Stormchase USA 07

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Tue 29/05/2007 10:14

Sitting outside Shari's Cafe at Ashley, North Dakota. This is a one horse town, no McDonalds here but the burgers are home made, sensational! According to the latest RUC we have 4000+ CAPE over us but very strongly capped. The area where Foggy/03stormchaser are heading is looking better now. Good luck guys! We will hang back here and hope for an isolated supercell on the cold front this evening.

Manukau heads obs · Tue 29/05/2007 13:44

Foggy, you might just end up in Canada if you follow those CB showers NEwards!
LOL

Looks like a frustrating day knowing area to target.....the storms coming off the black hills look good, and that one in Nebraska is still going strong (huge anvil on the sat pic!)

03Stormchaser · Unread post by **03Stormchaser** » Tue 29/05/2007 15:00

Total BUST!!!!!!

Manukau heads obs · Tue 29/05/2007 15:25

dang
that Cap was just too strong and the upper level ridge was too late moving into the area by the looks
i feel your pain guys!
(especialy when there was other storms in other areas that were out out of the SPC target area!)

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Tue 29/05/2007 15:26

Yeah - the cap was too strong today

We're headiing south for accommodation on the I90.
The storms over W South Dakota are coming this way!

Manukau heads obs · Tue 29/05/2007 16:34

Looks like foggy and steve might get action later 2 nite in Jamesstown.....line of CB's heading their way.,....from the west...and they look active at the moment!

03Stormchaser · Unread post by **03Stormchaser** » Tue 29/05/2007 17:29

hmm looking at radar, they may just miss us. Should still get abit of a lightning display anyway.

Manukau heads obs · Tue 29/05/2007 18:22

a big drive back down to hill city, Kansas tomorrow?

Manukau heads obs · Wed 30/05/2007 06:53

Hi
you can see the car on the GPS, stormchasing.com., which Peter Wharton is a driver for (from Papakura)...he is driving now I think (one of the big white vans they have (see his picture and pictures of the chase vehicles on their web site (where they make alot of claims too!)

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Wed 30/05/2007 07:03

Targeting NW Kansas 5% tornado risk today. Should be some good storms. Drove through heavy rain and thunderstorms in Nebraska this morning. Made a boring drive more interesting I guess although the heavy rain slowed us down.

Looks like we missed a great storm near North Platte yesterday where we started our day to go to the Dakota bust.

Stay tuned for updates

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Wed 30/05/2007 09:22

Waiting at Goodland. See what happens. Broken cu but a fine day here, T26C.

Manukau heads obs · Wed 30/05/2007 09:27

wow, thats a big drive out of way. What time did you leave Nzstorm?
foggy must be off line at the moment? (re gps tracking)

Manukau heads obs · Wed 30/05/2007 10:33

I am guessing you have burned west on the I70 to meet that line at Limon NZstorm (where the rain radar shows the cells are rotating (meso's) and they are tornado warned , ?

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Wed 30/05/2007 10:34

wow, thats a big drive out of way.

Yep. I broke my own rule never to go north for anything less than a 10% tornado risk and paid the price. We had breakfast at Murdo I90 at 9am this morning and made very good time south. The thunderstorms in Nebraska put on a nice lightning show for us with a spectacular roll cloud as well. But there was a lot of rain and I couldn't see much else happening there today despite the tornado watch box.

Still at Goodland but getting impatient. There is a severe storm near Limon and we may decide to go after it shortly. With the relatively high dp's here and a good southerly breeze I can see these storms lasting well into the evening.

Not sure on position of Willoughby.

Manukau heads obs · Wed 30/05/2007 10:48

the frontal line does not seem to making much progress E or SE
and the individual supercells are slowly starting to join a line to create a MCS
that cell approaching Limon looks weaker now..on the rain radar....but it might get stronger ....it would have been good to have been on it at its peak...
looks like another frustrating day, with things not going to plan/predictions, yet again!
yes, even though you told me you would not go north to the Dakato's unless it looked real good...the temptation was just too great huh.I guess after a few more years of experience you will get to the point where you will blow off a day like that and instead wait for things to move back into the area you are in now...

anyway, enjoying doing some armchair chasing!

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Wed 30/05/2007 10:57

Just at Burlington now, and convection is exploding to our W/NW.

gllitz · Unread post by **gllitz** » Wed 30/05/2007 11:06

NZstorm wrote:Just at Burlington now, and convection is exploding to our W/NW.

There have been several tornado warnings already for NE Co....have fun and be safe...

(explode IS the word for it, based on the radar images I am seeing....eek!)

Willoughby · Unread post by **Willoughby** » Wed 30/05/2007 11:25

Heading for Kansas City for the night. Near Omaha, NE now.. have had intermittent heavy rain on the way down.. even a couple of CGs on the weak storm in view now to the south. Might target the SW'ern TX Panhandle.. but it is a big drive for a few slightly severe thunderstorms without much tornadic potential.

We decided to turn off the GPS tracking for now.

Good to hear you guys are getting explosions.

Manukau heads obs · Wed 30/05/2007 11:43

Foggy, you could go and visit CarterLake, in Omaha, maybe, while you are there?
he would put you up for the night I am sure

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Wed 30/05/2007 12:28

We are in eastern Co watching a lovely CG show and the storm trying to put down a wall cloud. May get some lightning shots when it gets dark. Will aim for Limon tonight. Homeward bound tomorrow.

Looks like there could be some chaseable weather in the Ok/TX panhandle for the remainder of Foggy/steves time here.

NZstorm · Unread post by **NZstorm** » Wed 30/05/2007 14:25

Plent of hail in Colorado today. Arrived in Limon to hail drifts lying about the place. Looked like winter and the temperature here is 8C! Some of the hail stones are golf ball size. The proprieter of the hotel told me the hail storm struck before 5pm. Just raining here now with still the odd flash and rumble. We had CG's and heavy rain all the way up the I70 to Limon.

I see on the weather channel one part of Nebraska has had 125mm today from the storms.

spwill · Unread post by **spwill** » Wed 30/05/2007 17:51

NZstorm,
Fill your gas tank at Limon as Petrol near Denver Airport is very expensive

. Have a safe trip home.

Willoughby · Unread post by **Willoughby** » Thu 31/05/2007 14:40

We're in Liberal, southwest Kansas targeting the large slight risk extending from Iowa to the TX panhandle for tomorrow including a good chance at supercells over western Kansas.
The last chase day on our American trip... so we're hoping it's the exact opposite to what we had in North Dakota.

gllitz · Unread post by **gllitz** » Thu 31/05/2007 14:58

Foggy Hamilton wrote:We're in Liberal, southwest Kansas targeting the large slight risk extending from Iowa to the TX panhandle for tomorrow including a good chance at supercells over western Kansas.
The last chase day on our American trip... so we're hoping it's the exact opposite to what we had in North Dakota.

May your last day be your best day!!

Willoughby · Unread post by **Willoughby** » Thu 31/05/2007 18:15

...And it has been upgraded to a MODERATE RISK!

2nd time we've seen that!