06-15-2009 REPORTS: CO, KS, NE, OK

[Darin Brunin]

Mike Parker, Dick McGowan, and I viewed two tornadoes southeast of Kinsley, KS. The first was a morphing merry-go-round multivortex type tornado and the second was a somewhat larger cone tornado that quickly became obscured in rain after a couple of minutes. The storm seemed pretty outflowish for a lot of its life with some awesome gustnadoes, but ramped up for a few minutes and put on a good, but short, tornado show.

Here is the second tornado as it was getting wrapped and was becoming a bit smaller in width...

Will post video tomorrow...

 

[Andrew Stoller]

Leave it to me! Every time I head for KS on a chase, a tornadofest happens in my back yard.

Anyhow, I tried racing for the storms east of Dodge City but just couldn't keep up. Disgusted and feeling down right lousy from missing the Elbert county action in CO, I made my way home only to run into some tornado warned cells around Goodland. I got on the cell that did a right split south of Goodland. Great LP structure, but little in the way of tornadic potential. I'm just glad I salvaged something.

 

[J.B. Dixon]

I was on the tornadic cell SW of Hastings, NE last night. After getting out of Lincoln way late, I trucked down I-80 hoping for some secondary initiation along the NE/KS border around 00Z or so. Nice bullseye of 4500 CAPE over 250 0-1 SRHaround the Franklin County, NE area made me hang on to some hope.

Got to Grand Island for a last data grab, and that's when the initial cell was just popping up. Dropped south through Juniata, NE and watched an incredible meso take shape. Shot some good time-lase video here (hopefully). The front side of the meso started to push out, and I was fearing it would overtake me, so I moved a few miles east.

After stopping again, you could clearly see the pseudo-detatchment from the eastern meso. I filmed the initial vorticies, of course with a local teenager coming up to my truck to talk during the entire thing (really nice kid, though!), then during repositioning a touch south, I thought I was filming the nice cone tornado that formed. After looking at the video at a stop on the way home, apparently I messed up, hitting a button twice or something, because I got about two seconds of nothing during that final tornado. Ahhh, new camera, nice tornado tucked waaaay back there.....it happens.

I dropped south to the Hwy 281/74 intersection, and decided to bust east on Hwy 74 for some structure shots, if I could get any. The precip core wrapping around the backside of the meso was incredibly intense-looking, and I figured I had came for what I was looking for. Broke off the chase and head towards home.

Didn't see any chasers on this storm until I saw Hollingshead pass by me on Hwy 281. about 5-10 minutes after it tornadoed. Very interesting day with so many different setups everywhere for chasers to choose from. It was a satisfying way to possibly end my 2009 season after so much apathy and dissapointment.

I'll post some video and some crappy stills later today.

A link to NWS Hastings' summary and images from last night's event have been posted on the Discussion thread here.

 

[Greg McLaughlin]

Here is the link to the tornado video we shot near El Dorado, KS yesterday:

http://www.lightningboy.net/content/061509bnvnel-dorado-kansastornadoesflv

 

[Charles Kuster]

We also saw the tornado southwest of Hastings, Nebraska yesterday.

I originally targeted the KS/NE border and we ended up waiting in the Phillipsburg, KS area for a long time. We were beginning to lose hope that anything would happen, but then, while sitting in Alma, NE, I noticed a storm beginning to form just to the southwest of Minden, NE. We raced east on highway 4 and then north on 281 towards the storm.

At this point the RFD and clear slot were quite evident (8:10pm). As we drove just east of the town of Ayr, NE the storm produced a nice cone tornado at ~8:19pm CDT. It was (as Mike mentioned) well west of the new meso and was approximately 7 miles WNW of our location.

As the meso completely occluded, the tornado became similar in size to the parent meso and took on a fat "cigar" shape. The tornado roped out at 8:29pm CDT, so we moved east on highway 74 to stay ahead of the storm. The structure was really good and we stayed with the storm until dark, breaking off the chase near Nelson, NE.

Overall, it was a very good day and an awesome way to end our 2009 chase season. Congrats to everyone else who saw storms yesterday!

 

[Eugene Thieszen]

Dodge City to Kinsley Chase

Walt Gish and I were on the Dodge City area storms basically from initiation after having targeted Jetmore. Watched the first storm go up from the Santa Fe Trail historical marker WNW of Dodge and then again from the rest area at the 283 junction ENE. As we followed the storm E it began to rapidly go high-based (we suspected it was being seeded by the anvil of the newer storm to the SW near Cimmarron) so we returned to the rest area, a vantage point from which we could observe both.

As the NE storm began to reorganize we followed it along 50/56 toward Kinsley and managed to get in front of it, though not easily. Our first confirmed tornado was W of Kinsley, south of 50/56 at approx 5:25 pm. What at first appeared to be a RFD gustnado we discovered to be a tor when I noticed the rotation and stub funnel above it. It was weak and short-lived.

We proceeded to Kinsley and turned S on 183 to get ahead of the storm which was migrating rather quickly SE. Just south of the Arkansas River (one lane open!) bridge we found ourselves (very much to our chagrin-we try hard to keep safe margins) in the outer rain curtains of the Kinsley tornado as it developed right over 183 at approx 5:35 pm. Not exactly pleasant as they rapidly gained strength. Once clear we pulled off the road and stepped out of the vehicle. The noise of the tornado was immediately obvious as were numerous power flashes although the tornado itself was largely obscured in rain and dust. We stayed with it for a while and when what was probably the second tornado out of that feature dissipated we broke off to head south and take a look at what we thought were probably some LP cells in the NE Texas panhandle.

We were not disappointed and were treated to a picturesque LP with a tremendous hail roar as the sun was setting SW of Laverne, OK.

Gene
WXtreme Chase Team

Some links to pictures:

The tornado W of Kinsley
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=21812&l=e53999d666&id=1795142262

The tornado SE of Kinsley (mostly obscured) looking NE from 183
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=21814&l=cd59e8751b&id=1795142262

One of numerous power flashes from the Kinsley tornado (vid cap)
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=21810&l=397a93257e&id=1795142262

Vid cap of the second (probably) tornado SE of Kinsley as we drove E:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=21815&l=0a9442833a&id=1795142262

A peaceful end to a wild day-the Laverne LP
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=21813&l=a706454e17&id=1795142262

 

[Stuart Robinson]

Stove pipe tornado near to Belpre, Kansas.

Sorry I dont recall the time...

 

[Mike Parker]

Dick McGowan, Darin Brunin and I were on the Kinsley, KS storm.

Just getting to Kinsley(ish) area and storm was producing a nice wall cloud:

It tried but was swallowed up by the outflow:

We drove back east and got into some Gustnados....not tornados (IMHO)...with some hella nice winds in them:

Got back on 50 and headed east through the nasty core and came out NE of a huge rotating meso:

It dropped a stovepipe tornado that lasted only a short time:

A few minutes later a new area of rotation dropped this rain wrapped cone tornado:

All in all it was a great chase. We drove east to try and get on the new convection east of Wichita but of course it fell apart before we could get there. We were then swallowed up by the MCS and was pounded by some incredible wind gusts. Was home by 11:30. Nice.

 

[Jesse Risley]

We intercepted this cell near Bellefont, and then continued to follow the cell to near Hutchinson, staying mainly on the SE flank of the cell before everything became more linear in orientation.

My photos were taken from Highway 183 approximately 2-3 miles SSE of Kinsley, looking back NW. We could see areas of rapid circulation, one of which almost ran us over just outside of Kinsley, along with power flashes and a multitude of dust swirls, gustnadoes, etc. Our vantage point did not give us the photogenic view of the tornado that others had, but here they are nonetheless.

 

[George Grant]

SE/SC Nebraska

I didn't get off work until 2:00pm, so I knew I wouldn't be driving out to the Sandhills/Panhandle or to Dodge City. The southeasterly winds in southeast Nebraska into the northern tier counties of Kansas appealed to me. Headed south to Auburn and decided the very light winds wouldn't do much. Made my way west along US 136 to Fairbury where towers were exploding. Got suckered into the first tower I encountered (instead of heading further west into better winds and sigtor parameters) and followed it a short way east of Fairbury. It had an inflow band extending several miles to the ESE. But, this storm started waning as quickly as it had gone up. Literally turned a 180 in my tracks and had another base several miles to my southwest. This cell had nice striations and a mothership look. But, it could only manage a weak shear marker in GR. I stayed northeast of this cell as my original storm (to my northeast) had re-intensified with a huge base. I followed along to the east as I had rotation about two miles to my north and three miles to my south. Watched a guy drive straight onto a min maint road with a small two-wheel-drive sedan in moderate rain. I turned north to follow the northern storm as I got close real fast; even at just 20mph. The next scan put it stationary and a right turn and about a mile in front of me. Back to the south as the huge base was enveloping me and then back to the west. In a matter of minutes, the rotation was gone and the several storms in this vicinity had congealed into one, large rain mass.

Geo

 

[Daniel Christianson]

Easily sum it up, targeted Ness City then realized i needed to be further south. Heard all the reports of the tornadoes coming in from Macksville, Kinsley and such, i was the next highway north, coming down south on 183 to try and intercept lol. Well got my nice looking hail dents finally, dime to quarter sized hail for a good 12 minutes or more. Visibility really sucked north and south so i just putted around in it till i saw light. Pics later on, and maybe to edit as well.

 

[Justin Avery]

El Dorado cell

My wife and I left from Joplin, MO and caught up to the supercell east of El Dorado just after it stopped producing the tornado mentioned previously(of course!) We were with it from south of Reese to NW of Eureka and were able to get some nice footage of the mesos/funnels that it continued to produce for quite awhile. As has been mentioned as well it really struggled to stay organized but I thought it was a gorgeous storm. I just posted the video I put together from last night.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KGw4uxE2s4


Our chase ended when we came up on a father with his teenage daughter(locals) who had been chasing on the same dirt roads and had shredded a tire. No cell service, no way to change the tire and in the middle of nowhere. He mentioned 3 other chasers had zoomed on past without any offers of help

 

[Brian Stertz]

Flint Hills KS chase

Chased the Marion-Chase Co. supercells with a few funnels and one solid deep bowl wall cloud that I was sure would produce. It quickly got encased in rain/hail and I lost the circulation as a result of the lack of roads to stay on it. The first is a photo of the funnel I saw looking southwest a ways which was in the Florence-Cedar Point area (likely very close to the Marion/Chase county line). The second photo is of the impressive bowl shaped wall cloud that developed on a small but vigorously rotating supercell between Cottonwood Falls & Matfield Green. Again I would have bet the farm that this would drop a tornado...but that was not to be. I would have had a front row seat had this happened....big sigh On the way home I observed a nicely structured (albeit gusted out) supercell to the northeast of Emporia. It was after sunset so lighting was sub-par. However I could see a very nice RFD wedge cut into the updraft and a wound up circulation in the spot you would expect it to be. All in all not a bad chase...for a tail end of the spring season type chase.

Funnel Cloud looking southwest towards Cedar Point KS​

Strongly rotating bowl wall cloud north of Matfield Green KS​

 

[Rocky Rascovich]

Even after a month of driving for Cloud 9.. I hadn't had enough, so I went on my last official chase for this season and scored big with threee tornadoes near El Dorado, KS. The motion of the first cell's wall cloud closest to El Dorado was intense and after several minutes finally produced, albeit brief (maybe 3 minutes if that) The other two were farther east near Hwy 400. they were ropy funnels, the second one lasting almost 5 minutes. Storm structure was incredible. I shot great video of the first one and took several stills of the second. The third was too brief and I never got a picture.

I followed the cell as it went up to near Emporia, by sundown, It frequently produced funnel clouds, some reaching half way to ground level, but would disappear after about a minute at most. I was about 20mi. south of Emporia and the wall cloud suddenly fell apart so I blew it off only to have a TOR issued shortly afterwards. I stayed the night in Yates Center where we had one amazing storm come through around 2230 and another sometime in the predawn hours that I swore had a few bolts literally hit in the parking lot.. We were without power most of the night so sleep was a precious commodity.

I will post pics soon plus many pics from the Cloud 9 tours escapade.. it's been a rewarding and memorable time.

 

[Steve Miller TX]

Two nice LP supercells around Lipscomb and Booker, TX.