Friday, June 24, 2011

June 20th 2011 Chase Log

Ok, so here we are...June 20th and heres the mornings 11am outlook from the SPC including images displayed as Outlook, Tornado, and Wind/Hail...looks intense near the ks/ok border, doesn't it?  Check out the 'Candy Cane' shape for the MDT risk area...Christmas in June anyone???





DAY 1 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK 
   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
   1103 AM CDT MON JUN 20 2011
  
   VALID 201630Z - 211200Z
  
   ...THERE IS A MDT RISK OF SVR TSTMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING OVER
   PORTIONS OF EASTERN NEB...WESTERN IA...SOUTHEAST SD...EAST KS...
   NORTHWEST MO SWD THROUGH CENTRAL OK......
  
   ...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS FROM THE CENTRAL/SOUTHERN
   PLAINS EASTWARD TO THE OH VALLEY...THEN SOUTHEASTWARD TO THE
   CAROLINAS...
  
   ...CENTRAL/SRN PLAINS...
   UNSEASONABLY STRONG UPPER LOW MOVING FROM CURRENT POSITION SE CO
   NEWD ACROSS WRN KS INTO SRN NEB BY 12Z TUE. 60-70KT 500MB JET MAX
   WITH ASSOCIATED STRONG ASCENT/DIVERGENCE SPREADING NEWD FROM CENTRAL
   HIGH PLAINS ACROSS KS INTO NEB THIS AFTERNOON. SURFACE LOW OVER
   W-CENTRAL KS WILL MOVE SLOWLY NNEWD INTO SRN NEB. THE DRY LINE
   EXTENDING FROM THE LOW SWD THRU FAR WRN OK/SWRN TX WILL SHIFT EWD BY
   MID AFTERNOON TO EXTEND ON A N/S AXIS VICINITY THE I-35 CORRIDOR.
  
   VERY STRONG SLY WINDS AHEAD OF DRY LINE WILL WRAP NWWD THE MOIST AND
   UNSTABLE AIR MASS TO N OF SURFACE LOW INTO CENTRAL NEB.
    
   THE STRONG LARGE SCALE ASCENT COUPLED WITH THE POST FRONTAL MOIST
   NLY FLOW WRN KS THIS AM HAS GENERATED ELEVATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS.
   
   BY MID AFTERNOON CONDITIONS WILL RAPIDLY DEVELOP TO SUPPORT AN
   OUTBREAK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS BOTH ALONG THE DRY LINE AND IN THE
   VERY FAVORABLE SHEAR AND LARGE SCALE ASCENT REGION TO THE N/NE OF
   THE SURFACE LOW ACROSS NEB.
  
   THE STRONGLY SHEARED PROFILES AHEAD OF THE SURFACE LOW OVER ERN NEB
   COUPLED WITH MLCAPES CLIMBING TO AOA 2000 J/KG EXPECTED TO SUPPORT
   TORNADIC SUPERCELL DEVELOPMENT BY MID/LATE AFTERNOON.  THERE IS THE
   POTENTIAL OF STRONG TORNADOES GIVEN THE ENVIRONMENT THAT WILL BE IN
   PLACE.
  
   DOWN THE DRY LINE SCATTERED SUPERCELLS WILL DEVELOP AS THE CAP
   BREAKS BY MID/LATE AFTERNOON. BY THAT TIME MLCAPES WILL HAVE CLIMBED
   TO AOA 2500 J/KG SWD TO THE OK/TX BORDER WHICH WHEN COUPLED WITH THE
   PRESENCE OF THE MID LEVEL JET MAX AND VERY STEEP LAPSE RATES WILL
   RESULT IN A VERY LARGE HAIL POTENTIAL ALONG WITH DAMAGING DOWNBURST
   WINDS.  IT NOW APPEARS COVERAGE OF BOTH THE HAIL AND WIND WILL BE
   SUFFICIENT TO UPGRADE THE RISK TO MDT AS FAR S AS THE OKC AREA .
   THERE WILL ALSO BE THE POTENTIAL FOR TORNADOES GIVEN THE 50-60 KT OF
   SHEAR.  FURTHER S INTO NCENTRAL TX THE EXPECTED COVERAGE WILL BE
   LESS BUT THERE IS STILL POTENTIAL OF VERY LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING
   DOWNBURSTS.

Ok, so the setup looks promising and I even left work early just to be able to make it near the OK/KS border in time around 4pm.  I began streaming live for Channel 8 at 5pm waiting for the storms to fire along the line forming near the Nebraska/Kansas border.  Hey, it was possible.  I watched the radar as the line began to backbuild to the south into central Kansa for the next hour waiting.  To my west about 60 miles away, I could see the cells struggling to fire.  What I remember the most is how damn hot it was.  It was close to 97 degrees.  Heres a pic of what I saw at the time.


So, seeing that the movement to the east had slowed, it was time to go after the cells heading west on 60 towards Ponca City.




Now I'm about 15 miles to the west, but still short of making it to Ponca City.  I'm beginning to loose light and I decide to pull off to the side of the road and wait for the cells that have begun to advance in my direction....finally.







Met up with Justin Mace and his wife Dixie.  Very nice people who also love to chase!!!






So the summary is, no Tornadoes seen for the day, but I captures some spectacular images, met some wonderful friends and photos that are definately keepers. Below is the summary for the day by the SPC


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