Saturday May 28, 2005


     The models are still pegging north central KS for best convection. However the 06Z NAM indicates an area just northwest of Goodland with the best tornadic potential. Since the trip was winding down we dismissed the 06Z run as an aberration and drive to our original target in Salina. We leave Amarillo very early in the morning to drive to Salina where we get a data update. There was a confirmed tornado on the ground near Goodland where the 06Z run indicated. There were some decent cells to our south we we head east to try and get ahead of them since getting to the storm to our west was way out of our way. The cells to our south die quickly so we head east to KC and part ways with Randy's group.
     Here are some pics of the clouds over Kansas:

  
Developing CU to our north.
  
A pileus cloud on top of the developing convection.
  
Looking at a developing storm to the south.
  
The storm dissipates with other CU visible to the south.

YouTube video summary of the chase set to music

All in all it was a great chase with some amazing photos and awesome chase partners. This was by far the best chase I have been on to date. One of our nowcasters Scott Cultice was an invaluable resource in helping to get to our most severe storms. Some stats:
Miles Driven: 4440 round trip from Kenosha and 4757 for me from Green Bay

Lessons Learned:
1. While My-Cast is a great application for Verizon Wireless it only works in larger cities and is essentially useless when you are actually chasing away from these areas.
2. When your nowcaster tells you a storm is forming over you look up...you may be suprised to find a developing storm overhead.
3. Lightning shots are not as daunting as previously thought. All you need is a tripod and a long shutter speed.
4. On a bust day New Mexico is a great place to be given the beauty of the mountains and the different wildlife that live there.

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