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HeadcornWx

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  1. HeadcornWx
    [size=5]I[/size]t's hard to believe but over a year has passed since my first stormchase with Netweather.

    In 2012 I joined tour 2 out of Dallas/Ft Worth, and although just 1 tornado we had storms most days with some amazing structure including a mothership supercell over Roswell of all places and this late afternoon stunner over the farmland of Oklahoma.

    In 2013 I'm joining tour 5 out of Denver destined for the northern plains of Colorado, Nebraska and the Dakotas. It promises to be an amazing trip and as always you can follow us live (network coverage permitting) via the [url="http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=chaselive;sess="]Live Video Stream Link[/url] with blog updates here, photo updates both here and via the [url="http://www.headcorn.org/html/stormchase.html"]Headcorn Weather Stormchase Page[/url] and twitter updates via [twitter]headcornweather[/twitter].

    Until June...
  2. HeadcornWx
    What an amazing day!
    For those of you not watching the livestream, todays chase started in Irving Texas. A quick drive thru downdown Dallas, then the long drive south via Waco and Austin where the skies soon began to look interesting!

    After passing through the MCS (Mesoscale Convective System) we finally reached a stream of supercells headed up from Mexico. Bang! A huge lump of hail hit the roof of the car - Just one piece but it sounded like a rock hitting.

    We headed into the town of Kenedy as the sirens sounded and the skies turned green. We turned and headed to our vantage point in the clear. The storm had developed an impressive wall cloud with significant rotation visible.

    We pulled off the road near a farm and watched as the slow moving system gathered pace. It moved very slow with a long updraft tail feeding the developing storm.

    Keeping a close eye on the Barons satellite radar system, it was time to move on. This time around 5 miles down the road to a good vantage point near a construction site. Lightning was amazing by this time. Stong CG bolts in the distance at first and then closer.

    [attachment=134077:P1000151.JPG]

    It was time to move. Lightning was all around and the rain curtain was rapidly approaching. This is known as the bears cage. Within the rain curtain of a High Precipitation (HP) Storm can lurk a rain wrapped tornado. Not something you want to stumble into by choice!

    We moved on to see supercell after supercell. One farm we stopped outside provided a great view of the wall cloud for the live stream. We spoke to a young farmer and his mother, originally from Kansas who spoke of the sheer fury of some of the storms she's witnessed in her lifetime.

    The day ended with a fireworks display, Texas style! Lightning like I've never seen before. Crawling across the night sky over open fields of corn lighting the sky almost constantly whilst in the distance a lowering and rotating wall cloud ominously edged ever closer.

    [attachment=134078:P1000226.JPG]

    After 700 miles we headed into Corpus Christi. An eerie calm before the storm.
    Just five minutes after arriving at the Restaurant the heavens opened. Rain rate of 4 inches per hour, palm trees blowing, CG lightning flashing. An eventful end to what seemed like a week rather than a day.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKTqx7KudPg

    Just a few days ago we thought we were coming out here sunbathing. Chances of storms were fading. How things change in just a few days.

    Friday looks to be a South Texas day again. Already reports of Waterspouts off the Mexican coast. After that, headed west, across into New Mexico. Maybe a spot of Alien chasing and hopefully some awesome storms to come.

    Watch this space...
  3. HeadcornWx
    [b]We're not in Kansas Anymore...[/b]

    Day 10 is finally here. Our last day chasing.
    SPC have a slight risk for the Plains from Oklahoma up through Kansas to Nebraska.

    We set out from our base of McPherson in 40mph hot winds which soon reached 97F and headed for
    the dry line.

    Dry line Definition: [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_line"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dry_line[/url]

    [attachment=134491:Dry Line.jpg]

    A quick stop for Breakfast and the Dow Trucks were already out and about.

    [attachment=134369:P1010362.JPG]

    We passed through the town of Greensburg which was previously devestated by a major tornado during the evening
    of May 4th 2007. Although much has been rebuilt, the signs of that day remain everywhere.

    We crossed the state line headed South into Oklahoma. Ahead of us we could see the dry line streaching South to
    North across the sky.

    [attachment=134370:P1010377.JPG] [attachment=134492:P1010384.JPG]

    As we watched, to our North we could see massive and intense build-up along the line. In just 15 minutes some of
    these storms went from nothing to being Severe Warned!

    We waited. At first it looked as if we'd chosen a point too far south. The cap was holding firm, then boom... the cap
    broke and convection started going up all along the dry line.

    [attachment=134371:P1010418.JPG]

    Moving on we picked a couple of good vantage points to watch the developing storms.

    Lightning was all around us and funnels were visible from many of the cells we saw.

    [attachment=134372:P1010467.JPG] [attachment=134373:P1010540.JPG] [attachment=134375:P1010572.JPG]

    [attachment=134376:P1010575.JPG] [attachment=134377:P1010594.JPG]

    Finally as dusk aproached and we drove through the town of Clinton, Oklahoma we looked West. There on the Horizon it was, our first Tornado on the ground.

    [attachment=134493:Tornado 5 Miles West of Clinton OK.jpg]

    - Acknowledgments to Dave Vicary for this video screenshot of the Tornado.

    We finished up the evening with the Storm coming over us from the safety of a Gas Station to provide protection from large hail and went on to witness an amazing lightning show.

    [attachment=134378:P1010637.JPG] [attachment=134379:P1010645.JPG] [attachment=134380:P1010648.JPG]

    [attachment=134381:P1010653.JPG] [attachment=134382:P1010658.JPG] [attachment=134383:P1010662.JPG]

    The people of Tornado Alley take this all in their stride. Whilst devestating, the chances of actually being the victim of
    a Tornado here are pretty small. Nevertheless, every year they strike and every year they impact on the lives of these
    people. With more knowledge comes beter systems to warn those who live here. Systems such as automatic cell-phone alerts are already being proposed and the more people understand the behaviour of the storms the greater warning times that can be given.

    I hope you've all enjoyed this brief insight into Tornado Alley, a tour which has taken us 4000 miles around America.

    This has been one amazing trip. Although pretty quiet on the Tornado front, some of the structure we've seen has been
    unbelievable. Netweather know how to make Stormchasing fun. Paul and Dave have done an excellent job in getting us
    to the best positions for the storms as well as all the general organisation.

    If you're still undecided whether to go or not, look back through the photos. You've gotta be prepared to travel to see
    the sights but you will see the real America, meet some wonderful people and see weather like you've never seen before!

    Thanks for reading.
  4. HeadcornWx
    Day 2 began in Corpus Christi on the Gulf coast. After a night of severe storms alleged to be the worst in 20 years causing significant damage in and around Corpus Christi; Friday morning started dry and hot with temps climbing into the mid 90s.

    On what initially looked to be a pretty dead day, a drive to the beach had to be done followed by a quick dip in the gulf all streamed live to whet the appetites of our growing audience of hundreds.

    [attachment=134098:P1000233.JPG]

    Our planned drive North and West was diverted by some huge convection to the West of Houston. By the time we reached it tops were reaching 40000ft. Convection was visibly explosive, something I've never witnessed before.

    [attachment=134104:P1000255.JPG]

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stQudgyTM4Y&feature=relmfu

    We positioned in the rain free zone at the enterence to a small farm attracting the attention of a pack of cute dogs! From here we watched the base and sure enough we had rotation. The base dropped to form a slowly rotating wall cloud over a stunning corn field foreground with the setting sun behind.

    [attachment=134100:P1000263.JPG]
    [attachment=134101:P1000270.JPG]

    Driving back west we were treated to a great sunset and decaying cell over San Antonio visible from 90 miles away!

    Day 2... Success!

    Overnight in Kerrville then off to New Mexico in the morning and a new timezone (BST -7hrs).
  5. HeadcornWx
    [attachment=134128:P1000293.JPG]

    Todays tour was a re-positioning day ahead of whats looking like a very promising setup for Sunday.

    Our chase target for the next few days is New Mexico, and in the morning things were already looking promising.

    The drive took us through parts of Western Texas then out on to the flatter plains of New Mexico, finally to Calrsbad in the evening where we enjoyed an excellent meal at local restaurant.

    [attachment=134131:P1000304.JPG] [attachment=134129:P1000313.JPG] [attachment=134132:P1000318.JPG]

    [attachment=134133:IMAG0372.jpg] [attachment=134134:IMAG0374.jpg]

    Latest updates for Sunday indicate Up-slope convection in the foothills of the Rockies is forecast to lead to severe thunderstorm development in a line from Carlsbad to Roswell New Mexico.

    Fingers Crossed for a good day tomorrow...
  6. HeadcornWx
    [font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][b][size=4]The Roswell Mothership Supercell [/size][/b][/font]

    [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#323232]What a day![/color]
    [color=#323232]Starting off this morning in Carlsbad New Mexico, we first headed north to Artesia. Here we waited patiently as a cell formed to the west over the foothills of the Rockies. It looked promising at first, but as soon as it left the sanctuary of the mountains it lost energy and collapsed.[/color][/font][/size]

    [attachment=134172:P1000329.JPG]

    [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#323232]Seeing more cells on the Barons Radar forming to the NW we drove North to Roswell, took in a few alien sights then drove out west to find a good vantage point to await the incoming storm.[/color][/font][/size]

    [attachment=134173:P1000349.JPG] [attachment=134174:P1000350.JPG]

    [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Two huge mothership supercells aproached us, amazing CG lightning and green skies indicating large hail were clearly visible. [color=#323232]We turned the car around to avoid the largest hail and headed back through Roswell to catch it a second time around on the approach to Artesia.[/color][/font][/size]

    [attachment=134175:P1000358.JPG]
    [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]
    [color=#323232]The storm was increasing in speed and gaining energy from the warmer plains. Amazing structure was now clearly visible and the storm was trying to drop a funnel.[/color][/font][/size]

    [attachment=134176:P1000409.JPG]
    [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]
    [color=#323232]We aproached Artesia and looked back. Skies were black and looking unbelievably threatening. The wind was increasing as we drove past the oil refinery and east out of town.[/color][/font][/size]

    [attachment=134181:P1010005_stitch.jpg]
    [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]
    [color=#323232]I looked to our west and a huge dust and light debris cloud [/color]caused by the storms' icy outflow was fast approaching. Leaping back into the car to close the window we drove further up the road. [color=#323232]By this time, the two supercells had merged and the storm put down a gustnado to our left.[/color]

    Funnels were forming and fading in front of our eyes.[/font][/size]

    [attachment=134177:P1010036.JPG] [attachment=134178:P1010039.JPG]

    [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#323232]We got ahead of the storm for a while, but eventually we knew the rain would catch up and it did.[/color][/font][/size]

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcFh6IFyV-k
    [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]
    [color=#323232]Under a disused gas station canopy we waited. Day turned to night and suddenly we were in the core. Winds howled to 70mph plus as dime sized hail pelted down and lightning was all around. The sheer power of nature is often hard to imagine unless you witness it. We did![/color][/font][/size]

    [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Acknowledgements to Dave Vicary for this excellent video of the moment the core passed:[/font][/size]

    [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-yISUNu430[/media]

    Also, watch the following capture from my camera during the core transition:

    [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF6kuArSfH0[/media]
    [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]
    [color=#323232]As the core cleared through, we drove into carlsbad onto the aptly named Canal Street! Flash flooding was everywhere. [/color]Our planned evening of lightning viewing ruined by the fact that there were simply too many storms![/font][/size]

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgFSB_hJZd4

    [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#323232]A welcome steak and rib dinner in Chillis topped off the day with many of the big names in Stormchasing there including Sean Casey, Brandon Ivey and the crew of the Doppler on Wheels (DOW) formally from the Discovery Series.[/color][/font][/size]

    [attachment=134180:P1010064.JPG] [attachment=134179:P1010063.JPG]

    [size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][color=#323232]All in all an absolutely stunning day. One of those you remember for ever![/color][/font][/size]
  7. HeadcornWx
    Nothing could quite follow Sundays amazing day at Roswell.

    Monday in Carlsbad started with a storm and heavy rain early morning.
    It was all looking good. We saw Sean Casey and Brandon Ivey from Team TIV at breakfast who were also headed south to the Mexican boarder to pick up the days threat potential down there, however on the way down we passed the DOW (Doppler on Wheels) trucks headed the opposite way.

    We reached Big Bend National Park and had little to no radar coverage and no internet for the live stream or backup GRLevel3 data. We met up there with other Chasers from Arizona and waited for the storm.

    I suppose we'd been spoilt by the Mothership supercell on Sunday. Unfortunately no real visible structure.

    Overnight we stayed in Sonora, Texas and visited a great Mexican Restaurant.

    A long trip on Tuesday awaits as we head up to Amirillo on our way to the Central Plains.
  8. HeadcornWx
    Tuesday was our longest drive so far. Leaving Sonora we drove North and into the the Texas Panhandle, our first view of Tornado Alley proper.

    The area is flat, towns are few and far between and skies are big.
    Dust Devils can often be seen dancing in the distance across the hot and vast wide open spaces.

    [attachment=134264:P1010126.JPG]

    Todays weather was hot and clear. Although some convection existed towards the south, the cap held and skies quickly cleared on the drive north to Amarillo.

    The main attraction in Amarillo was the Big Texan. Some of the best steaks around and home to the famous 72oz challenge, mind you no one in our group was brave enough to try it!

    [attachment=134265:P1010132.JPG] [attachment=134266:P1010134.JPG]

    [attachment=134267:P1010154.JPG]

    Dave did go for the Man vs Food Challenge and Man Won (just).

    [attachment=134269:P1010158.JPG]

    A texan limo trip back to the hotel, complete with Bull Horns. At 12mpg I don't think I'll be getting one!

    [attachment=134268:P1010168.JPG]

    With weather not performing well, the next few days look like positioning for the predicted storms on Friday/Saturday.
    Originally Oklahoma on Wednesday, however a last minute change meant we're off to Colorado first then moving to Kansas ready for the final show before the journey back.

    Hope you're all enjoying the live streaming.

    Hopefully another good convective day before we head back.
  9. HeadcornWx
    Day 7 began in Amarillo.
    Initially we'd planned to drive into eastern Oklahoma, however looking at the model forecasts for Fri/Sat we decided to head North into Colorado and await developments for Western Kansas.

    The drive took us through the final portion of the Texas Panhandle into a narrow strip of the Oklahoma panhandle. The land is so flat here, a playground for Tornadoes; all the towns we passed have the warning sirens in place. Railroads are key to local transportation and we saw some huge freight trains, some with 120+ carriages and well over a mile long.

    [attachment=134287:P1010179.JPG] [attachment=134289:P1010187.JPG]

    This is grain country. Huge silos are dotted around the landscape to hold the massive amounts of grain produced across the american mid-west. These indestructible buildings have come off unscathed after some of the most violent EF5 tornadoes of recent years.

    [attachment=134288:P1010181.JPG]

    The road took us further North. In 90 degree heat we crossed into the South East corner of Colorado.
    We stopped at the State Line for a photo opportunity. A lizard and green snake slithered off the road into the long grass, a reminder to watch where you put your feet out here!

    [attachment=134293:P1010197.JPG] [attachment=134291:P1010185.JPG]

    Driving North West we could begin to see signs of convection over the Rocky Mountains to our West. This was clear on the Barons Radar, however today these storms would remain firmly attached to their mountain home.

    As we approached our stop for the day in Limon Colorado, the remains of the storms were dissipating over Denver.

    [attachment=134290:P1010241.JPG] [attachment=134292:P1010256.JPG]

    With the Storm Prediction Centre improving risk, fingers are now well and truly crossed for the next few days. Those of you on the next few tours should now be getting excited with the chance of a major outbreak forecast! Keep a close eye on the SPC forecast as this develops.
  10. HeadcornWx
    Thursdays Chase day began in the town of Limon Colorado, situated at 5377 ft ASL and made famous as being the site of the most gruesome lynching in American history back in 1900. Fortunately nothing quite as gruesome during our stay!

    The most recent and significant Tornadic event of note was back in 1990 when a EF3 touched down west of Limon.

    We woke to a pleasant change in the forecast from the Storm Prediction Centre (SPC). Even early on, distinct tops could be seen over the Rockies and a build-up to the east was already underway by lunchtime.

    We left and headed East where dew points were favorable and significant CAPE (Convective Available Potential Energy) was present.[list]
    [*]For CAPE definition see : [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convective_available_potential_energy"]http://en.wikipedia....otential_energy[/url]
    [/list]
    As we neared the Kansas State line a number of Storms cropped up. Some severe for a while.

    [attachment=134302:P1010264.JPG] [attachment=134303:P1010265.JPG] [attachment=134305:P1010281.JPG]

    We took a central path between two significant systems. Gusty winds and heavy rain were present. At one point, the outflow could be seen to lift up surrounding dust into clouds as previously seen down in New Mexico.

    [attachment=134317:P1010270.JPG]

    Although looking promising at first, none of these storms became Super-cellular. They all however generated some good CG Lightning.

    [attachment=134304:P1010273.JPG]

    Finally we drove East through Kansas to our overnight stay in the town of Hays.
    Looking at the SPC predictions, Friday seems to be a similar convective day however Saturday has a higher risk of some more
    organised systems within the Southern Kansas, Oklahoma and the Northern Texas areas potentially providing a good show before the trip back.
  11. HeadcornWx
    We began the day in Hays, Kansas.
    Todays risk was far up North so the plan for the day was to drive down to Hutchingson and visit the Space Museum there where they also have an IMAX cinema showing Sean Caseys "Tornado Alley".

    Temperatures today were crazy. By 2pm it had reached 93F with winds around 40mph but a really dry heat.

    The drive took us through some amazing scenery and fields of crops flowing like rivers in the wind.
    We visited the historic town of Claffin with its wild west frontage as well as a fantastic disused Prarie house reminiscent of something out of a movie.

    [attachment=134334:P1010297.JPG] [attachment=134335:P1010300.JPG]

    [attachment=134336:P1010318.JPG] [attachment=134337:P1010323.JPG]

    We met up with fellow chasers Dana and Chris from Arizona to watch Tornado Alley. An amazing movie and really impressive in IMAX.

    Following the movie, we Met Aaron and Laura Hiscox and were kindly invited to their friends ranch near McPherson.
    Twenty years ago they had lost everything when a EF4 tornado hit the previous ranch on the same site. Fortunately no one was injured, but after coming up from the basement shelter they found their home destroyed. The family have rebuilt a wonderful house on the site.

    We spent an unforgettable evening at the ranch. Home made pizza and some great target shooting to finish the evening off.

    [attachment=134338:P1010332.JPG] [attachment=134339:P1010337.JPG]

    [attachment=134340:P1010345.JPG]

    Saturday, our last chase day looks very promising in the Oklahoma Panhandle. High CAPE and potential for Large Hail, strong winds and the odd Tornado [img]http://cdn.nwstatic.co.uk/forum//public/style_emoticons/default/smile.png[/img] Hopefully some good structure and a great chase day before heading home on Sunday.

    Remember you can follow us live on the Netweather Stream at:[list]
    [*][url="http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=chaselive;sess="]http://www.netweathe...chaselive;sess=[/url]
    [/list]
  12. HeadcornWx
    Day 1 began in Denver. After an early start we headed North to the Wyoming state line given the forecast SPC slight risk. All the way up we had great views of the Rockies out to our West and these provided much of the source of lifting for the storms that were to develop later in the day.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18327]
    Following lunch we waited around the town of Wheatland, Wyoming for development off the Rockies which proved to be very slow to produce.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18329]
    One cell looked promising. We followed this east where it took on supercell properties for a while before breaking down, however produced some reasonable sized hail.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18328]
    South of us in Colorado on the lower end of the risk cells became tornado warned and dropped brief tornados today. Tonight we moved east into Nebraska ahead of what could be a significant day for the eastern part of the state. A 5% tornado risk has been issued by SPC.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18330]

    As ever, a full set of photos is available from the [url="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9qb5ckmqu727jap/pu1luZ7OFJ"]Headcorn Weather Stormchase Dropbox link[/url] and you can follow us at the [url="http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=chaselive;sess="]Netweather Chase Link[/url] or via [url="http://www.spotternetwork.org/google.php"]Spotter Network[/url] ID 'Nick Parnell'

    More Later...
  13. HeadcornWx
    One word sums up todays chase. Amazing!
    We left Scotts bluff and temps/dew points were just about right to make the whole place feel juicy and ideal for development of severe storms later that day.

    As we headed west towards the Rockies we could see huge convection on top of the mountains. Things were looking good and soon these storms became severe warned.
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18429]
    Driving down toward the mountains to intercept, we passed the town of Wheatland and after about 5 miles could see the hook echo on radar and rotation markers. We waited and were joined by Matt Phelps from Extreme Chase Tours. Just down the road a funnel formed and for a few seconds the first tornado of the day was on the ground.
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18430]
    I don't think I've ever seen so many funnels in one day. A few minutes later one dropped nearby and golfball hail was falling everywhere with a few locals running for cover.
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18432]
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18431]
    We drove further south east and followed a new storm developing on the tail end of the system. This was starting to drop funnels.
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18433]
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18434]
    Soon the whole mesocyclone lowered and was rotating like a huge mothership just above the ground. As it left the high ground and moved out over the warm juicy plains this could only lead to intensification of an already monstrous system.
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18437]
    Driving further east we matched its speed driving alongside it, and could see rotation disturbance on the ground indicating a second tornado as shown in this [[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_03kwchkvj4"]YouTube Video[/url]] and the photos below.
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18435]
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18436]
    Further down the road another candidate touchdown, possibly outflow this time. Everything was happening so quickly. Amazing lightning from this system too as shown in this [[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xve0F-7P0fM"]YouTube Video[/url]].
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18438]
    Our final catch of the day happened after we crossed into Nebraska. Just beyond the town of Dix we saw radar indicated rotation. We pulled off the road and whilst looking at an area of rotation the sheriff next to us called in a tornado. To our right was this beauty [[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2cfwYxTOVs"]YouTube Video[/url]] which initially we thought to be a landspout but experts have said this too is probably a tornado off the mesocyclone. I was pleased to be asked for a copy of this photo for the Denver TV news that evening.
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18439]
    What a fantastic end to the day and to the tour. Steaks well deserved for dinner tonight!
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18440]

    As always a full set of photos on todays [url="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9qb5ckmqu727jap/sUqeN87Z72/Day%2010%20-%20June%2022nd"]Headcorn Weather Dropbox Gallery[/url].
    I took 500 photos today and a huge amount of full HD video which will need editing. This will be published in due course and uploaded here so keep a watchful eye out. Some beautiful pictures to come once I get chance to fully review all of them.

    Tomorrow we head back to Denver and the flight home. It could be another interesting day with a chance of tornadoes on our route back so even the chance of a bonus Day 11 chase!
    Tour 5 this year has been great. We've seen some great places, met some great people and got to see the heartland of America.

    This is now my second year chasing with Netweather. Pauls knowledge is outstanding and he's done a great job getting us on the best storms of the day almost every day.

    From great structure to large funnels, funnels dropping by the roadside, huge hail, great
    lightning shows and finally 3 stunning tornadoes we saw it all against the stunning backdrop of the sparsely populated Northern Plains.

    To witness the immense power of nature up close is truly amazing but one must always treat it with
    the greatest respect. 2013 has been a year that will remain in everyones memory for a very long time to come following the devastation and loss of life in Oklahoma.

    This will hopefully make the scientific community even more determined to observe, report and analyse data to ultimately make predicting where and when the worst of these massive storms will strike more reliable.

    I've thoroughly enjoyed being part of the tour and intend to return in 2014, hopefully to the Northern Plains again.

    A very big thankyou to Paul, Dave, Ian and Netweather for making this such a great holiday.

    As always, if you've been following the blogs and want to know more about stormchasing with Netweather please visit their dedicated holidays website [url="http://www.weatherholidays.com"]Weather Holidays[/url].

    Thankyou for following. As mentioned above, I'll be uploading a few more photos and edits over the weeks to come onto the [url="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9qb5ckmqu727jap/pu1luZ7OFJ"]Headcorn Weather Dropbox Photo Gallery[/url]. Please visit there to keep upto date.

    [i]One final word. Whilst chasing this year I learnt about the Storm Assist organization which has been setup by storm chasers to provide support to those directly affected by damaging weather events in the US. If you're able to support with a donation please visit [url="http://stormassist.org/"]STORM ASSIST[/url] where you can read of their work and make a direct payment via PayPal or Credit Card. Thank you.[/i]

    Until Next Time...
  14. HeadcornWx
    We left our hotel in Sidney (Nebraska not OZ!) early headed east towards a developing risk area on the Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa state line close to the Missouri river.

    Temps quickly climbed through the 90s into the 100s and dewpoints were ideal for development of some impressive storms with plenty of available CAPE around 3500.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18337] [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18336]

    As we aproached eastern Nebraska storms were already firing across Kansas. Initially we targeted the area from Norfolk Nebraska to Yankton South Dakota however after seeing a shift in the warm front we quickly dropped south towards Columbus. In front of our eyes along the warm front we could see the system exploding. Outside the car you could hear the roar of the storm gaining strength and inflow winds were being drawn in past us.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18338]

    We positioned in the zone to the Southeast of the developing storm and waited.

    Structure was developing, and soon we had a photogenic classic supercell in-front of us.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18349]
    The system developed into an MCS as the evening progressed.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18340]

    We headed to the town of Blair and found a convenient gas station to shelter from the rain and winds then met up with Skip Talbot for a great BBQ dinner and some lightning viewing over western Iowa.
  15. HeadcornWx
    After a very late night of chasing down what seemed to be the last remaining hotel rooms in the state, we left Eastern Nebraska headed west for the risk area developing in North East Colorado.

    As we headed west, tops of the developing supercells were clearly visible over 200 miles away.

    Initially we headed towards Cheyenne then dropped south to intercept a line of promising cells. They were pulsing every few radar sweeps and just when we thought the storm was dead it burst back into life with an even greater amount of energy.

    Although some brief funnels spun up, the main feature of these cells was Hail. As we passed through the edge of the core we were greeted by ping pong ball sized pieces bouncing off the roof and road however just behind just this increased to baseball size and one of some of the other chasers weren't so lucky with a few broken windshields to mend.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18351]

    One distinct advantage of traveling with an experienced team like Netweather is the equipment used. The barons radar system provides the latest radar information available allowing us to get close to the action but far enough away from anything that may cause problems!

    Heading further south into clear air, we had a great view of this majestic storm over the Colorado plains.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18352]
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18353]
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18350]

    As always, for all the latest photos visit the [url="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9qb5ckmqu727jap/pu1luZ7OFJ"]Headcorn Weather Dropbox Gallery[/url]

    Sundays Chase Target looks to be Kansas... We're hoping the Wizard can deliver something special over the plains today.
  16. HeadcornWx
    We begun Day 4 in Sterling Colorado. Initially planning a chase into Nebraska then dropping south into Kansas. After meeting up with experienced chaser David Ewoldt, we watched the development of the cells near Madrid Nebraska from initiation to formation of supercells and a very deceiving formation which caught the eye of many viewers ... Our Scudnado!

    We then moved North to Ogallalla and Arthur as a large hailer developed to our North.

    Limited time to get the blog done today, however a few great photos online at the following link:

    [url="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9qb5ckmqu727jap/M7vYyrRATh/Day%204%20-%20June%2016th"]Headcorn Weather Day 4 Dropbox Gallery[/url]
  17. HeadcornWx
    Leaving North Platt today we headed back along our old favourite route I-80 west, a road that has become rather familiar over the past few days given the amount of chases that have centered around the East to West Nebraska areas.

    We headed to Ogalalla first of all for lunch in the western style saloon then once things started initiating we moved west towards Kimball.

    Realising that storms to the south had more potential, we took the decision to head south towards Brush and began chasing a huge supercell into North East Colorado which became tornadic spinning up a quick funnel captured by all of us on camera.

    Today was definitely the day of the Rainbows, or should I say Hailbows. It seemed everywhere we looked there was a rainbow and set against the stunning colours of the Colorado plains it looked quite amazing.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18367]
    We stopped at a great vantage point and [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7RFjFx-ewA"]watched the mesocyclone over a farm[/url]. The wind was being drawn into the system and dust and small debris was being blown around. Quite an amazing experience with the ever present Hailbows always in shot as shown in this [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7RFjFx-ewA"]YouTube Video.[/url]

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18368]
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18369]

    The cell lost energy and we drove off, however as we followed a small county road towards Burlington it pulsed up again covering the fields with Hail as if it had been snowing.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18370]
    Definitely a day to remember and hopefully to be repeated soon.

    Tuesdays Target looks to be Eastern Colorado again.

    Visit todays [url="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9qb5ckmqu727jap/hcc-mcipgT/Day%205%20-%20June%2017th"]Headcorn Weather Dropbox Gallery[/url] for all the latest Photos!
  18. HeadcornWx
    After a stay in Burlington, Colorado, we left late morning only to find a dead battery in the SUV. [img]http://f.nwstatic.co.uk/forum//public/style_emoticons/default/help.gif[/img]
    This was quickly sorted with the help of the local police and we were soon on our way towards
    Denver and the [url="http://www.theweatherprediction.com/weatherpapers/013/"]Denver Cyclone Convergence Zone (DCVZ)[/url], an area renowned for spawning many of the tornadoes in eastern Colorado.

    After a stop in Limon, we waitied for Initiation of the DCVZ and headed west. Things happened very
    quickly and a tornado was reported at Denver Airport ahead of us which unfortunately we missed.

    We headed SE on I-70 towards Kit Casrson for the afternoon and were saw a couple of well formed
    funnels, one of which formed just north of the road and started to cross the road ahead of us
    before retracting back into the wall cloud, an amazing sight to see.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18374]
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18373]
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18372]
    The storm also had an amazing shelf cloud associated with it and some intense gust front winds.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18375]
    We're back tonight in Burlington. Tomorrows risk area currently is SE Colorado or the far high plains.
    A full set of photos can he found in todays [url="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9qb5ckmqu727jap/8oDbmozijw/Day%206%20-%20June%2018th"]Headcorn Weather Dropbox Gallery[/url].

    Don't forget you can follow us live via the [url="http://www.netweather.tv/index.cgi?action=chaselive;sess="]Live Netweather Stream[/url] or on [url="http://www.chasertv.com/wall/"]Chaser TV[/url] as UKTWISTERHUNTERS.

    For those of you wishing to find out more about stormchasing with Netweather, or the other tours offered please visit the [url="http://www.weatherholidays.com"]Weather Holidays[/url] site.
  19. HeadcornWx
    After leaving Burlington this morning we initially headed south for a dry line risk of storms initiating west of Lamar.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18381]

    Whilst a few promising ones kicked off mid afternoon with a few CGs and some streamed on the webcam we decided to abandon this for the risk areas to the far North and east in the Dakotas and possibly Minnesota.

    Tonight we make the long drive North staying in Chadron. The final stretch now towards what could hopefully be a moderate risk over the next few days.

    As I write this we're driving North across the plains of Colorado and into Nebraska. The setting sun to our west and dust blowing across areas of parched landscape desperately in need of rain.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18379]

    Finally we move into an area of greener farmland. We turn off the main highway and onto the country routes. Ian reminds Paul that it's only 50 miles to go on these dirt roads as we head further North into the darkness.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18378]

    We get to see some great lightning after dark from the storms over Wyoming to our West as we punch through into Nebraska.These dark skies could be wonderful for nighttime photography over the next few days.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18380]

    Totally different country ahead. The chase goes on...
  20. HeadcornWx
    After a great night of lightning photography we left our hotel in Chadron, Nebraska and headed North into the green countryside of South Dakota.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18404]

    Passing the Black hills and Mount Rushmore we headed first East then North towards the triple point where the cold, warm and occluded fronts meet; always a hot-spot for interesting weather wherever it occurs and where our storms would be initiating.

    As we approached the North Dakota stateline we could see the anvil from 75 miles out.
    After a frustrating delay in roadworks at the stateline we made the final push into North Dakota just outside the town of Strasburg.

    A wall cloud was already present and we followed the system on a farm road to a great viewing point.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18405]
    Rotation was insane in multiple parts of the wall cloud which was quite linear in nature. Most promising was a large funnel which lowered ahead of us almost 3/4 way to the ground. This was well on the way to forming a wedge tornado but was sheared apart just like all the others.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18406]
    This was the day of the funnels. They formed, they lowered and they retracted.

    Plenty of candidates and i'm sure there were a few people who may have called some of them as tornadoes. Either way it was great watching and some great opportunities to take photos over wide open country.

    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18407]
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18411]
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18409]
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18410]
  21. HeadcornWx
    After a wild days chasing in North Dakota yesterday, a well deserved lay-in this morning.
    This was rudely disturbed around 7am by elevated storms to our south over the Badlands National park. These quickly turned severe with very large hail upto 4 inches reported and damaging wind gusts.

    They finally moved off to the East and by late morning we left for lunch in the South Dakota town of wall with its western themed buildings and bars.
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18426]
    The plan for the afternoon was to drive to the extreme Southwest corner of South Dakota for initiation of the storm. This we did, however apart from some close lightning, hail and basic structure the storms didn't deliver any visible rotation.
    [sharedmedia=gallery:images:18427]
    Tomorrow we head back into South Dakota for the final chase then a late night drive back to Denver for Sundays flight.

    The full photo set is available at the [url="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9qb5ckmqu727jap/mCoLAhupDO/Day%209%20-%20June%2021st"]Headcorn Weather Dropbox Gallery[/url].
  22. HeadcornWx
    [u][b]Sat 14th June 2014[/b][/u]
    [b]Denver Colorado: 4am Mountain Daylight Time[/b]
    After a good flight and 5hr snooze thanks mostly to a cheeky upgrade, arrived in Denver in good shape. Wide awake at 4am thanks to the jetlag so am blogging. SPC moderate risk for Very Large Hail, Damaging Winds and Isolated Tornadoes today for the risk area so we're headed out of here around 9-10 mountain time. Batteries charged for some hopefully great photos.

    [b]Post Chase Update:[/b]
    Wow! What an amazing day. The drive North East then south back towards Limon today revealed the development of massive supercell structure then just as we tried to head south we were caught under the base and touched the hail core being instantly hit by huge hail estimated at 4-5inches, Both cars smashed windscreens and dents following the event.
    This storm went on to line out and accelerate through the town we stayed in, speeding up eventually with forward motion around 115-120mph!

    [url="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/htak3nmei1ga7c3/AABCXNvhvrfTNxUvbwRY0nPPa/HD%20Movies/Jun%2014th%20-%20Limon%20Huge%20Hail%20-%20Courtesy%20Richard%20Mott.wmv"]Video of the Hail Encounter Courtesy of Richard Mott[/url]

    [url="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/htak3nmei1ga7c3/AAA1PN8XvBYupfipqJBPHJFda/Day%201%20-%20June%2014th"]Link to Todays Dropbox Gallery[/url]

    Follow our progresses as always on twitter [url="http://www.twitter.com/headcornweather"]@headcornweather[/url] and during chases on Spotter Network ID: Nick Parnell
  23. HeadcornWx
    [u][b]Thu 19th June 2014[/b][/u]
    Today was a waiting game. The risk further east was clearly a line event as depicted by HRRR so we remained in South Dakota hopeful for the SPC 'See Text' risk and HRRR development mid-state.

    We headed North then West towards Pierre. As we aproached the town of Bluff the storm started to develop rapidly on radar. Already it had dropped a couple of tornadoes and numberous funnels.

    Chasing it North East we witnessed numerous funnels but this was a cold outflow dominant storm. One of the areas of rotation looked promising and briefly a rotating lowing in the distance appeared to be generating some ground disturbance however this was all over too quickly. See photos.

    Although we have no live stream this trip, you can follow us and other Storm Chasers during chases on the Live Map with Radar/Satellite Overlays available at: [url="http://www.spotternetwork.org/pages/map"]Spotter Network with the ID Nick Parnell[/url]. Also via Twitter [url="https://www.twitter.com/headcornweather"]@headcornweather[/url]

    Photos from today are available via the [url="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/htak3nmei1ga7c3/AADOgPfcT1RR7W9-SfAMuhA_a/Day%206%20-%20June%2019th"]Dropbox Gallery Link[/url].
  24. HeadcornWx
    [u][b]Tue 24th June 2014[/b][/u]
    Our final day of Tour 4 began in Sterling Colorado.
    Whilst todays risk looked to be a repeat of yesterday in NE Colorado, as we approached the target area so the whole system broke apart leaving us with nothing more than a Particularly Drizzly Situation.

    To our North, across in Wyoming things were starting to look interesting. A short hop on the freeway past Cheyenne and out on route 85 NE and we started to see 2" hail along the road. A beautiful hailbow stretched across the road ahead and a few sorry looking motorists emerging from the abyss licking the wounds on their vehicles. Although there were a few lowerings, a wall cloud as well as a radar indicated Tornado Vortex Signature we saw no evidence of anything else from this storm and it soon began a rapid decay as we headed South via Pine Bluffs to Cheyenne, our base for the night before returning to Denver and the flight to London.

    Photos from todays chase can be found on the following [url="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/htak3nmei1ga7c3/AAAfWQqrgDPJdnVCq3rYwDm4a/Day%2011%20-%20June%2024th"]Dropbox Link[/url] and all the [url="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/htak3nmei1ga7c3/AADVSVut43KGJYwdsgIU7D1na/HD%20Movies"]Videos can be found here[/url].

    From Colorado to Kansas, thru Nebraska, the Dakotas, Iowa, Minnesota, Wyoming and finally back to Colorado this is a truly wonderful and varied country. If it weren't for these tours I would never have visited many of the places or have had the opportunity to meet these kind people.

    Stormchasing has a massive following here in the US which is growing all the time. Unfortunately as in all walks of life there are those few who loose sight of the fundamental goal which is to provide timely information to protect life and property and further scientific knowledge. Only when that primary goal has been met should we look to capture the true spectacle of mother nature.

    There are those who talk about regulation of stormchasing. In my opinion it needs no more than a code of ethics which we should all abide by in life to look out for those around and apply a good deal of common sense on the roads to ensure a safe environment for all.

    As a visitor to this country, I'd like to think I've personally done everything I can to uphold this and given the severity of the storms over the past 2 weeks particularly in Nebraska would like to think that the timely actions of our team in reporting and advising has helped the affected communities in some small way.

    I will once again be making my photos and videos available to the [url="http://stormassist.org"]Storm Assist organization[/url], all profits which go to helping communities affected by Storms. I encourage you to visit their site and review their merchandise in particular their videos/BluRays available at a very reasonable price.

    Thank you for following these blogs this year and thankyou to Paul, Richard and Netweather. I hope you've enjoyed the coverage of these past 2 weeks of wild weather.
  25. HeadcornWx
    [u][b]Sun 15th June 2014[/b][/u]
    Leaving our hotel Colby Kansas, we decided to leave todays risk and head North to Iowa positioning for Mondays significant potential over Nebraska/Iowa. An all-day drive took us out of Kansas, through Nebraska and eventually along I-80 to Lincoln where we exchanged the rather battered and bruised Jeep following yesterdays barrage of Hail.

    Along the way we saw town after town severely damaged by the straight line winds of upto 115mph the previous night. Whilst tornadoes generate a localised path of destruction, these straight line wind events can go on for 100s of miles and leave a huge trail of destruction.

    Crossing the Missouri we entered Iowa and headed North along its huge flood plain. Our final destination for the day was Sioux City, Iowa.

    Photos for the day can be found on the [url="https://www.dropbox.com/sh/htak3nmei1ga7c3/AABtqC4jOXJoJ8Xf7w2pj7B8a/Day%202%20-%20June%2015th"]Dropbox Gallery[/url]
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