Jason Persoff
EF3
Definitely a top 5 day for me chase-wise.
Short: intercepted mothership supercell on I-40 west of Vega, TX. Top 5 structures I've ever had the pleasure to intercept (tried to make sure to capture as much structure as possible).
Longer: Left Clovis NM and enjoyed a hearty lunch at the Big Texan in AMA with Dr.'s Hark and Balogh and Brad Rousseau and his newly engaged bride-to-be Dana. Headed to Dalhart where the intersection of a N/S boundary existed in a very clearly moist airmass (very hazy). Healthy Cu field bubbled for eternity. I eventually decided Day 2 just looked to marginal for me, so I'd chase any updraft that formed in the airmass along the boundary (which meant foregoing the NM storms).
I eventually was rewarded with a pair of cells that weren't really moving at all just N of Vega. I savored standing in a field in a thread-the-needle spot that allowed me to spend >90 minutes without moving, without precipitation, and with an incredible view.
The two cells duked it out, but eventually the more northerly ingested the southerly storm and then became clearly supercellular as it moved at a snail's pace south. I navigated onto I-40 (since the storm could be circumnavigated easily) and came to a rest stop just about 8:35pm with the cell backlit by the sunset.
It had taken on a beautiful mothership conformation and the lighting allowed for extended shutter times. I was thrilled with CGs in the updraft/downdraft interface. Suddenly on the northern flank of the mothership, a wide cone tornado touched down and rapidly became rain-wrapped--but not before I got the whole damned thing in-frame with lightning to boot. I'll post the pix shortly. A single rain drop marred an otherwise perfect structure shot. But that's fine. I'll take it.
I then got entreated to an amazing CG lightning show, and got to once again stand alone in a field, me and the storm. I have not been this alone with a storm in years. I feel incredibly lucky and satisfied.
Mothership facing west on I-40. Funnel visible on the northern flank (right).
Tornado due west of Vega, TX--time approx 20:35 local (0135z).
Tornado rain wrapping on the northern flank (note, the tornado is NOT the precip core--the precip core is slightly in front of the tornado.
Short: intercepted mothership supercell on I-40 west of Vega, TX. Top 5 structures I've ever had the pleasure to intercept (tried to make sure to capture as much structure as possible).
Longer: Left Clovis NM and enjoyed a hearty lunch at the Big Texan in AMA with Dr.'s Hark and Balogh and Brad Rousseau and his newly engaged bride-to-be Dana. Headed to Dalhart where the intersection of a N/S boundary existed in a very clearly moist airmass (very hazy). Healthy Cu field bubbled for eternity. I eventually decided Day 2 just looked to marginal for me, so I'd chase any updraft that formed in the airmass along the boundary (which meant foregoing the NM storms).
I eventually was rewarded with a pair of cells that weren't really moving at all just N of Vega. I savored standing in a field in a thread-the-needle spot that allowed me to spend >90 minutes without moving, without precipitation, and with an incredible view.
The two cells duked it out, but eventually the more northerly ingested the southerly storm and then became clearly supercellular as it moved at a snail's pace south. I navigated onto I-40 (since the storm could be circumnavigated easily) and came to a rest stop just about 8:35pm with the cell backlit by the sunset.
It had taken on a beautiful mothership conformation and the lighting allowed for extended shutter times. I was thrilled with CGs in the updraft/downdraft interface. Suddenly on the northern flank of the mothership, a wide cone tornado touched down and rapidly became rain-wrapped--but not before I got the whole damned thing in-frame with lightning to boot. I'll post the pix shortly. A single rain drop marred an otherwise perfect structure shot. But that's fine. I'll take it.
I then got entreated to an amazing CG lightning show, and got to once again stand alone in a field, me and the storm. I have not been this alone with a storm in years. I feel incredibly lucky and satisfied.
Mothership facing west on I-40. Funnel visible on the northern flank (right).
Tornado due west of Vega, TX--time approx 20:35 local (0135z).
Tornado rain wrapping on the northern flank (note, the tornado is NOT the precip core--the precip core is slightly in front of the tornado.
