David Wolfson
EF5
The Lamar magic struck for a second day. We hung out at the Tyme Square and Days Inn wi-fi spots in Limon a few hours during the early afternoon while the storm picture clarified. As with yesterday, the warned storms up toward Akron and Yuma were tempting but Dean the storm guru held us off, forseeing a developing MCS that would envelop and chase any chasers trying to outflank it.
The tail-end rule held this day as a respectable barrel-shaped meso developed south of us and remained discrete, while the remaining storms rushed east-northeast to join the MCS. We drove I-70 east to Siebert, then south on SR 59 to get in front of the tail end storm as it pushed east. North of Kit Carson we punched through just behind the original tail end storm and right ahead of a rapidly developing, clearly rotating, flat-based new tail end to our west which was already capable of 1" hail and showing a 7 mile, 80kt gate-to-gate meso.
It continued to develop and turn right as we ran ahead through and south of Kit Carson. The storm developed astounding structure with stacked plate, striated mesos -- plural -- both east and west of our path with funnel studded wall clouds. Each had clear slots and was rotating like mad. At one point we were all set up for pretty pictures as an RFD punched down through the slot pushing rotating scud funnels earthward a few miles to our northeast. The wall cloud coned down but denied us the tornado then. What a vid that would have been!
The storm pushed us south to Eads and then east on SR 96 as a new updraft developed right over Eads and blasted us with CGs. East of Eads, appoaching Chivington, WX-Works showed three high gate mesos to our north, northeast and east, and two to our west. At this point a large cone-shaped lowering became visible to the east-northeast beyond the nearer meso to the north which was also dragging an amazing wall-cloud. This lowering got veeery low and mostly precip-wrapped from our vantage as we retreated south, so we can't declare a wedge without further photo analysis; however Dean approved the words "almost certainly a large wedge tornado". It appeared to be on and off ground level for the better part of an hour. Note: this is not to suggest that a wedge was down for an hour, rather that a very low hanging wedge-shaped circulation was present and twice was observed to touch ground as a cone and wedge. Preliminary views of enhanced video stills confirm this.
Sticking around to watch or continuing east into the bear's cage was not a sane option, with this beast intersecting our path and a dragging wall-cloud coming from the northwest that looked ready to tornado at any moment. We headed south from Brandon with all deliberate speed. I was the driver, so can only report that my wife, Monica, and Dean Cosgrove were oohing and ahhing at what I understood to be brief tornadic touchdowns to our west. I was marveling at the green curtain of monster hail and outflow dust in the rear view mirror and driving lest we be pounded into the mud. We made it into Lamar right as night fell and the now gusted-out complex overtook us. Writing this from the Days Inn.
Score, after reviewing preliminary captures: two tornados, one a large wedge, the other a tapered stovepipe, and possible brief touchdowns from several other low-hanging circulations; amazing structure shots of multiple gorgeous mesos, some with foreground cows. Pictures to follow when we get the chance.... All in all, another good day "at the office", as Dean puts it!
There's been some controversy on another board about this report's claim of tornado sightings. Film and video to come may further settle the matter, but here are unprocessed digital pics Monica took:
Taken about 20:20 MDT a few miles south of Brandon, CO, looking northwest www.stormprint.com/IMG_0916_640bit.PNG
Above magnified wall cloud area. Note the small spinup www.stormprint.com/IMG_0916_CropEnlg.PNG
Taken the same place, ten seconds later, looking north-northeast www.stormprint.com/IMG_0917_640bit.PNG
The tail-end rule held this day as a respectable barrel-shaped meso developed south of us and remained discrete, while the remaining storms rushed east-northeast to join the MCS. We drove I-70 east to Siebert, then south on SR 59 to get in front of the tail end storm as it pushed east. North of Kit Carson we punched through just behind the original tail end storm and right ahead of a rapidly developing, clearly rotating, flat-based new tail end to our west which was already capable of 1" hail and showing a 7 mile, 80kt gate-to-gate meso.
It continued to develop and turn right as we ran ahead through and south of Kit Carson. The storm developed astounding structure with stacked plate, striated mesos -- plural -- both east and west of our path with funnel studded wall clouds. Each had clear slots and was rotating like mad. At one point we were all set up for pretty pictures as an RFD punched down through the slot pushing rotating scud funnels earthward a few miles to our northeast. The wall cloud coned down but denied us the tornado then. What a vid that would have been!
The storm pushed us south to Eads and then east on SR 96 as a new updraft developed right over Eads and blasted us with CGs. East of Eads, appoaching Chivington, WX-Works showed three high gate mesos to our north, northeast and east, and two to our west. At this point a large cone-shaped lowering became visible to the east-northeast beyond the nearer meso to the north which was also dragging an amazing wall-cloud. This lowering got veeery low and mostly precip-wrapped from our vantage as we retreated south, so we can't declare a wedge without further photo analysis; however Dean approved the words "almost certainly a large wedge tornado". It appeared to be on and off ground level for the better part of an hour. Note: this is not to suggest that a wedge was down for an hour, rather that a very low hanging wedge-shaped circulation was present and twice was observed to touch ground as a cone and wedge. Preliminary views of enhanced video stills confirm this.
Sticking around to watch or continuing east into the bear's cage was not a sane option, with this beast intersecting our path and a dragging wall-cloud coming from the northwest that looked ready to tornado at any moment. We headed south from Brandon with all deliberate speed. I was the driver, so can only report that my wife, Monica, and Dean Cosgrove were oohing and ahhing at what I understood to be brief tornadic touchdowns to our west. I was marveling at the green curtain of monster hail and outflow dust in the rear view mirror and driving lest we be pounded into the mud. We made it into Lamar right as night fell and the now gusted-out complex overtook us. Writing this from the Days Inn.
Score, after reviewing preliminary captures: two tornados, one a large wedge, the other a tapered stovepipe, and possible brief touchdowns from several other low-hanging circulations; amazing structure shots of multiple gorgeous mesos, some with foreground cows. Pictures to follow when we get the chance.... All in all, another good day "at the office", as Dean puts it!
There's been some controversy on another board about this report's claim of tornado sightings. Film and video to come may further settle the matter, but here are unprocessed digital pics Monica took:
Taken about 20:20 MDT a few miles south of Brandon, CO, looking northwest www.stormprint.com/IMG_0916_640bit.PNG
Above magnified wall cloud area. Note the small spinup www.stormprint.com/IMG_0916_CropEnlg.PNG
Taken the same place, ten seconds later, looking north-northeast www.stormprint.com/IMG_0917_640bit.PNG
