Short Chase into Kansas 4/8/2011

Todays chase day was cut short due to working later than normal.  I spent most of my free time following the latest updates by the SPC ann keeping track of chasers who were running northward towards Iowa for a solid day of action.  Leaving work around 5:30, I arrived home to pick up my navigator and Diane, I and the kids headed northward into Kansas to head off some cells that were tornado warning just south of the border.  We got into position for the first of two cells to enter near Sedan, Kansas and everything seemed to be looking good.  We had strong inflow to the storm as they entered our area and saw a short lived shelf cloud to our southwest.  Lightning was intense, but the storms were not good to us.  We were in perfect position to intercept, but the biggest and best cell began to die just as it was turning dark.  We took a few shots and decided to head home. That was, until later that night... 

After returning home, I continued to keep an eye on the cells that never advanced eastward as Tulsa's NWS expected.  Uploading and processing what video and pics we had, I continued to monitor my GRLevel3 radar and noticed something off around 11pm.  A tail end storm was beginning to grow and feed off the moisture left behind from the intial storms and did a classic right turn away from the pack of storms. 

By 11:15, a tornado warning had been issued for this storm, but no touchdown was offically reported.  Repacking the chase vehicle, I decided to go it alone this time.  I set up base just 3 miles to the east of town (Bartlesville) where it gave me the best vantage point to view the storm as it approached Washington county.  The lightning was incredible, but I have to say, seeing the cloud to cloud light up the mammatus clouds over me, was a real treat. 

I captured the lightning, but soon got word that the most intense part of the storm was going to be heading on a more southernly track. 

I began streaming on Imap as I headed south of town placing myself 15 miles south.  I landed directly in the path of some of the most intense rain yet.  Watching the radar, I began to see midlevel rotation on the southern edge of the storm and realized I was out of position.  Judging the hail core that was beginning to grow in size to my west, I decided to pull back onto 75 south and headed for state highway 20 which was 13 miles to my south.  On the way, the rain began to cease, and I was surprised that the hail shaft that I was going to be drivingf around, was quickly overtaking me.  First was the sound of tink, tinks of dime size hail.  Then the occasional bonk, bonk of what I began to see was golf ball hail was coming down all around me.  I decided to get off at the next road and find cover under a tree or something.  

By the time I got to a good spot, the hail began to cease and checking the radar, the rotation was gone and so was any opportunity of seeing any funnel or tornado.  Seeing there was nothing else on radar, I turned around and headed back home enjoying the intense lightning show along the way.