Randy Baker,
Mark Rader
Target:
Salina, KS
Distance:
723 miles
Duration:
12 hrs 45 min
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Partners: Randy Baker, Mark Rader Target: Salina, KS Distance: 723 miles Duration: 12 hrs 45 min |
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After a late night, we got a late start out of Sioux City, IA. Kris and his group had already set out for Kansas ealier in the morning. Our options were NE Iowa or SW Kansas. We chose to head to Kansas City, mostly to help reposition for the next days chase. Storms fired in West Central Kansas as we approached Kansas City. Phil was unable to continue with us, so we dropped him in Kansas City admist temps around ninety and low 70's dewpoints.
As we raced west down I-70 the cells made more of a right turn. Shear vectors were evident on WxWorx, and we could make a couple of distant wall clouds as we neared Salina. They were quickly cut-off by outflow, and we were overtaken by the now linear storms. We headed south down I-135 a few miles to Hwy 4, went west through Lindsborg, then south on Hwy 175 through Marquette and INMAN!!! The outflow pushed southward at a high rate of speed and we spent the next hour trying to get back into the warm sector. We finally made it back south of the outflow and snapped a few quick shots of the structure of the shelf cloud. We then drove south to Wichita and checked into a hotel.
After we ate, we decided to head NE of Wichita to get lightning shots of the MCS as it approached. Similar to a few hours earlier, we had a hard time outrunning the MCS. We also were surprised by the number of trees in the area ruining our shots. We were in Kansas after all. We let the storm overtake us and called it a night.
 Nice storm structure and lowering on I-70 east of Salina, KS |
Good contrast of the approaching MCS east of Salina, KS |
 A brief lowering east of Salina, KS |
 Another lowering south of Marquette, KS |
 Shelf cloud and lightning lit wall cloud approach east of Burrton, KS |
 The only lightning shot I was able to get NE of Wichita, KS |