After shooting one of many supercells that developed one night over Royal NE (also met Al Moller in a cornfield that night
the drive around there after dark was a bit weird as the warned-on storms were still out & about in full strength. It was pitch black out there and the winds were crossing directions, very weird feeling for a bit not knowing what was lurking in the dark. Have to admit there was a creep-factor that night.
One year around midnight in SW KS I stopped at a sheriff's office to look at radar. There was a line of storms training out of Dalhart, TX up to Ulysses KS. I wasn't sure whether to go on or hang back for a bit, weather started looking kind of gnarly for night travel. A few miles later, my location: Sublette. Reports started coming in..."funnels in Sublette". The CGs were some of the most extreme I have seen. Past Sublette I tried to pull over to shoot it (lightning), but telephone poles above started arcing. The sky was crazy, I got the feeling that I might be pushing it. I liberally interpreted the speed limit driving south on 83, but couldn't resist shooting lightning once I got to Liberal. A short while later in a truck stop restaurant the sheriff came in and said mobile homes were turned over in Ulysses and were laying all over the highway that I had just taken.
One freaky night in southern Kansas, 12 counties were warned on after dark. It was the blue-hour just after sunset and rain was solid while driving up I35. I saw families huddled under overpasses on the Kansas side of the turnpike, even though bridges offer zero protection. I moved up to the area of the travel plaza in Belle Plaine, but walked into an eerily empty building and said to myself "forget this...". The building was constructed of steel beams and large panes of glass. I went down a dark hallway, and suddenly found all the people. They were crammed underneath countertops and hanging onto pipes in the travel plaza bathrooms. One lady asked me if I wanted to "hide out" with them. I was pretty sure based on spotter reports that the warned-on storm near there was east of Wellington by now, so I proceeded to Wichita after a bit. The rain was beating the windshield, navigating was challenging at times. Damage to farms was reported the next day, and 30 sheep had been taken somewhere near there.
I don't like to core punch too much because of large hail. However, funky stuff often happens at night, after chasing all day and later having to drive to your destination.