Randy Baker,
Phil Kurimski,
Mark Rader,
Kirk Swain,
Kris White,
Zack, Nick, and Tom
Target:
Dighton, KS
Distance:
325 miles
Duration:
11 hrs 30 min
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Partners: Randy Baker, Phil Kurimski, Mark Rader, Kirk Swain, Kris White, Zack, Nick, and Tom Target: Dighton, KS Distance: 325 miles Duration: 11 hrs 30 min |
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We met up with Kris and his friends just before leaving Hays. We targeted a similar area to yesterday's action. Convection had already fired along and north of I-70 with cleared skies further south, so we decided to head west on 70 then south on 23, where we encountered temperatures in the 80s. Storms started firing around 2 pm in the clear sector, and the chase was well under way by about 3 pm. The first cell we chased headed northeast into Gove County and we spotted the first tornado of the day northeast of Shields at 348 pm. Although the storm tracked northeast, the roads quickly became an issue as we almost got stuck several times in mud. Given the poor condition of the dirt(mud) roads we decided to forgo any additional dirt roads where convection previously passed through.
With the road network we head back south and went back and forth on highway 4 between Shields and Utica, where we intercepted several more supercells as they tracked northeast and crossed our path. Despite additional supercells, we lost out on tornadoes as the dirt roads prevented us from heading north. Later on in the day we took highway 4 east, then 283 south, to intercept a strong supercell tracking north northeast from Dodge City. The storm merged with several other supercells, and some of the group spotted a brief spinup as a reault. I missed it as I on the wrong side of the vehicle. The merged storm quickly intensified and we spotted another thin tornado at 727pm just northeast of Ransom. The base was incredibly low in front of us and rotating violently as we raced northward behind the storm.
We followed beind the storm, however With the large supercell north of us we were only able to move slowly behind it to avoid the large hail. As we drove back to the hotel along I-70, we encountered many flipped over semis on both sides of Ellis, which did not have any power. Unfortunately, due to the tornado warnings, many restaurants were closed so it took a bit longer than normal to call it a night. Overall a successful chase that could have been much better had it not been for a couple of bad decisions on our part.
 A few miles north of Hwy.23 and Hwy.4 junction The first storm fires along the dryline |
 A few miles west of Utica, KS A developing mesocyclone with a tail cloud |
 SE of Gove, KS The first tornado of the day lowers |
 A few miles west of Utica, KS Nice storm structure on the second supercell |
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A few miles east of Hwy.23 and Hwy.4 junction Nice contrast of the mesocylone on the second supercell |
 A few miles south of Ness City, KS Mammatus associated with the anvil from the third supercell |
 A few miles north of Brownell, KS Funnel cloud |
 A few miles north of Brownell, KS RFD undercuts the storm just before it overtakes us |