MikeUpjohn

Day 5 saw us start in Seminole, TX once again, and the hotel staff starting to think we were staying forever, and heralding a severe storm every time we came! A long drive North today with a 7am get away to head for Western KS, for a SLGT Risk for severe weather, a couple of supercells and a 2% tornado risk. Glad to be leaving Seminole, as the forecast there was for 100° temps and blue skies! Arrived onto a storm NW of Tribune, KS and watched it grow over the border in Colorado, but storms were generally struggling as the better moisture and winds were further East into Western KS. The storm did briefly yield a wall cloud but then collapsed back again. Further down the road, new storms were popping and although the tornado risk had now gone pretty much, we were in for a treat with the lightning....and I mean a real treat. See pics below! A storm went up to our East that ultimately became tornado warned, and we did see a brief funnel out of it, lit up by the lightning. Now, to say the storm went nuts is an understatement, the lightning pics below are between 10 and 25 second exposures, with C-G's literally raining out in front of us! Best lightning display I have ever seen (until Day 6 surpassed it!) Enjoy! Mike.

I've spent about $400 on food and drink across my pre-pay card and in cash. And another $100 or so on souvenirs, beers etc.

I used a mix of prepaid card from Caxton but everywhere takes cash. Had some problems with my prepay card declining so cash is a must. You can pay for anything here with a UK debit card but typically a £2.50 fee for each transaction. So you can get more dollars out here but take a bigger amount out at once and you only get hit by one transaction fee then.

Day 4 saw us start again in Seminole, TX amongst the oil fields and refineries that are down here. Initially it looked like the Amarillo, TX area would be best for storms with HRRR showing a supercell near Boise City. Got to Lubbock, and as often is the way the weather changed and back towards Seminole, TX and into Eastern New Mexico loked the best. Headed back down and crossed into New Mexico again, and storms started firing, so we did some timelapse of them building. As storms matured, we got on a storm North of Jal, NM and followed it as it matured produced wall clouds, went green with hail and chucked out some biblical lightning. We left the storm as it trundled off down towards Pecos, TX and ended the day with lightning before eating in Hobbs, NM and overnighting one more time in Seminole, TX. Pictures below!

Started today with a small MRGL Risk for severe hail and gusty winds coming off the mountains in South Central New Mexico. We lunched in Hobbs, NM, crossing the time zone again to make it -7, and then stopped in Roswell, NM for a couple of hours. About 5pm we rolled West from Roswell, for some storms that started to fire up on the mountains, but they were taking their time to come off the mountains, so left them for a bit longer and went back for an early dinner in Roswell. While sat in Applebees, the storm to the NW that was heading for Roswell, went severe, and a radar coverage hole meant we couldn't see it fully on radar. Ended the day with a quick shot at some lightning, before it caught us and we were forced to take cover from the dust and rain. Ended back in Seminole, TX again about midnight, and the storm then caught us a couple of hours later, giving us a stunning 1.30am marginally severe storm right over the hotel with anvil crawlers and C-G's. Not at all bad for a Marginal Risk day!

Day 2 saw us start in Lawton, OK after several more hours of overnight storms (some severe) in Lawton and an incredible lightning display plus deluge. Headed West and South towards Lubbock for a SLGT Risk and 2% tornado risk from supercells that would go up in the untouched warm moist air to the South West, before a cold front came crashing down from the North. AAs soon as cells crossed the cold front, they would become outflow dominant, so headed down to Seminole, TX in the warm juicy air, and then across (and back a timezone) into Hobbs, NM and down towards Jal, NM. As we went under the cold front, the temperature shot up from 68° to 86° in 10 miles or so. Three or four supercells went up, the Northern one which initially looked good but was flirting with the cold front got pulled into the more Southerly one, which then gained strong rotation and a very low wall cloud. Massive C-G's started raining out the whole time we were watching. It came close to a tornado but the cells started to line out, so we headed out East to a new cell that we had been watching, which was ahead of the line and severe. Again, this had rotation and a loose wall cloud, with rotation over the road in front of us. Turned up into the storm while it got it's act together and came across some HUGE hail, around 3.75 inches, which ultimately took out two of the windshields and numerous. It was incredibly loud! Backed off and let the hail go through then went up behind the back of the storm after it had passed, and some some baseball sized hail on the side of the road, and witnessed an incredible hail fog display. The storm complex had now become an MCS but with a huge anvil and mammatus, we left it to roll away and stayed back for sunset mammatus and a lightning display. Ended the day in Seminole, TX which was now 68° after the cold front went through. Video of the aftermath of the hail.

Another video from the severe storm rolling over Lawton, OK at the end of Day 1.

Day 1 proper of Tour 3 started in Blackwell, OK and after dropping South to Guthrie, OK for breakfast, we headed West and South via Kingfisher to the I40 and headed West to Clinton for lunch, waiting for the cold front to initiate somewhere along the TX/OK border. Storms would move Eastwards into a better environment favourable of large hail, damaging winds and maybe a tornado. Watched the towers bubble for a while about 15 miles North of Clinton, and a few storms started getting their act together after while. Temperatures were up in the 90's and with a screaming wind, it was only a matter of time before storms got organised. Followed the storms as they hung around and near the I40 and one storm gained a huge wall cloud and so very very nearly put down a tornado right in front of us, but not quite unfortunately this time. We followed the storms along I40 for a bit, before leaving the first storm as it headed off into Weatherford, OK direction. Headed South to the next storm which was coming out of the TX panhandle, and as dusk came, the lightning really kicked up several gears. For the next hour we were treated to a mix of anvil crawler and CG lightning against a dramatic sunset backdrop, all the while keeping an eye on a wall cloud to the South West on the left edge of the storm. Jernej then shouted tornado and sure enough the wall cloud produced a brief cone tornado backlit by C-G lightning. Moved back as the storm slowly trundled towards us and stopped one last time to watch a newly developed tornado warned wall cloud at about 10pm. After a few minutes we headed East to Lawton, OK for dinner and checked into the hotel as the severe storms rolled in overhead with torrential rain, very close C-G lightning and massive wind gusts. Storms continued until gone 3am, making this a 12-hour storm binge, from a 2% tornado. Awesome!! Pics and videos below.

Tour 3 is off to a great start with an ENHANCED Risk across Eastern KS yesterday for supercells with large to very large hail, hurricane force wind gusts and a couple of tornadoes possible. 10% tornado risk too. With Tour 2 dropped off at Denver, we've all headed East down I-70 into Kansas as far as Salina, and turned South. As we came towards Salina, huge towers were popping up off the dryline, and after heading South, Paul picked us a storm and we busted through it, to the base on the other side. The storms were top, but were all more diurnal in nature and after some decent structure and a couple of wall clouds with some brief rotation, we ended the day in a VERY MUGGY Blackwell, OK. Some pics and video below.

I've bought Battleface. Sat in the Crown Rivers at Heathrow T5 with a cheeky pint ready for the Denver flight. Looks like some storms even if not all severe floating around Denver and points North tomorrow. Hope T2 get in on that Enhanced Risk up in NE. Mike.

I fly out a week on Sat for Netweather Tour 3 to Denver. 30C by then again!

Thunder in Macclesfield now from the Knutsford cell.

In Macclesfield and ready to head out in the car when it goes off!

Looks like a few cells popped up nearby. One over Knutsford, and one in the Pennies. No lightning as yet...

Yellow warning for Thunderstorms between 1pm and 10pm issued for the NW today now. Maybe something later. Day off today and getting the camera equipment ready for Netweathers Storm Chase Tour 3 so night be a good chance to see if I can remember how to use the camera after 3 years!! Mike.

See you there!

Finally managed to book at hotel for the day I arrive, and a car for the day after before T3 starts. Anyone else for T3 landing on Saturday 28th from LHR?

This!!!! It is the best thing ever. I've got another 5 weeks before I fly out May 28th, and I can barely concentrate with excitement

Yeah, I messaged them and not heard back either.

Tour 3 this year all being well! Happy to wear a mask for 10 hours if it means getting stateside for some severe weather!! Arriving a couple of days early at end of May to see if some good (bad) weather is nearby!!

SLGT Risk for Day 3 (Mon 21 Feb) across the Arklatex for severe weather, and then a Day 4 15% risk further East from that. Things beginning to spring (literally) back into life. Here's hoping we can get stateside this year!

Torrential rain passing through Macclesfield at the moment, but no thunder. TheHundred cricket on Tuesday, so could do with this clearing off now if it's not going to give us a good lightning show!

Good elevated thunderstorm for about 30 to 40 minutes. Several flashes and 40 or 50 rumbles of good deep thunder. Picture shows the anvil and back edge as it is moving away from Wilmslow.

Something rolling into Macclesfield at the moment? Looks pretty but no lightning. Mike.

Can see the Bakewell storm from Macclesfield at the moment. Nice anvil forming.