5/22/07 NOW: KS/NE/OK

[Caleb Kimbrough]

We just got kicked out of McDonalds here in Hays because the sirens were going off. We wanted some apple pies dangit.

It's pretty windy here, and the lighting it phenomenal.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

We just got kicked out of McDonalds here in Hays because the sirens were going off. We wanted some apple pies dangit.

It's pretty windy here, and the lighting it phenomenal.

You ain't kidding. I'm here too and am surprised the inflow winds are still this strong this close to the storm/shelf.

For those around here that shoot stills there's a pretty cool scene behind the walmart looking towards teh storm with the field lit up by parking lot lights.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

LOL never tried to check in before and the desk people are going to cover. Firetrucks going around with their sirens on the loud speaker saying to take cover. As the big scary shelf closes in.

 

[Derek Weston]

Tornado warning for Harlan county in south central Nebraska. GRLX shows a TVS. (though nothing tremendous looking, IMO) Area of most concern appears to be near or just west of Republican City.

 

[Amos Magliocco]

Jay Cazel and Amos Magliocco look to be very close to the baseball to softball sized hail core in KS now. I hope they are able to get out of the way. Undoubtedly there will be some serious downburst winds with the line also.

I connect to the internet (and therefore spotter network) intermittently via cell phone and so my icon gets abandoned in dangerous places well after I'm gone. As you know, I'm the world's safest chaser.

Tonight's storm near St. Peter's had already put on a striated-vault, mothership show to beat the band when the tornado came down, a thick tapered cone with an extended ropeout. I would have been delighted with the structure alone; the tornado was a great bonus.

I had reservations about today for both the weak (at least progged) anvil flow and the cold front, but May worked its magic.

 

[Joe Nield]

Mike Kruze, Geoff Fink, and I arrived at the Comfort Inn in Hays just as the storm reached us. The building has lost a small portion of the northwest corner of the roof, due to the 60-70 mph winds (ballpark estimate, I was trying to analyze the heavily aliased radar data from DDC's website at the time). Hail of one inch or possibly a bit greater accompanied the winds here at the Comfort Inn. By the time it was safe enough to venture outside and pick up a stone, they had had some time to melt. We also learned that the windows in the lobby leak like sieves when confronted with heavy rain and high winds.

I'll be interested to get a better look at the surrounding area in the morning, but as of now I'm only seeing indications of straight line wind damage.

What a great day this has been!

 

[David Wolfson]

It took awhile at the Whiskey Creek Restaurant next to the Days Inn in Hays to finish dinner because one of the cooks and our server hid in the basement during the storm . Dean Cosgrove, his guests, myself, the Twister Sisters, and various and sundry other chasers were, of course, glued to the windows watching the hail, wind, and lightshow. A good, solid severe storm where we were, but no monster hail or wind producer. All is calm now -- sigh.