Ness City Tornado?/Supercell.

[Adam Lucio]

Been pondering over this footage I got from the Ness City supercell on May 23rd.

Video can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUYVgmsAUV4

Im not easily fooled by rain shafts but this had a definite shadow within it that appeared to extend all the way to the ground with pretty well defined edges to it. After a few moments the bottom appeared to lift off the ground entirely. I wanted to ask the opinions of others, the whole chaser convergence was on this storm, and my footage is inconclusive at best thanks to the stupid autofocus, but I was wondering if anyone else got any pics or video of this, or at least a good visual remembrance that could offer any insight.

Heres a still plus another one I tried to enhance a bit as well as my MS paint overlays as to what I think is going on. I value the opinions of those on here, plus I always enjoy a good discussion/debate about uncertainties. It helps further educate.

 

[Derek Weston]

What I saw to my NNW was a possible elephant trunk to stove pipe type structure at times. However, this is not definite -- the storm was largely obscured by precip for a good portion of its life, from what I can tell. Only occasionally I'd be able to pick out what seemed to be tubes.

FWIW -- from my time/vantage point I was picking white tube against a darker backdrop.

Seems you may caught the storm at a wee bit early time...

As for your picture... just can't make out a definite structure, but agree that'd be an area where you might see the funnel/tornado.

 

[Kevin Myatt]

Adam ... our group was situated east of Ness City, a little east of Ransom ... we got a brief visual of what appeared to be a large wedge for just a few minutes before it became rain-wrapped as it headed northeast ... it was separated from the core by a small region of pink sunlight shining through the storm ... unfortunately, we have yet to find a good photo or video that really definitively shows what we saw ... still looking

 

[Kevin Myatt]

Here's a couple of video stills we got of the wedge to our southwest while on Highway 4 west of Brownell ... tornado was moving northeast of Ness City toward Ellis, making a close pass to Ransom. I don't know if this is the same thing Adam got a pix of ... it was very late in the day, as we motored farther east than a lot of the convergence and let the storm come to us. Very, very strong east inflow winds developed as this passed just west of us, disappearing in the HP muck.

 

[Derek Weston]

Recently was looking over some photos from the event and decided to share a couple of the pictures I snapped just east of Ness City... this is looking NW:

Look for large white cylinder(ish) shape just right of center:
http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0133eo0.jpg

Shape is even more obvious in this picture: (though the picture is a dud-- a bit fuzzy)
http://img90.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0134ow1.jpg

I've been afraid this might just be precip... perhaps hail? Though, the shape is tornado like possibly and persisted for a bit...

I had a few other chasers in the area saying they were seeing something as well, but I'm just not totally sure...

I actually didn't notice this feature until looking back at my photos. It wasn't until a minute or two after these photos were taken that I started noticing things up there... at which point I buzzed north and took video of more apparent lowering/tubes. (though, again, worried that some of this may have just been precip)

Any opinions are welcomed.

 

[Jim Saueressig]

Video can be seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUYVgmsAUV4

First of all I am no expert but what you are looking at does not look like anything but precip to me. However, at about :30 to :40 I see the heavy precip in the middle which appears to be rotating and tightening take on a large cone shape in the center of your video which has some good definition by the time you start yelling "look to the left" and is gone when you pan back at 1:50 though you can see the edge a few times as you shake the Camera. That would be all I see.

Recently was looking over some photos from the event and decided to share a couple of the pictures I snapped just east of Ness City... this is looking NW:

Look for large white cylinder(ish) shape just right of center:

I see what you are talking about but I see nothing more than two heavier embedded precip shafts.

 

[Derek Weston]

I see what you are talking about but I see nothing more than two heavier embedded precip shafts.

Probably so... aside from the shape, nothing else about it really makes me think tornado.


Looking at Adam's video, I do see a couple definite lowerings. The one to the left (backside) seeming to be the most likely tornado. Just couldn't say whether or not we have any ground circulation going on.

 

[Mike Peregrine]

Derek - we were sitting on that road you have in your second photo as the horseshoe formation began to develop. I noticed a funnel over those trees you show in the background and we took off after it (along with that red car you see in your shot). I think we may have even spoken to you - I don't know, since we've never formally met - lol. That's my silver car on the right side of your shot. (If you're the guy who said to me "hey, did you see that over there?" and I said yes, then we spoke.)

Anyway, as that structure moved north, it produced a tornado briefly - but it was about a mile or so north of where your photo was taken. It was on the north wall of the horseshoe. This horseshoe is actually the structure in my avatar right now (and that road in your photo is the road in my avatar - heh). The tornado was visible outside and to the left of the precip core, but it was quite brief. I still haven't gone through the video to see if my zoom on it did it justice.

Concerning the other structure in the photos presented above, I felt that this was not rotating and was not in a favorable region of the storm. We also saw it, but dismissed it as a look alike. After seeing Adam's video I'm back to not being sure.

 

[scott r currens]

Adam ... our group was situated east of Ness City, a little east of Ransom ... we got a brief visual of what appeared to be a large wedge for just a few minutes before it became rain-wrapped as it headed northeast ... it was separated from the core by a small region of pink sunlight shining through the storm ... unfortunately, we have yet to find a good photo or video that really definitively shows what we saw ... still looking

I think this is the tornado you are talking about. I don't know if it is that same thing Adam was seeing.

Image #1 7:29 tornado developing 5-miles east of Ransom, KS.

Image #2 Full condensation funnel

Image #3 Becoming rain-wrapped

Image #4 Large rain-wrapped tornado

Image #5 Tornado damage

Estimated Damage Path

 

[Adam Lucio]

Skip did this enhancement of the still I had above [we teamed up that day]

My original theory was that if there was a tornado there it could have been one of those large cone types where the condensation funnel doesn't appear to reach the ground but has several vorticies dancing around along the ground...the enhancement could support that theory.

We were on hgwy 96 to the west of Ness City, this would be looking south. I wish I had a time stamp but I think it was around 715

Still inconclusive...

 

[Danny Neal]

Skip did this enhancement of the still I had above [we teamed up that day]

My original theory was that if there was a tornado there it could have been one of those large cone types where the condensation funnel doesn't appear to reach the ground but has several vorticies dancing around along the ground...the enhancement could support that theory.

We were on hgwy 96 to the west of Ness City, this would be looking south. I wish I had a time stamp but I think it was around 715

Still inconclusive...

Is it me, or does anyone else see a big elephant trunk just to the right of center??? It seems like it is connected to the cloud base but that could just be me.