Hello.
A broad risk area today with a cold front across Wyoming and dry line through Colorado, which will mix eastwards. Better instability along the dry line but high cloud bases vs lower instability around the cold front but lower cloud bases, and backed surface flow. Southern Wyoming and vicinity probably looks best. We'll make a choice soon and head off from Denver.
Sunday, 27 May 2018
May 26th
Hello.
Today was a positioning day in order to chase on Sunday. We drove from Amarillo to Denver, taking the route via Clayton and Raton, New Mexico...it's quite a scenic drive.
Tomorrow brings a risk of severe thunderstorms from Colorado northwards. We will evaluate where to go in the morning.
Today was a positioning day in order to chase on Sunday. We drove from Amarillo to Denver, taking the route via Clayton and Raton, New Mexico...it's quite a scenic drive.
Tomorrow brings a risk of severe thunderstorms from Colorado northwards. We will evaluate where to go in the morning.
Saturday, 26 May 2018
May 25th quick summary
Hello. It's late so just a quick summary before bed...pics should appear tomorrow.
Had lunch in Woodward before heading to Arnett and then points south.
Nice chase today with a couple of marginal LP storms, the second of which appeared to have its roots from either residual lift from a previous left split from the first or convergence from anvil cooled air and hotter air outside. Some good dusty outflow, cracking colours and rainbows, CGs, and a heat burst! The temp went up to 94F in outflow! Followed it all towards Mangum before calling it a night. Took a long slog to Amarillo and now it's burger time! Good to catch up with Oliver Ewers, Adam Simpkins, David Johnny Vicary, Lou Ruh, Ed Sweeney.
Edit: pics here now!
Had lunch in Woodward before heading to Arnett and then points south.
Nice chase today with a couple of marginal LP storms, the second of which appeared to have its roots from either residual lift from a previous left split from the first or convergence from anvil cooled air and hotter air outside. Some good dusty outflow, cracking colours and rainbows, CGs, and a heat burst! The temp went up to 94F in outflow! Followed it all towards Mangum before calling it a night. Took a long slog to Amarillo and now it's burger time! Good to catch up with Oliver Ewers, Adam Simpkins, David Johnny Vicary, Lou Ruh, Ed Sweeney.
Edit: pics here now!
Friday, 25 May 2018
May 25th thoughts
Morning.
A cluster of storms moved SE through Oklahoma overnight and has left an outflow boundary in its wake. A dryline is out west and should mix east, with a surface low forming over the OK Panhandle. We'll head to Woodward and await developments, but being E or NE of the surface low, near the boundary, is the goal.
A cluster of storms moved SE through Oklahoma overnight and has left an outflow boundary in its wake. A dryline is out west and should mix east, with a surface low forming over the OK Panhandle. We'll head to Woodward and await developments, but being E or NE of the surface low, near the boundary, is the goal.
May 24th - report
Hello. We started the day in North Platte, Nebraska. We decided to head south into NW Kansas as various models simulated thunderstorms developing to the west, and perhaps across the area too. We had lunch in Goodland, and waited for a while, having intercepted a dust devil on the way down! We could see a line of cumulus bubbling away to our east and south-east, and this marked a wind shift line. Later runs of hi-res models showed thunderstorms developing from this so we headed east, to Colby, which was pretty much under the line. We briefly saw Berni King, before her tour van drove off and left her - for a short while!
We waited here for a while, and I Facetimed my Mum and Dad - that was around 4pm CDT. Towards 5pm, the cumulus was getting rather larger, and so we headed just a little east to get a better view, away from the truck stop. We could here thunder rumbling occasionally. This storm intensified, and so we headed eastwards, towards (but not as far as) Hoxie. We got into the back of the storm and found some hail which was around 0.5 inches in diameter. A few larger stones, to 0.75-1 inch were occasionally mixed in, but it was mainly marble-sized. We headed east and then south, towards Oakley, but stopped as the hail got quite heavy. After a while it eased, and we carried on southwards, but found some hail lying on the road, which looked cool (ha!).
We continued to Oakley, and watched the storms for a while - Lou Ruh, Ed Sweeney and partner, and Nathan Edwards showed up too, so we had a nice catch-up. Lightning was putting on a nice show, and we had a bit of a dust storm as the gust front blew through.
After a while longer we decided to head to Garden City for the night - lightning was playing along the eastern horizon, and also to the south-east, from another cell.
It was a fun chase day with some nice photo ops.
We waited here for a while, and I Facetimed my Mum and Dad - that was around 4pm CDT. Towards 5pm, the cumulus was getting rather larger, and so we headed just a little east to get a better view, away from the truck stop. We could here thunder rumbling occasionally. This storm intensified, and so we headed eastwards, towards (but not as far as) Hoxie. We got into the back of the storm and found some hail which was around 0.5 inches in diameter. A few larger stones, to 0.75-1 inch were occasionally mixed in, but it was mainly marble-sized. We headed east and then south, towards Oakley, but stopped as the hail got quite heavy. After a while it eased, and we carried on southwards, but found some hail lying on the road, which looked cool (ha!).
We continued to Oakley, and watched the storms for a while - Lou Ruh, Ed Sweeney and partner, and Nathan Edwards showed up too, so we had a nice catch-up. Lightning was putting on a nice show, and we had a bit of a dust storm as the gust front blew through.
After a while longer we decided to head to Garden City for the night - lightning was playing along the eastern horizon, and also to the south-east, from another cell.
It was a fun chase day with some nice photo ops.
Thursday, 24 May 2018
May 24th - lunch
Hello. We've stopped in Goodland, Kansas, for lunch. Storms should develop across this area through this afternoon and evening, or move in from the west. A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued, mainly for winds, but some hail possible too.
May 23rd report
Hello.
We started the day in eastern Denver, knowing that our aerial was likely to arrive at some point - we'd received the exciting news that it had got to Denver, and was out for delivery! We packed up and left the motel at 11am and drove to the previous motel, and engaged in some kind of stake out, outside the hotel, waiting for the USPS delivery to arrive!
A storm then developed so we headed a few hundred yards away to get a look at it - quickly we then noticed that the status of the package had changed to 'delivered'! We legged it back, picked up the package, installed the aerial, and we were 'good to go'.
We headed NE on I-76 - our storm had developed into a weak supercell, and we got a few nice pics before it fell apart.
We continued north-east to Fort Morgan and got some lunch. We then noticed a new storm or two had developed, and so we continued NE and then N to Sidney, Nebraska, and then east, briefly saying hi to Mike Olbinski in the process.
We paused at a rest area near Big Springs (after a short stop beforehand) and saw some pretty cool structure on the storm to our NW. We continued east and then north towards Oshkosh, pausing to get further pics and some timelapse. Nathan Edwards joined us and it was great to catch-up.
He headed off, and we did too, heading east from Oshkosh. We found a nice spot overlooking Lake McCanaughy and got some shots of the storm as it moved away.
We then headed to North Platte for the night, where we met Jimmy Deguara from Australia in Applebee's, and we ate dinner together. Nathan joined us too and we had a nice catch-up and de-brief.
All in all a lovely day's chasing. And funny to think the last time we were in North Platte was 2 days before the total eclipse last August.
Here are a few pics.
We started the day in eastern Denver, knowing that our aerial was likely to arrive at some point - we'd received the exciting news that it had got to Denver, and was out for delivery! We packed up and left the motel at 11am and drove to the previous motel, and engaged in some kind of stake out, outside the hotel, waiting for the USPS delivery to arrive!
A storm then developed so we headed a few hundred yards away to get a look at it - quickly we then noticed that the status of the package had changed to 'delivered'! We legged it back, picked up the package, installed the aerial, and we were 'good to go'.
We headed NE on I-76 - our storm had developed into a weak supercell, and we got a few nice pics before it fell apart.
We continued north-east to Fort Morgan and got some lunch. We then noticed a new storm or two had developed, and so we continued NE and then N to Sidney, Nebraska, and then east, briefly saying hi to Mike Olbinski in the process.
We paused at a rest area near Big Springs (after a short stop beforehand) and saw some pretty cool structure on the storm to our NW. We continued east and then north towards Oshkosh, pausing to get further pics and some timelapse. Nathan Edwards joined us and it was great to catch-up.
He headed off, and we did too, heading east from Oshkosh. We found a nice spot overlooking Lake McCanaughy and got some shots of the storm as it moved away.
We then headed to North Platte for the night, where we met Jimmy Deguara from Australia in Applebee's, and we ate dinner together. Nathan joined us too and we had a nice catch-up and de-brief.
All in all a lovely day's chasing. And funny to think the last time we were in North Platte was 2 days before the total eclipse last August.
Here are a few pics.
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