Kristen Axon

The decor looks great 🤌🍁

With @nebrnoisalex.bsky.social

Today's 4th was partially spent doing a 5 mile run at 7 am in air-you-can-wear. Before photos of us only, and post run beers 😎🥵🎆

After 42 days and 15,000 + miles driven, #ICECHIP completed 24 IOPs across 11 states, including within 75 miles from both the Mexico and Canada borders. This totaled more than 10,000 hailstones collected by our teams while data was gathered on different types of hailstorms!

Our 23rd #ICECHIP deployment yesterday was successful, and the sunset was incredible. This was Purdue's final day on this historic project that I'm grateful to have been a part of. Next up is a very long drive south to bring the instruments home 🫡

Today will be our “last dance” (officially) with severe hailstorms in North Dakota for the #ICECHIP effort. History was made as we collected, measured, and crushed over 10,000 hailstones across ~20 days. We are excited for the dataset that will be analyzed for many years to come!

"Needle in a haystack" funnel cloud south of Philip, SD around 6 pm MDT today. Passenger side photo taken while @meteodan.bsky.social was driving.

Sometimes we get to do other fun things during field campaigns. A hike at Scotts Bluff National Monument this evening was one of them for me #ICECHIP

Supercell from #ICECHIP 's 20th deployment on June 20th at the ND/SD border. Lots of strong winds with this storm, but most importantly hail too that was collected!

What we're actually here for 🧊

More pictures 📸

I've been home for almost week after a crew swap, so I've lost track of the deployments. But, I was in Texas before coming home, and I'm grateful to have been there for IOP12 (to me, our most successful ground deployment yet). #ICECHIP

Calming shelf before the storm (and dust) on our 8th #ICECHIP deployment on a QLCS in the TX panhandle. Stayed the night along Route 66 (they should make a Cars movie with storm chasing armadas)

Peep @wxjaime.bsky.social bag-covered sandals after forgetting her tennis shoes in Minicow for our 7th #ICECHIP deployment.

Finally got to see some hail post storm on our fifth #ICECHIP deployment. Our Purdue PIPs got a great variety of hail and rain.

#ICECHIP had a successful deployment in NE Colorado May 23rd 🧊🌪⛈️ (personally saw a tornado before seeing any hail, but the rest of the team got the frozen stones)

Teams had the most successful IOP yet today in Colorado, featuring > 70-80 mm hailstones (large apple sized) and an unexpected tornado near Akron! Well done everyone!

Can you volunteer on icechip for one deployment so we can test this. We need some bigger hail though 😂

You literally seem like a tornado magnet 😂

Can't forget to spotlight the PIPS

Still personally awaiting to see some hail, but got through 2 ICECHIP deployments thus far ⛈️🌧

🧊 ICECHIP field campaign set to get started! #teamPIPS #PurdueEAPS

Some scenes from @nsficechip.bsky.social media day. As soon as it wrapped, the crew hit the road to Kansas! Weather waits for no one! #ICECHIP @dowfacility.bsky.social @storm-spotter-k.bsky.social @morgancrows.bsky.social

REMINDER:

ICECHIP Field Day is tomorrow from 2-4 pm MDT for open viewing to the general public in Boulder, CO! Come see our instruments and talk to us before we head to the Plains! More information in the flyer below.

#ICECHIP began day 1 of training in Boulder, with nearly 90 students, researchers, and professionals learning more about the campaign plan and safety!

Two people at the finish line of a marathon holding a survivor-themed sign

A tree canopy viewed from the middle of a roadway

A view of the Illinois River from the middle of a roadway with trees in the foreground and distance

An elevation plot from the Garmin app showing drastic elevation changes

Survived the hills at the Starved Rock Half Marathon (my first) and had the best sign thanks to @storm-spotter-k.bsky.social

1:52:17 / 8:34 pace

Touching grass and the sky.

Thanks Billy!!

Yes!! It's been very eye-opening (and challenging) experiencing how precarious modeling is

Thank you! I definitely did many different tests to successfully initiate storms. Harder to do in modeling than I first expected!