7/27/07 REPORTS: KS

[Dick McGowan]

Another July day in Kansas, and another day with mediocre multicellular rain showers. If I weren't a structure freak, I probably would have never went out. There's something about sitting alone out in the country watching summertime storms that I enjoy a lot. This was near Somerset, KS.

 

[Michael O'Keeffe]

I "chased" sort of yesterday. While out at the store we had a nice storm move close by where I was. The storm had a heavy green core and a few close CGs, but it was depressing to see boeing 747 flying under the storms base.

 

[Mike Hollingshead]

Since the far majority of this was done the morning hours of the 27th, I guess I'll just post it here. It was just a fun little night chase/sky shoot. It's usually enjoyable shooting longer exposures at night, near a town/city, with any clouds.

One of an extreme few cg's(or even just visible bolts).

Playing with the newly forming shelf and scud factory. Blair off to the left and a big Cargil plant off to the right...lighting back in there giving that purple coloring. It was cool to see the surges of new scud form, but never push out ahead of the shelf. They'd go west, then stop and start blowing back east, then back west a bit later. There were just a couple towers when I left, but they quickly merged into this line just outside of town. The lighting seen flashing above this was intense, probably 4-5 flashes a second, but hell if you ever saw any of the bolts or any cg's. One cg did hit quite close and the thunder from it was simply amazing. It was 1/8 to 1/4 mile away judging by the time from flash to boom. Valley NWS reported just over 2 inches from this. I'm not sure they were in any rain much longer than Blair was. When it hit, it rained amazingly hard. It sounded like a train trying to come through the trees.

A bit later, now north of the convection, watching a roll cloud push north(a couple actually, I guess). This ushered in some cold air and fairly strong sustained winds that went on and on and made shooting in shorts and a t-shirt pretty cold.

Now pretty late(3:30 a.m.) with just the one storm left out west. I think the funniest part of the night was after hearing some strange noise, turning to fellow chaser from Blair, Bob Matzen and asking him if he heard that too and what the hell it was. He says, "It sounded like Sasquatch just got hit by a train." Gotta love those night noises you sometimes hear which you half wish you could erase from your mind.

Rest here: http://www.extremeinstability.com/07-7-26.htm

 

[Darin Brunin]

I went out and played around with the crap as well. Nothing to really write about....I think I chased geese more than I did storms.