Chasing The Dewpoints & Yesterday's Account
Yesterday, we once again expereinced critically cratering dewpoints. Despite what I thought were favorable trajectories and moisture at 850mb, it wasn't enough. Dewpoints started in the 61-64 range and plummeted to 46-54 by afternoon. With surface temperatures in the 95-100F range, the dewpoint depressions were extreme. Thus, storms didn't have the juice to really rock and roll like I thought they would. Thus is the 2008 season on the caprock. I'm moving to Kansas!! LOL!!
Today, I'm getting off the caprock and into the far E/NE TX PH and W/NW OK to get some into some better juice. Again, parameters look great with excellent shear, veering, instability and helicities. I expect to have some fun today. My target today is May, OK.
Back to yesterday, I was able to get on a nice storm around Groom/Goodnight. This storm was stationary for awhile before surging south. I was in contact with the NWS in Amarillo providing them with as much information as I could. They were watching my live stream for a good part of the event, which I hope helped in conveying some visual information to them. One thing that is still lacking on the whole streaming thing is indicating which direction the camera is pointing. Sure, a phone call can help, but there has got to be a way to overlay that information on the stream itself. I have some ideas on that which I'll be working on in the off-season.
Anyway, the storm eventually produced a small, brief funnel at one point. Later, it produced a weak landpout somwhere north of Claude. At first, I thought it was smoke...then a gustnado...until it took on a more "tubular" apperence extending almost halfway up to cloud base. Jay McCoy was with me at the time and confirmed it. I hope he got a better pic of it. I called this one in to make sure the NWS knew that it was weak and rather brief and nothing to get too excited about in case somebody called it in as a real tornado. :-)
After that, it surged south as we watched another storm approach from Amarillo with a nice updraft and abit of wall cloud. It was definitely exhibitng broad rotation and worth keeping an eye on. In talking to the NWS, they were just as confused as we were with the radar presentation versus visual confirmation. It soon became a moot point though as it weakend and the other storms began to congeal and move SE.
I managed to get a couple of nice shots on one of my favorite highways...207 south of Claude as it dips down into the river canyon of the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River. I eventually broke off the chase around Claytonville (SE of Tulia) to get some nice sunset photos on the storm..and then back home to bone-dry Amarillo.
PICS!!
The storm near Groom/Goodnight prior to going severe. The storm further in the background was the first, big severe cell NE of Amarillo.
The small, brief funnel cloud. It definitely needs some Viagra. LOL!
The landspout somewhere north of Claude. I'm not sure if this was before or after it looked it's best as I was busy trying to call it in. It was definitely rotating and actually moving back north towards the storm. This is an important distinction in my mind to help differentiate a gustnado.
Looking east from the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River on 207.
Before I broke off the chase near Claytonville. I lost any stormwood as I saw dewpoints in the upper 40's feeding into this storm.
A bownado!! :-) I personally liked this shot.
The bownado in all it's glory. I liked this shot the best. Nothing like the caprock for some nice photos.
Today, I'm getting off the caprock and into the far E/NE TX PH and W/NW OK to get some into some better juice. Again, parameters look great with excellent shear, veering, instability and helicities. I expect to have some fun today. My target today is May, OK.
Back to yesterday, I was able to get on a nice storm around Groom/Goodnight. This storm was stationary for awhile before surging south. I was in contact with the NWS in Amarillo providing them with as much information as I could. They were watching my live stream for a good part of the event, which I hope helped in conveying some visual information to them. One thing that is still lacking on the whole streaming thing is indicating which direction the camera is pointing. Sure, a phone call can help, but there has got to be a way to overlay that information on the stream itself. I have some ideas on that which I'll be working on in the off-season.
Anyway, the storm eventually produced a small, brief funnel at one point. Later, it produced a weak landpout somwhere north of Claude. At first, I thought it was smoke...then a gustnado...until it took on a more "tubular" apperence extending almost halfway up to cloud base. Jay McCoy was with me at the time and confirmed it. I hope he got a better pic of it. I called this one in to make sure the NWS knew that it was weak and rather brief and nothing to get too excited about in case somebody called it in as a real tornado. :-)
After that, it surged south as we watched another storm approach from Amarillo with a nice updraft and abit of wall cloud. It was definitely exhibitng broad rotation and worth keeping an eye on. In talking to the NWS, they were just as confused as we were with the radar presentation versus visual confirmation. It soon became a moot point though as it weakend and the other storms began to congeal and move SE.
I managed to get a couple of nice shots on one of my favorite highways...207 south of Claude as it dips down into the river canyon of the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River. I eventually broke off the chase around Claytonville (SE of Tulia) to get some nice sunset photos on the storm..and then back home to bone-dry Amarillo.
PICS!!
The storm near Groom/Goodnight prior to going severe. The storm further in the background was the first, big severe cell NE of Amarillo.
The small, brief funnel cloud. It definitely needs some Viagra. LOL!
The landspout somewhere north of Claude. I'm not sure if this was before or after it looked it's best as I was busy trying to call it in. It was definitely rotating and actually moving back north towards the storm. This is an important distinction in my mind to help differentiate a gustnado.
Looking east from the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River on 207.
Before I broke off the chase near Claytonville. I lost any stormwood as I saw dewpoints in the upper 40's feeding into this storm.
A bownado!! :-) I personally liked this shot.
The bownado in all it's glory. I liked this shot the best. Nothing like the caprock for some nice photos.
posted by Steve Miller TX at 6/15/2008 11:54:00 AM
2 Comments:
OMG, Steve! LOVE the mammatus shots. Your work is incredibly artistic. Better and better with each trip. Awesome!
Thank you Dew! [blush] It was quite a sight to behold in person. :-)
I also see that the landspout I reported and photographed above did indeed do some damage in Claude.
http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/080614_rpts.html
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