest lessons come from the storms that don’t happen.

Along the way, we also crossed paths with researchers participating in the In-situ Collaborative Experiment for the Collection of Hail in the Plains (ICECHIP), providing another opportunity for students to see field research in action.

We wrapped up the day in historic Sturgis as a round of non-severe thunderstorms moved overhead, bringing plenty of lightning and even a little pea-sized hail. The “Bingo Bus” also needed a quick oil stop before we enjoyed an incredible display of mammatus clouds during our evening drive east. After a late-night trek of about three and a half hours, the team settled into Chamberlain, South Dakota.

Looking ahead to today, undergraduate students Nick, Hailey, and Elara led this morning’s weather briefing. Current forecasts point us toward east central South Dakota. Enough time to play some euchre in the hotel lobby and to get a quick late morning weather brief from Dr. Dan Dawson!

Stay tuned as Day 4 unfolds! 🌩️📡🎈

🌪️ Purdue EAPS SPOTTR 2026: Day 3 ⛈️Fueled by a good night’s rest and a hearty breakfast, the team kicked off the day wi...
06/02/2026

🌪️ Purdue EAPS SPOTTR 2026: Day 3 ⛈️

Fueled by a good night’s rest and a hearty breakfast, the team kicked off the day with a forecast briefing led by undergraduate students Jackson, Noor, and Ella. After analyzing the latest weather data, today’s target appears to be western South Dakota as we continue our storm spotting journey across the Plains.

🌪️ Purdue EAPS SPOTTR 2026: Day 2 Recap ⛈️Follow student posts at: https://bsky.app/profile/eaps-spottr.bsky.socialAnoth...
06/02/2026

🌪️ Purdue EAPS SPOTTR 2026: Day 2 Recap ⛈️

Follow student posts at: https://bsky.app/profile/eaps-spottr.bsky.social

Another successful day in the field!

The morning began with a stop in Colby, Kansas, where the team reviewed surface observations and refined the forecast for the afternoon. From there, we pushed west into Colorado and positioned on a developing supercell that eventually prompted a tornado warning near Anton.

Students observed several brief gustnadoes along a boundary feeding into the supercell, offering another great real-world learning opportunity. The team also deployed the RaXPol mobile radar to collect valuable data on the storm as it matured.

The storm’s outflow had a few plans of its own, sending waves of dust across our location and giving everyone an up-close lesson in High Plains wind. We spent about an hour watching the supercell drift across the northeastern horizon, displaying impressive structure as it moved away.

The drive ended in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, where we’re setting up for a shorter trip tomorrow as attention turns toward South Dakota and another promising forecast area. Somewhere along the way, one vehicle apparently broke into Christmas carols… complete with beatboxing accompaniment. Field science comes with surprises! 😂

Speaking of surprises, the day ended with a sight that immediately caught everyone’s attention in the hotel parking lot: the DOW 8 (Doppler on Wheels) radar truck. A pretty fitting way to cap off a great day of learning and storm spotting!

🌪️ Purdue EAPS SPOTTR 2026: Day 2 ⛈️Follow student posts at: https://bsky.app/profile/eaps-spottr.bsky.socialDay 1 is in...
06/01/2026

🌪️ Purdue EAPS SPOTTR 2026: Day 2 ⛈️

Follow student posts at: https://bsky.app/profile/eaps-spottr.bsky.social

Day 1 is in the books!

Yesterday, the SPOTTR team launched their first weather balloon of the trip, with a little help from Purdue Pete! The balloon provided valuable atmospheric data as students practiced gathering and analyzing real-world observations in the field.

As the day progressed, we monitored surface observations and adjusted our route into a more favorable environment for storm development. We observed a pair of weak low-precipitation supercells, giving students a great opportunity to study storm structure and evolution.

We were also able to scan the supercells with the RaXPol radar truck. This is the first time since 2019 that SPOTTR has had a mobile radar join the trip. Thank you to the National Science Foundation for sponsoring this educational deployment to Purdue!

Learn more about RaXPol: https://arrc.ou.edu/radar_raxpol.html

The day wrapped up with an impressive lightning display across the Kansas sky before the team arrived in Topeka late last night.

Today, we’re continuing westward, with parts of western Kansas and eastern Colorado in our sights as we look for the next opportunity to put forecasting skills into action.

05/31/2026

🌪️ Purdue EAPS SPOTTR 2026: Day 1 ⛈️

Our first weather balloon launch of the trip is in the books! We are about 20 minutes east of Kansas City.

These launches give us a snapshot of the atmosphere from the ground up, measuring temperature, humidity, pressure and wind as the balloon climbs thousands of feet into the sky. The data helps us better understand the environment where storms may develop.

📺 👀 Check out the full episode! ⬇️60 Minutes Host Scott Pelley takes viewers deep inside Hang Son Doong, a cave in Vietn...
05/31/2026

📺 👀 Check out the full episode! ⬇️
60 Minutes Host Scott Pelley takes viewers deep inside Hang Son Doong, a cave in Vietnam, which features an underground landscape of epic scale. The segment “Wonder of the World” features Darryl Granger, a long-time caver and geologist who has studied the cave and was on the 2010 expedition showing it was the world’s largest cave passage. Granger is also Purdue University’s College of Science Associate Dean of Faculty Affairs and a Purdue EAPS professor.
Catch the episode here: https://purduesci.com/4c27yfH

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